Damir Kreilach’s Second Half Header Lifts RSL Over San Jose

SANDY, Utah – Real Salt Lake were missing some key players in their blockbuster match up against San Jose Wednesday evening, but that did not stop them from performing well and beating the San Jose Earthquakes 1-0.

A sloppy first half propelled RSL into the driving seat as they found their form and scored the only goal of the game in the 75th minute after Brooks Lennon’s cross found the head of Damir Kreilach.

Results around the league went in favor of RSL as Minnesota United lost to the Houston Dynamo 2-0 and the Colorado Rapids beat the LA Galaxy 2-1. RSL’s win over the Earthquakes put the Claret and Cobalt back into 2nd place in the Western Conference and some four points clear of the Galaxy who remain on the outside of the playoff bubble looking in.

3️⃣ points at the RioT pic.twitter.com/qWGIYRMkKG

— Real Salt Lake (@realsaltlake) September 12, 2019

Here is how the players were rated after the loss, on a scale of 0-10.

0-5: The player did not play well or did not get enough minutes to judge performance correctly.

6-7: The player played well, but had moments where they did not make good decisions.

8-9: The player was very impressive, had very few mistakes and offered a lot of production.

10: The player played a perfect game. No mistakes, everything the player touched turned to gold.

Head Coach

Freddie Juarez, 8
Juarez continues to impress as manager. His substitution pattern worked to perfection as Savarino and Saucedo offered energy off the bench.

You could argue the goal scored by Kreilach occurred as a direct result from the spark generated from Sava and Bofo.

Although the first half was not pretty at times, the second 45 minutes was solid considering the extended time off due to the international break.

Goalkeeper

Nick Rimando, 8
Another clean sheet for the MLS veteran and three points. Rimando’s biggest save came in the first half when Espinoza rocketed a shot from a tight angle straight into the knee of Rimando.

Rimando was very solid with his disposal and helped RSL start the counter-attack.

How 'bout nah pic.twitter.com/z5seMFK5Rh

— Real Salt Lake (@realsaltlake) September 12, 2019

Defenders

Right Back: Aaron Herrera, 8
Herrera was very impressive against the Earthquakes. The young right-back had three clearances, two interceptions and was very efficient moving up and down the right-wing. Solid work from a player that has been hot and cold this season.

Center Back: Justen Glad, 8
Glad was solid playing alongside Nedum Onuoha, as he has been all season long. The young center back helped control the backline and not allow any serious Earthquake chances.

The back four as a whole played very well and Glad had a big part in all of that.

Center Back: Nedum Onuoha, 8
Onuoha was spectacular alongside Justen Glad. Onuoha’s experience has been a very valuable asset to RSL over the course of the season. Against San Jose he was influential in keeping the backline organized.

Left Back: Donny Toia, 8
Toia has had a hard time this season turning the ball over carelessly. Against San Jose he made some sloppy mistakes, however, he defended well and did not allow the likes of Espinoza to get in behind him.

Midfielders

Center Midfield: Kyle Beckerman, 7
Beckerman played 84 minutes before coming off for Kelyn Rowe. During the 84 minutes, Beckerman was solid. He picked up a poor yellow card in the first half after a number of poor challenges but defended well and helped close down space as San Jose were attacking.

Center Midfield: Everton Luiz, 8
Luiz has been the best pick up RSL have had in many years. The Brazilian continues to impress game in and game out. Against San Jose he was superb defending and created space when RSL were attacking.

Luiz is a big reason why RSL have been so stingy when conceding goals lately.

VROOOOOOM 💨 pic.twitter.com/TyzrrNRtHj

— Real Salt Lake (@realsaltlake) September 12, 2019

Right Wing: Brooks Lennon, 8
Lennon had his best game all season playing up on the right-wing. He assisted the only goal of the game after putting a splendid ball back into the box, despite playing it off his back foot, and finding the head of Kreilach to give the hosts all three points. Lennon continues to struggle beating defenders 1 on 1, but when he finds the ball in space he is very dangerous. His time at right-back has helped his defensive work rate.

Center Attacking Midfield: Damir Kreilach, 10
Man of the Match honors went to the big Croatian. Kreilach was superb, playing center attacking midfield and then pushing forward when Douglas Martinez came off. He had the best chance of the first half and had a number of opportunities in the second. If the bounce of the ball had of gone Kreilach’s way, he could have ended up with a hat-trick. He scored the only goal of the game.

“Rises up like a salmon.”

Classic @BrianDunseth 🎣 pic.twitter.com/ivDxjOTPi5

— Real Salt Lake (@realsaltlake) September 12, 2019

Left-Wing: Joao Plata, 7
Plata started the game well but fell off as the match went on. He was subsequently replaced in the 64th minute for Sebastian Saucedo. Plata does a great job attacking defenders, although, when the ball is turned over he struggles to get back and help out defensively.

Striker

Striker: Douglas Martinez, 7
Martinez made his MLS and RSL debut against the Earthquakes. It took him 10 minutes to figure out the speed and tempo of the match, but when he got a few touches under his belt you could tell the young Honduran has the skill and can play at the professional level.

Martinez may not see the field for some time moving forward as Sam Johnson is expected to return, although the minutes he gained midweek against the Earthquakes could go a long way for his confidence moving forward.

The Bench

Jefferson Savarino, 9
The game changed when Savarino came on. Sava returned after spending time with the Venezuelan National Team and had limited minutes against the Earthquakes. He made those minutes count. The spark and energy he brought off the bench was priceless. Sava is a key piece to the RSL team and proved his worth in the 26 minutes we saw.

Sebastian Saucedo, 8
Much like Savarino, Bofo was very important coming off the bench. Bofo has been stuck on the bench the last couple of weeks, but sent a message to the coaching staff with the 26 minutes he got against the Earthquakes.

Kelyn Rowe, 5
Rowe joined the game in the 84th minute for captain Kyle Beckerman. Rowe was unable to have much of an impact but did a nice job helping the team to all three points.

Looking at the numbers 🔎 pic.twitter.com/V7ROoJzCCr

— Real Salt Lake (@realsaltlake) September 12, 2019

Next Up

Real Salt Lake will jump on a plane to take on Minnesota United this Sunday at 3:30 p.m. The match can be streamed live on sports.ksl.com or the KSL TV app.

Minnesota United are coming off a 2-0 loss to the Houston Dynamo.

They currently sit in 4th place in the Western Conference.

Here is Ethan's goal that was called back…

… and here are full highlights » https://t.co/5Ef9loV2dV pic.twitter.com/gzEb6pOGCN

— Minnesota United FC (@MNUFC) September 12, 2019

Reminder

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To listen to The Lion’s Den, click here. It is available on iTunes, Google Play or wherever podcasts are found. Don’t forget to rate and subscribe!