Real Salt Lake 1 vs. Orlando City SC 1
July 4, 2015; Rio Tinto Stadium
Records: Real Salt Lake (5-6-8, 23 points). Orlando City SC (6-6-6, 24 points)
Man of the Match: Sebastian Jaime scored his third MLS goal in the last four matches and fourth in the last four home matches across all competitions. It was his only shot of the night, but his ability to facilitate offense for Olmes Garcia and Joao Plata, who each finished with five shots on the night, cannot be understated and the interchange among the three players allows the offense to take on different looks throughout the course of the match.
Telling Stat: 23 shots was the most that Real Salt Lake had attempted in a match all season and its seven shots on goal matched the team’s top mark for the year. It truly took a Herculean effort by Orlando goalkeeper Tally Hall on a first-half shot from Luis Gil and a second-half effort from Sebastian Saucedo to keep RSL from taking advantage of those gaudy shot totals.
What You Missed: There was an incredible fireworks show after the match, a yearly tradition for Real Salt Lake, who has hosted matches on or around the Fourth of July every year since joining the league in 2005. However, draws have become common in those matches, with RSL holding a 2-1-8 record in its Independence Day matches.
So What: RSL has managed to avoid the loss column and while a 3-1-2 record over the last six matches across all competitions is something, generally, to be proud of, earning just five points from four MLS matches in that stretch – which included three home matches in those four league matches – is not the standard RSL fans are used to. With matches upcoming against the Colorado Rapids and Houston Dynamo, it’s encouraging that RSL has found a scoring threat in Jaime, but will need to convert those goals into wins to remain in contention for the playoffs.
