SEATTLE – Real Salt Lake (6-1-6, 24 points, West #2) lost its first match of 2014 on Saturday, giving up three second half goals to fall 4-0 at Seattle Sounders FC (9-3-2, 29 points, West #1).
Saturday’s loss ended Real Salt Lake’s 12-game unbeaten start to the season. The Claret-and-Cobalt will depart Seattle on Sunday, heading directly to Columbus ahead of Wednesday’s match at Eastern Conference foe Columbus Crew.
Seattle went ahead in the 42nd minute, when MF Gonzalo Pineda buried a penalty kick after a questionable PK decision by referee Ricardo Salazar. The Sounders poured things on in the second, with MF Marco Pappa scoring in the 55th, FW Chad Barrett scoring in the 62nd and FW Obafemi Martins topping things off in the 90th.
Real Salt Lake controlled the early stages, but it was Seattle that had the first chance, nearly going ahead through Barrett in the 10th minute. Pappa played Barrett in on the left side of the box, allowing the veteran striker to fire a low left-footer just wide of the far post.
Salazar whistled RSL DF Aaron Maund for a questionable penalty kick in the 40th. Maund was called for the dubious PK after going shoulder-to-shoulder with Seattle MF Lamar Neagle near the end line in the left side of the box. Pineda buried the ensuing spot kick in the 42nd minute, slotting it just out of the reach of diving RSL GK Jeff Attinella and inside the left post.
Maund had a shot to equalize in the 44th minute. RSL collected a loose ball following a corner kick, with MF Javier Morales clipping a ball across the face of goal from the left side of the area. Seattle GK Stefan Frei tipped the cross and it fell to Maund on the right side. Unfortunately, he couldn’t put his chance on frame, hitting it into traffic in front of net before it was cleared.
Pappa made it 2-0 in the 55th, bending home a gorgeous free kick after DF Brad Evans was fouled outside the box. The Guatemalan international curled his 25-yard effort up and over the RSL wall and inside the near post from just right of center.
Seattle made it 3-0 just seven minutes later, punishing RSL with a quick counter following a turnover. Martins started the play, stripping a Claret-and-Cobalt player near midfield and playing Neagle in behind. Neagle dribbled into the box and cut a pass across to Barrett, who chipped over an onrushing Attinella, off of a backtracking Maund, and in.
RSL had its best chance of the game in the 70th minute, when FW Olmes Garcia banged an effort off the post. MF Javier Morales created the chance, chipping a ball to Garcia in the right side of the area. The Colombian striker ran onto the ball at the top-right corner of the six, smashing a volley past Frei and off the woodwork.
Attinella made two big stops in the 72nd and 73rd minute, stopping Martins on a point blank attempt before getting a hand to a Neagle shot to push it off the post.
Martins added a fourth for Seattle in the 90th minute, tapping home a low ball from substitute FW Kenny Cooper to make it 4-0.
Real Salt Lake will return to action on Wednesday, taking on Columbus at 5:30 p.m. MT at Crew Stadium. Wednesday’s match will be broadcast live on CW30, ESPN 700 AM and 102.3 La Gran D FM.
Real Salt Lake Match Notes – RSL 0–4 SEA
- Saturday’s 4-0 loss to Seattle Sounders FC snapped Real Salt Lake’s unbeaten record, handing RSL its first loss of the season through 13 games. The Claret-and-Cobalt now post a 6-1-6 record through 13 matches. RSL’s 12-game unbeaten streak to start the season is a club record. Today’s loss also ends the club’s 16-game regular season unbeaten streak dating back to last September. That streak is the second-longest in club history, trailing only the 18-game regular season unbeaten run compiled in the 2010 and 2011 seasons.
- Real Salt Lake’s 12-game unbeaten run is tied for the MLS record for longest unbeaten start to a season with the 1996 and 2010 LA Galaxy and 2000 Kansas City Wizards.
- Saturday’s loss ended RSL Head Coach Jeff Cassar’s unbeaten start to his head coaching career at 12 games. Cassar is tied the longest such streak in league history with Lothar Osiander, who started the 1996 season 12-0-0 as head coach of the LA Galaxy.
- Missing from today’s lineup were U.S. internationals Captain Kyle Beckerman and GK Nick Rimando and Costa Rican international FW Alvaro Saborio. All three players left the club on May 14 for pre-World Cup training camps with their respective national teams. Beckerman and Rimando were named to the U.S.’s final 23-man World Cup roster on Thursday. Saborio suffered a fifth metatarsal fracture while training with the Costa Rican national team on Thursday and will miss the World Cup and is scheduled to be out 3-4 months. Beckerman and Rimando will miss a minimum of three more regular season matches and at least one Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup match before returning from Brazil. RSL is now 1-1-1 without all three of Beckerman, Rimando and Saborio this year. The Claret-and-Cobalt is now 3-3-3 in MLS play when missing all three players since the start of 2013.
- Saturday’s loss gives RSL a 5-4-4 all-time regular season record against Seattle Sounders FC and 2-3-2 regular season record in Washington.
- RSL FW Joao Plata was missing from today’s lineup after reinjuring his left hamstring against FC Dallas last week. The Ecuadorian has six goals this season; he’s tied for the team lead with FW Alvaro Saborio.
- RSL backup GK Jeff Attinella earned his fourth start of the 2014 season Saturday, filling in for Rimando. Attinella now posts a 1-1-3 record in 2014 and a 2-3-4 regular season record in his RSL career.
- RSL MF Cole Grossman recorded his fifth career start for the Claret-and-Cobalt Saturday. The 25-year-old defensive midfielder replaced Captain Kyle Beckerman at the bottom of RSL’s midfield diamond with the U.S. international away at the USMNT’s World Cup preparation camp.
- RSL FW Devon Sandoval earned his third start of 2014 for Real Salt Lake today, filling in for RSL FW Alvaro Saborio as the target forward up top. Sandoval was paired up top with FW Olmes Garcia, the first time the two have started together this year. Today marked the fourth different forward pairing this year.
- RSL MF John Stertzer made his third appearance for the Claret-and-Cobalt this year, subbing on in the 74th minute of the match.
REAL SALT LAKE 0–4 SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC
SATURDAY, MAY 31, 2014
CENTURYLINK FIELD
Goals by Period 1 2 F
Real Salt Lake 0 0 0
Seattle Sounders FC 1 3 4
Scoring Summary:
SEA – Gonzalo Pineda – 42’
SEA – Marco Pappa – 55’
SEA – Chad Barrett (Lamar Neagle) – 62’
SEA – Obafemi Martins (Kenny Cooper) – 90’
Misconduct Summary:
RSL – Tony Beltran (Yellow; Foul) – 43’
RSL – Nat Borchers (Yellow; Foul) – 76’
SEA – Brad Evans (Yellow; Foul) – 80’
Lineups:
Real Salt Lake (4-1-2-1-2): Jeff Attinella; Tony Beltran, Nat Borchers, Aaron Maund, Chris Wingert (Abdoulie Mansally, 59’); Cole Grossman (Luis Gil, 59’), Ned Grabavoy, Javier Morales (C), Luke Mulholland (John Stertzer, 74’); Devon Sandoval, Olmes Garcia
Substitutes not used: Lalo Fernandez; Rich Balchan, Carlos Salcedo; Robbie Findley
Seattle Sounders FC (4-4-2): Stefan Frei; Brad Evans, Chad Marshall, Zach Scott, Leo Gonzalez; Lamar Neagle (Dylan Remick, 75’), Osvaldo Alonso, Gonzalo Pineda, Marco Pappa; Obafemi Martins, Chad Barrett (Kenny Cooper, 67’)
Substitutes not used: Marcus Hahnemann; Jalil Anibaba, Michael Azira, Andy Rose, Cam Weaver
Referee: Ricardo Salazar
Assistant Referees: James Conlee, Gianni Facchini
4th Official: Tyler Ploeger
Attendance: 39,245
Weather: Clear and 73 degrees
