SANDY, UTAH (Saturday, Nov. 1, 2014) – The MLS Cup Playoffs started with a bang for Real Salt Lake in the first leg of the Western Conference Semifinal series with the LA Galaxy on Saturday night at Rio Tinto Stadium. With a standing-room-only crowd of 20,713 on hand, RSL filled up the stat sheets with 16 shots to just three for the Galaxy. Even with the strength of that offensive performance, the match still ended in a 0-0 draw and heads to the second leg with all to play for.
RSL GK Nick Rimando finished the night with one save as RSL ran its overall shutout streak to 403 consecutive minutes. At the other end of the field LA GK Jaime Penedo had six saves as RSL pressed for the series-opening goal throughout the night, but came up empty.
Rimando was tested early by LA FW Robbie Keane, but Rimando smothered the blistering shot from 20 yards out in the fifth minute.
In the 11th minute, RSL MF Luis Gil lined up a long-range shot that Penedo parried over the bar for a corner kick. Off the set play, Salt Lake FW Alvaro Saborio narrowly missed on his effort, getting his head to the corner from RSL MF Javier Morales and putting it just outside the near post.
Saborio got another shot, and RSL’s first shot on goal, in the 37th minute when a loose ball fell to him just outside the box. He worked to get space, then blasted a left-footed shot that was blocked by Penedo and LA cleared the rebound.
In the 43rd minute, Morales twisted a left-footed volley from the middle of the box, but missed over the crossbar.
In a scoreless first half, RSL outshot LA 5-2 and quickly added a sixth shot to start the second half.
In the 46th minute, RSL FW Joao Plata ripped a shot from the middle of the box on the left side and it took a carom off a defender that sent it toward the far post, but Penedo got his hand to it to make the save.
After RSL threatened on the offensive end in the 52nd minute, LA sprung the counter-attack. Keane carried the ball up the left side into the box and sent the ball across the six-yard box, but Rimando covered it to keep the Galaxy off the board.
Salt Lake took to the counter attack in the 69th minute and Plata got in behind the LA defense, but Penedo got in front of his shot and knocked it clear for an RSL throw.
In the 82nd minute, Saborio got on the end of a ball at the edge of the box and clipped a shot toward the far post but Penedo made another save and smothered the ball to keep Plata from getting to the rebound.
Three minutes later, Salt Lake earned a corner kick when Penedo pushed a Morales free kick over the endline. On that set piece, LA defended the initial effort and the ball fell to RSL MF Luke Mulholland for a running shot from the top of the box, but it missed just wide for a goal kick.
Salt Lake continued to press for an opening goal and in the 90th minute, Morales flipped a shot toward the far post after retrieving a loose ball. Penedo sprung to get a hand to it, though, for his sixth save of the match.
That’s how the match would end and the two Western Conference foes now ready themselves for the second leg of the series next week. A win for RSL would advance them to the Western Conference Championships and because of the away goals tie-breaker, a draw in which there are goals scored in the match would as well.
The second leg will take place on Nov. 9 at the StubHub Center in Carson, Calif.
REAL SALT LAKE 0-0 LA GALAXY
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2014
RIO TINTO STADIUM
Goals by Period 1 2 F
Real Salt Lake 0 0 0
LA Galaxy 0 0 0
Scoring Summary:
None.
Misconduct Summary:
LA – Omar Gonzalez (Yellow; Foul) – 53’
RSL – Tony Beltran (Yellow; Foul) – 64’
RSL – Chris Wingert (Yellow; Foul) – 67’
LA – Robbie Rogers (Yellow; Foul) – 77’
Lineups:
Real Salt Lake (4-1-2-1-2): Nick Rimando; Tony Beltran, Nat Borchers, Chris Schuler, Chris Wingert; Kyle Beckerman (C), Luis Gil, Luke Mulholland, Javier Morales; Joao Plata, Alvaro Saborio.
Substitutes not used: Jeff Attinella, Robbie Findley, Ned Grabavoy, Cole Grossman, Sebastian Jaime, Abdoulie Mansally, Carlos Salcedo.
LA Galaxy (4-4-2): Jaime Penedo; Dan Gargan, A.J. DeLaGarza, Omar Gonzalez, Robbie Rogers; Landon Donovan, Juninho, Marcelo Sarvas, Baggio Husidic (Alan Gordon, 87’); Gyasi Zardes, Robbie Keane.
Substitutes not used: Brian Rowe, Stefan Ishizaki, Tommy Meyer, Leonardo, Jose Villareal, Kenney Walker.
Referee: Silviu Petrescu
Assistant Referees: Baboucarr Jallow, Mike Rottersman
4th Official: Sorin Stoica
Attendance: 20,713
Weather: Cloudy and 53 degrees
