Montreal Impact 4 vs. Real Salt Lake 1
May 16, 2015; Saputo Stadium
Records: Real Salt Lake (3-3-5, 14 points). Montreal Impact (1-3-2, 5 points)
Man of the Match: Devon Sandoval scored his first goal of the 2015 MLS season and it was a whopper. The third-year forward hammered a left-footed curler from the right corner of the box that sought the inside of the far post like a heat-seeking missile, breathing life into an RSL squad that went into halftime with a 3-0 deficit. Though it wouldn’t get any closer than the 3-1 scoreline, Sandoval continued his strong holdup play that has earned him three straight starts.
Telling Stat: 11 minutes. That’s how long it took for Montreal to break the game open in the first half, scoring first in the 18th minute, then adding another in the 20th and 29th minutes to snare a 3-0 lead before RSL could begin mounting a comeback.
What You Missed: Saturday was Jordan Allen’s final match before departing for the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup in New Zealand. In 10 appearances this season, Allen has earned five starts, netting one goal and two assists. On Sunday, he was scheduled to start his 9,960-mile travel day that will take him to Sydney, Australia, through Los Angeles. The U.S. U-20 National Team opens the tournament on May 30 against Myanmar.
So What: Although it was just the club’s third loss, it was the second that saw RSL get blown out in the first half after a 4-0 defeat to the New England Revolution on April 25. RSL responded much better in the second half of this one, and if the three-match unbeaten streak that followed the loss to the Revs was any indication, there will also be a good response on Saturday when it hosts NYCFC at Rio Tinto Stadium.
