Andrés Gómez Scores First Goal With Real Salt Lake Against San Jose
Apr 22, 2023, 9:29 PM | Updated: 9:46 pm
SANDY – Midfielder Andrés Gómez scored his first goal as a member of Real Salt Lake to extend his club’s lead over the San Jose Earthquakes in the second half.
RSL hosted San Jose at America First Field in Sandy, Utah on Saturday, April 22.
In the 80th minute, Gómez buried a shot into the back of the goal to push RSL’s lead late in the half.
Gómez’s shot gave Real Salt Lake a 3-1 lead over the visiting side.
Andrés Gómez pushes @realsaltlake's lead to 3-1 over the @SJEarthquakes in the 80th minute. 💥💥💥#RSLonKSL #RSL #RSLvSJ @rslshow pic.twitter.com/Wd7XCqbNAh
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) April 23, 2023
Real Salt Lake’s first goal of the match came during the 39th minute courtesy of Jasper Löffelsend.
Jasper Löffelsend scores his first goal of the season to give @realsaltlake a 1-0 lead over the @SJEarthquakes in the 39th minute. 💥#RSLonKSL #RSL #RSLvSJ @rslshowpic.twitter.com/UjrDInZsf3
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) April 23, 2023
Cristian Espinoza leveled the scoreboard and got San Jose on the sheet with a goal early in the second half.
Cristian Espinoza levels the score for the @SJEarthquakes in the 49th minute against @realsaltlake.#RSLonKSL #RSL #RSLvSJ @rslshow pic.twitter.com/tLa4l0qsl0
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) April 23, 2023
Later in the second half, Jefferson Savarino regained the lead for Real Salt Lake with a massive strike.
.@QSavarino10 puts @realsaltlake back in front of @SJEarthquakes with a goal in the 54th minute. 🥅#RSLonKSL #RSL #RSLvSJ @rslshow pic.twitter.com/XMDQnsTfnp
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) April 23, 2023
Gómez entered the match with two assists, nine shots, and three shots on goal in seven games played this season.
Real Salt Lake’s match against San Jose is broadcast on Apple TV+ via MLS Season Pass and KSL Sports Zone.
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Real Salt Lake vs. San Jose
The fixture holds a greater level of importance than those within the club and its fanbase would like at this time of the year. Throughout the opening seven games of the season, Real Salt Lake has only managed two victories while suffering five losses. The club is yet to record a draw in 2023. As a result, Real Salt Lake is positioned 12th in the Western Conference standings and slowly moving in the opposite direction.
Their opponents, San Jose, are currently sitting comfortably in the fifth position after their opening eight games of the new calendar year. They most recently defeated Sporting Kansas City at home 3-0 to extend their unbeaten run to four games.
“I think that they are a really dynamic team, especially up front,” manager Pablo Mastroeni told the media following Friday’s training session. “Especially their front four with Montero. They pose a real threat in and out of possession. They pose a real threat on the counter and they make plays. Individually they create opportunities for themselves and as a collective, they play really well,” he added.
LISTEN LIVE: @realsaltlake is back at home to battle @SJEarthquakes on the @KSLSportsZone (97.5 FM) and https://t.co/4kU961UAvR.#RSL https://t.co/IBR4axITpa pic.twitter.com/mKenY1SWNt
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) April 23, 2023
The challenge for Real Salt Lake grows as the club has three games awaiting them over the next seven days. Following the San Jose fixture, Real Salt Lake will travel to Las Vegas, Nevada for a third-round U.S. Open bout with the Las Vegas Lights of the USL Championship.
RELATED: Real Salt Lake Welcomes San Jose To America First Field
The injury report is working in favor of Real Salt Lake. Captain Damir Kreilach has been moved from questionable to probable following his issues with a groin injury. Kreilach is joined by Erik Holt who has been struggling with an Achilles injury. Unfortunately, Andrew Brody, who last week was listed as probable has been since downgraded to questionable as he continues to recover from an ankle injury.
“You do not realize how important a player is until he is not there,” Mastroeni said while speaking on the importance of Andrew Brody to the side. “His experience in the three years that he has been a part of this group, his dependability defensively, his soccer acumen to break teams down with his dribbling ability,” Mastroeni noted on why Brody is such an important figure.
Nevertheless, Bode Hidalgo is the likely replacement for Brody. Hidalgo burst onto the scene a year ago after being called up from the Real Monarchs and performed admirably during his minutes in 2022. However, in 2023 he has shown that he is still learning about the speed at which MLS is played at. Mastroeni spoke on the need for Hidalgo to better himself as it relates to understanding where he is going to pass the ball prior to him receiving it while also having the confidence to take opponents on and look to beat them on the dribble.
The upcoming fixture against San Jose holds significant importance for Real Salt Lake as it attempts to crawl back up the Western Conference.
