REAL SALT LAKE

Brayan Vera Scores Real Salt Lake Equalizer Late In First Half

Jul 17, 2024, 9:40 PM

Brayan Vera RSL...

Real Salt Lake defender Brayan Vera (4) prepares to kick the ball during a MLS match between Real Salt Lake and the Seattle Sounders at America First Field in Sandy on April 29, 2023. (Photo courtesy of Ryan Sun, Deseret News)

(Photo courtesy of Ryan Sun, Deseret News)

LOS ANGELES, California – A free kick and an LAFC deflection allowed Brayan Vera to score Real Salt Lake’s first goal, knotting things at one in the 33rd minute.

RSL (12-4-7, 43 points) traveled to southern California for a date with western conference leader LAFC (13-5-4, 43 points)on Wednesday, July 17.

RELATED: RSL Star Chicho Arango To Serve Four-Game Suspension

Real Salt Lake gave up an early goal to Cristian Olivera and looked to have their hands full as LAFC controlled the opening thirty minutes. Vera’s second goal of the season evened things up and gave his shorthanded team momentum.

RSL has outshot LAFC 9-4 in the half, but LAFC has three shots on goal compared to one for the Claret & Cobalt.

RELATED: RSL Faces Two Crucial MLS Matchups Prior To Leagues Cup

RSL Heads Into Big Week With MLS Playoff Implications

On Wednesday, July 17, Real faces LAFC in BMO Stadium. Three days later, they play rival Colorado in Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.

After dropping in Portland to start the three-game road trip, RSL put themselves behind the 8-ball as they face two of the top teams in the West.

As things stand, Real Salt Lake, LAFC, and the LA Galaxy are in a three-way tie for the top rank.

The Rapids sit in fourth, trailing the top three by five points.

There could be a lot of movement at the top of the West over the next week, not just because RSL plays the first and fourth teams in the Conference.

On Wednesday, Colorado and the Galaxy face off in LA. Next weekend, LAFC heads to Seattle to face the Sounders, who are unbeaten in their last seven with six wins. The Galaxy also play the Timbers, who will be coming off a week of rest after shutting out RSL.

Follow Real Salt Lake With KSL Sports

Real Salt Lake heads to Commerce City to face the Colorado Rapids on Saturday, July 20. The match kicks off at 7:30 p.m. MT at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. So far, these franchises have split the season series, with Colorado winning 2-1 in early March and the Claret & Cobalt returning the favor with a 5-3 win in May.

All Major League Soccer games are broadcasted on Apple TV with MLS Season Pass.

All Real Salt Lake English-language radio coverage for the 2024 season and beyond will be carried on various KSL radio signals. KSL Sports Zone (97.5 FM/1280 AM) and KSL Newsradio (102.7 FM / 1160 AM) are both stations under the Bonneville International umbrella.

For more Real Salt Lake coverage and analysis, subscribe to The RSL Show and follow them on Instagram. 

You can find KSL Sports coverage of Real Salt Lake here.

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Brian Preece is a sports.ksl.com insider covering the Utah State Aggies, Locals in MLB, and Salt Lake Bees. Follow Brian’s Bees, Beehive baseball, and Aggie athletics coverage here.

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Brayan Vera Scores Real Salt Lake Equalizer Late In First Half