Real Salt Lake Road Unbeaten Streak Comes To An End In Portland
Jul 13, 2024, 10:25 PM | Updated: Jul 14, 2024, 12:08 am
(Photo courtesy of Real Salt Lake)
(Photo courtesy of Real Salt Lake)
PORTLAND – Real Salt Lake had its road unbeaten streak snapped in Providence Park as they fell to the Portland Timbers FC on Saturday, 3-0.
Going into the match, RSL hadn’t lost on the road since the season opener in Miami. They had only been shut out four times as well.
With ten more fouls than Portland and nine fewer shot attempts, the 10-game road unbeaten streak came to an end without a goal.
final#PORvRSL | @SelectHealth pic.twitter.com/9rhqem9HIH
— Real Salt Lake (@realsaltlake) July 14, 2024
Real Salt Lake Come Out Slow, Fall To Portland Timbers
RSL and Portland were first and second for goals scored in the West heading into this match. Fans expected action at Providence Park.
It didn’t even take two minutes for the Timbers to start cutting wood.
Santiago Moreno got behind Real’s defense on the goal line and found Felipe Mora in the middle with a cross. Mora snuck his way to the spot through the middle for the tap-in and 1-0 lead.
Portland hops out in front early.#PORvRSL #RSL #RSLonKSL @rslshow
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) July 14, 2024
Frustrations began to build for RSL as nothing worked in their favor early on.
In the 22nd minute, Chicho Arango checked Evander which caused a scuffle near midfield. Arango, Andres Gomez, and Mora were all shown yellow cards.
The whistles started to stack up, leading to more and more attacking opportunities for Portland. Real led in possession in the first half but 15 fouls made it feel like all Portland.
They had just two shot attempts with neither on goal through the first 35 minutes. Portland took four shots with three on goal.
The last 14 minutes of the half were a bit different.
After Jonathan Rodríguez forced a Zac MacMath save, the claret and cobalt pushed the other way.
Arango put a shot on goal off a pass from Braian Ojeda. James Pantemis was able to make the save in the bottom left corner leading to an RSL corner kick.
Stoppage time ticked away and they were not able to find an equalizer before the first half came to an end.
Down but not out #PORvRSL | @SeatGeek pic.twitter.com/lNdewfFSda
— Real Salt Lake (@realsaltlake) July 14, 2024
Already facing an uphill battle in the second half, things quickly got worse.
In the 48th minute, Rodriguez wrecked more havoc for Portland. After a miss, he put one on goal forcing a MacMath save. After Mora missed, Moreno found a gap and added a goal to his earlier assist.
The Timbers seemingly had RSL’s number. They controlled the pace early in the half and had an answer for whatever Real brought.
Portland extends the lead just after halftime.#PORvRSL #RSL #RSLonKSL @rslshow
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) July 14, 2024
All energy was drained after the Timbers doubled their lead.
Portland slowed down their pace and moved the ball all around the pitch which didn’t help that fact.
Real Salt Lake’s first attempt of the half didnt come until the 64th minute when Arango tried to catch the Timbers off guard with a shot from long range.
Their next attempt also came from Arango 11 minutes later. Alexandros Katranis found Arango in the middle from the left side but his header bounced off the left post.
Meanwhile, Portland got over 15 shots off in the second half.
With the onslaught of shots, one was bound to sneak through. Just as the four minutes of stoppage time was added, Portland found its third goal.
Evander found the bottom left corner to put the nail in the coffin.
Evander secures the win for Portland.#PORvRSL #RSL #RSLonKSL @rslshow
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) July 14, 2024
Anderson Julio and Arango both got scoring looks in stoppage time but neither broke the drought.
With the 3-0 loss to the Timbers, Real has now dropped two of their last four games.
Luckily, both the LA Galaxy and LAFC lost their Matchday 26 games. So, the three-way tie for best in the West lives into next week.
How To Watch Real Salt Lake
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.
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Chandler Holt is a co-host of the Jazz Notes podcast, a Locals In The NFL Insider, and Digital Sports Producer for sports.ksl.com. Follow Chandler on Twitter @ChandlerHoltKSL or on Threads @chandlerho1t.
