Real Salt Lake Blown Out Late In Round Of 16 Loss To Quakes, Eliminated From Tournament
Jul 27, 2020, 9:07 PM
Magnus Eriksson #7 of San Jose Earthquakes celebrates with teammates after scoring the second goal of his team during a round of 16 match of the MLS Is Back Tournament between San Jose Earthquakes and Real Salt Lake at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex on July 27, 2020 in Reunion, Florida. (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)
(Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Real Salt Lake have been eliminated from the MLS Is Back tournament following a 5-2 defeat to San Jose Earthquakes. It was a chippy affair between the two Western Conference teams, however, the class and skill of San Jose were too much for the claret and cobalt to overcome.
The match began with both teams creating good attacking chances. The ball was being moved at a high level. However, as the half continued it was evident that San Jose had the upper hand.
Our time in the Orlando bubble is over pic.twitter.com/JgkWv1KSmS
— Real Salt Lake (@realsaltlake) July 28, 2020
Cristian Espinoza, San Jose’s designated winger, was finding acres of space on the right side for the Earthquakes. His perseverance paid off in the 21st minute when he beat Zac MacMath and put the Quakes up a goal.
However, an immediate reply from RSL ensued when Douglas Martinez scored his first goal for the club by scooping the ball over Daniel Vega, San Jose’s goalkeeper. The Martinez goal came just 1 minute and 13 seconds after San Jose scored the opening goal of the match.
The first half ended 1-1.
The CHIP from Douglas Martínez! 👌
Right off the kickoff for his @realsaltlake goal. #RSL pic.twitter.com/U195A4Zki3
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) July 28, 2020
Freddy Juarez made the first substitution of the match when he took off Donny Toia and brought on Alvin Jones at left-back. Juarez clearly not happy with Toia following a dominant first half from Espinoza.
Jones immediately was thrown into the action when he pushed Tommy Thompson in the area and have the Quakes a penalty. A strong finish by the Quakes captain Magnus Eriksson and the lead went back to 2-1.
Then, 10 minutes later San Jose went up 3-1 following a goal scored by Valeri Qazaishvili.
It felt and looked like RSL was defeated. However, Damir Kreilach, who came oh so close on two prior attempts, finally was rewarded for his effort when he made a run into space and snuck the ball into the bottom right corner of the net. RSL had life.
KEEP FIGHTING BOYS pic.twitter.com/HbCVUDjOUN
— Real Salt Lake (@realsaltlake) July 28, 2020
Unfortunately, that life ended when Marcelo Silva was shown a red card for diving at the shins of a San Jose player late in the game. His studs were showing, a deserved red.
The final score ended 5-2 following yet another Chris Wondolowski goal and another Erisson penalty due to a handball in the box by Kyle Beckerman. The MLS all-time leading goalscorer was in the right place at the right time and ended up scoring with his shin.
“We gave it all to the end. Overall I thought it was a good game, a lot more positives than what the outcome shows,” Juarez said in his post-game press conference.
Real Salt Lake are eliminated from the MLS Is Back tournament. Their campaign ended in the round of 16 at the hands of the Earthquakes.
It is unclear as to what the future holds for MLS as the league is yet to announce any plans to resume the season following the conclusion of the tournament.
Tom Hackett is a Utah and Real Salt Lake Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of the It’s Utah’s World Podcast (Utah Football themed) and The Lion’s Den Podcast (Real Salt Lake themed). Follow him on Twitter: @TomCantHackett.
