RSL Holds Top Spot In West With Shutout Win Over Seattle Sounders
May 15, 2024, 9:35 PM | Updated: May 17, 2024, 5:54 pm
SALT LAKE CITY – Real Salt Lake kept its MLS undefeated streak alive with a big 2-0 victory over the Seattle Sounders FC on Wednesday.
Once again, defense stole the show for RSL. They held possession for over 62% of the match as 19-year-old goalkeeper Gavin Beavers recorded his first clean sheet at America First Field.
Diego Luna was the hero for Real on the other side of the ball. He assisted Andres Gomez on the first goal of the game and scored his second goal of the season to give RSL a 2-0 lead in the second half.
Just another day in the office #RSLvSEA | @SelectHealth pic.twitter.com/zMWRs98lwS
— Real Salt Lake (@realsaltlake) May 16, 2024
RSL Shuts Out Seattle To Get Back In Win Column
First Half
Coming off of a big 2-1 win in Rivalry Week, the Sounders came out of the gates aggressively at AFF.
Seattle applied pressure all over the field and took some risks early. Real nearly took advantage as they went off on multiple counterattacks in the first 10 minutes.
Gomez got the first look of the game for RSL. Off a pass from Chicho Arango, Gomez tried to sneak a shot past Seattle goalkeeper Stefan Frei on the left but missed wide.
The game had a very similar feel to RSL’s last match in Los Angeles. The Galaxy put the pedal to the floor in the first 45′ which ultimately ended up working against them.
😠😄😠😠😠
😠😠🙂😠😠😠 pic.twitter.com/fcxGb1A7Q0— Real Salt Lake (@realsaltlake) May 16, 2024
The Sounders went a similar route but did a better job of getting back and preventing easy looks in their defensive third.
It wasn’t just solid defense from Seattle that caused the slow start on that end though. RSL had no problems picking apart the Sounders in the midfield but they struggled to connect on passes in the box.
Brayan Vera was inches away from putting RSL on top in the 22nd minute with a top-shelf banger but Frei was able to jump up and punch the ball over the net.
Following the first shot on goal of the match, momentum swung in Real Salt Lake’s favor.
Luna kicked off an RSL counterattack that would prove deadly to Seattle. After running almost the length of the pitch, Luna found Gomez on the right side.
A great pass gave Gomez a perfect look at goal as he put a left-footed shot into the bottom left corner.
RELATED: RSL Puts Together Highlight Counterattack, Takes Lead Over Seattle
A swift counterattack is finished off by Andrés Gómez. 🇨🇴
📺 #MLSSeasonPass: https://t.co/LSX1iIt7Ol pic.twitter.com/jVhDcmtbXv
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 16, 2024
Former Real Salt Lake forward Danny Musovski had his eyes on an equalizer shortly after Gomez’s goal but both of his attempts in the 29th minute were saved.
RSL took the 1-0 lead into the halftime break with an advantage in almost all stats. Most notably, Real held possession for nearly 68% of the first half.
Second Half
The second 45′ saw a lot of back-and-forth action between the clubs.
After Seattle’s Georgi Minoungou had a shot blocked in the 49th minute, RSL got a taste of its own medicine on the other end as Gomez and Philip Quinton had attempts blocked two minutes later.
Real Salt Lake and the Sounders traded possessions over the next few minutes until Luna finally broke through in the 58th minute.
Luna ran uncontested on the break until he was greeted by a couple of defenders at the top of the box.
But when the pressure came, it was no problem for Luna. He shook the first defender and maneuvered to the center of the box where he let a shot fly. Frei was unable to make the save as the ball flew past him into the bottom right corner.
RELATED: Diego Luna Doubles Real Salt Lake Lead Over Seattle Sounders
Take a bow, Diego Luna! 😮💨
📺 #MLSSeasonPass: https://t.co/LSX1iIt7Ol pic.twitter.com/ADRrA1WDIQ
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 16, 2024
Arango had a relatively quiet game, especially by his standards. The MLS MVP candidate looked to change that in the 62nd minute but his attempt was saved.
Arango found Luna in the 70th minute as he took a shot at a brace but it was saved once again.
Frei played a good game in net for Seattle all things considered. He reeled in six saves but couldn’t do much about RSL taking 20 shots with eight on goal.
After the three minutes of stoppage time passed, Real Salt Lake reclaimed the top spot in the West as they jumped up to 25 points.
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 for the Jazz Notes podcast and a Digital Sports Producer for sports.ksl.com, specializing in all things basketball and football. Follow Chandler on Twitter @ChandlerHoltKSL or on Threads @chandlerho1t.
