Damir Kreilach Extends Real Salt Lake Lead Just Before Halftime
Jun 7, 2023, 8:33 PM | Updated: Jun 8, 2023, 12:03 pm
SALT LAKE CITY – Just before the halftime break against the LA Galaxy, Damir Kreilach earned a penalty kick and gave Real Salt Lake a 2-0 lead.
The goal was Kreilach’s second of the match and fourth in U.S. Open Cup play.
90′ + 6’| CAP GETS ANOTHER FROM THE PK!!! pic.twitter.com/G8RlyrlVtu
— Real Salt Lake (@realsaltlake) June 8, 2023
Kreilach and Real Salt Lake had all of the momentum heading into the second half.
RSL led the time of possession with 58% and took four more shots than LA with five more being on target.
RELATED: Damir Kreilach Opens Scoring Against LA Galaxy In U.S. Open Cup
good stuff pic.twitter.com/mvjI0DuXUf
— Real Salt Lake (@realsaltlake) June 8, 2023
Kreilach’s last brace came in the third round of the U.S. Open Cup against the Las Vegas Lights FC. Kreilach scored two of RSL’s three goals in the convincing win.
Real Salt Lake Aims To Get Revenge Against LA Galaxy In U.S. Open Cup
In the MLS season matchup between these teams just a week ago, the Galaxy pulled out a heartbreaking win in front of the RSL fans.
Just before the conclusion of the first half, Damir Kreilach was called for a handball that gave LA a penalty kick and a 1-0 lead at the break.
View this post on Instagram
Real Salt Lake came out of the locker room with a vengeance. The club tied the game in the 50th, played excellent defense over the next twenty minutes, and scored again to take a 2-1 lead.
LA responded by scoring two goals in three minutes to regain the lead and all of the momentum.
RELATED: Real Salt Lake Can’t Overcome Back-To-Back LA Galaxy Goals In Second Half
RSL couldn’t find the back of the net down the stretch as the Galaxy stole one in Utah.
An Inside View
Real Salt Lake captain Damir Kreilach said that the loss to LA was unfortunate. However, he remains confident in the clubs ability to win on any night.
“To lose against the LA Galaxy, it was unfortunate,” Kreilach said. “Overall, I think we played very well. Created so many chances. Unfortunately, we didn’t put the game down as a tie with a third goal.”
RSL is now 2-2-4 at home in the 2023 MLS season. After the loss to LA, Mastroeni said that the pressure to win always falls on the home team.
“Every time you don’t win at home, the pressure builds,” Mastroeni said. “The guys want it so bad. When you want it that bad, sometimes your brain gets hijacked by your emotions. It’s finding that balance between being emotionally present whilst still being really clear as to what the game state looks like.”
Real Salt Lake enters coming off of a 2-1 win over Austin FC on the road on Wednesday. Rubio Rubín scored both goals for RSL.
Kreilach reinforced Mastroeni’s comments about winning at home. He said that the RSL fans deserve to see wins at America First Field.
“We have shown plenty of times, last season and this season, that we have so much depth in our roster,” Kreilach said. “It’s all up to us to win some home games. It’s what the fans deserve and it’s what this club deserves.”
Patience rewarded. #ATXvRSL | @BaconWork pic.twitter.com/jLWYKFCLfN
— Real Salt Lake (@realsaltlake) June 6, 2023
How To Watch Real Salt Lake
All Major League Soccer games are broadcasted on Apple TV with MLS Season Pass.
The U.S. Open Cup Games broadcast on B/R Football YouTube and the B/R App.
All Real Salt Lake English-language radio coverage for the 2023 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.
RELATED STORIES
Chandler Holt is a Digital Sports Producer for sports.ksl.com, specializing in all things basketball and football. Follow Chandler on Twitter at @ChandlerHoltKSL.
