Real Salt Lake 0 at LA Galaxy 1
May 27, 2015; StubHub Center
Records: Real Salt Lake (4-4-5, 17 points). LA Galaxy (5-4-5, 20 points)
Man of the Match: Javier Morales played 36 minutes in his second match back from a concussion and his impact on the match was clear. He finished with three shots himself, but RSL had a much more evident attacking flow when he was in the match.
Telling Stat: 13. The Galaxy was whistled for 13 first-half fouls to just three for Real Salt Lake. Seemingly every time RSL gained possession, LA broke up their rhythm with a stoppage in play from a foul. In the second half, after both teams brought on players with attacking prowess in Robbie Keane for LA and Morales and Joao Plata for RSL, the match opened up much more and, not surprisingly, Salt Lake was able to generate chances from it. However, it wasn’t enough to mount a comeback.
What You Missed: Pecka earned his first start of the season in the midfield alongside Kyle Beckerman. He was the 20th player to start already this season for RSL. His inclusion also meant a slightly different formation. Although it wasn’t drastically different than the 4-3-3 that started the season, it was a bit more resembling a 4-2-3-1. As the team gets healthier, the wide players will push higher up the field, as they did in the second half, but the versatility of the squad continues to be a talking point 13 matches into the season.
So What: RSL has one match remaining in the month of May on Saturday against Vancouver Whitecaps FC. At 4-4-5 alarm bells aren’t exactly ringing yet – it’s the same record the Galaxy had entering the match on Wednesday – and with players returning to health, the time is drawing nearer for the club to make a run.
