COMMERCE CITY, CO (Saturday, July 11, 2015) – Through 80 minutes against the Colorado Rapids on Saturday, Real Salt Lake executed its game plan well. RSL absorbed the Colorado attack on the defensive side and capitalized with a late goal to take a 1-0 lead. However, over the final 10 minutes, Colorado exploded for three goals as RSL fell 3-1 in the Rocky Mountain Cup clash.
FW Sebastian Jaime scored his fourth goal of the season in the 79th minute, but was shown a red card in the 84th minute, leaving Salt Lake with 10 men as the Rapids scored two stoppage-time goals to put away the visitors at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.
Salt Lake was outshot 7-3 in the first half, but GK Jeff Attinella was up to the task, making three saves to keep the Rapids off the board.
In the 55th minute, Colorado threatened again on a ball into the box for Vicente Sanchez and his close-range volley caromed off of DF Aaron Maund and hit the post before RSL could clear it.
Then RSL jumped out to the lead in the 79th minute through Jaime.
MF Javier Morales started off the play cutting from left to right and carrying the ball into the attack. He played it to FW Joao Plata in the middle then continued his run to the right side for a return ball from Plata. Morales then cut a ball across the box to Jaime and he buried it in the net for his fourth goal in the last five matches and a 1-0 lead for RSL.
The lead was short-lived, though, as Colorado bounced back in the 81st minute as Drew Moor scored off of a corner kick to make it 1-1. Charles Eloundou played one of Colorado’s 11 corner kicks into the box where Moor headed it past Attinella to even the match up at 1-1.
That triggered RSL’s fall in the match.
In the 84th minute, while MF Javier Morales lined up for a free kick in the attacking third, Jaime was shown a red card after a scuffle in the box with Moor. Now down to 10 men, RSL scrambled for defensive cover and in the first minute of stoppage time, Colorado took the lead with a goal from Jared Watts. Eloundou played a free kick in from the right side and after the ball bounced around in the box it came back to him charging hard toward goal. His shot hit the far post. Watts was there to poke home the rebound and Salt Lake fell behind 2-1.
RSL looked to equalize and pressed everyone into the box, including Attinella, for a stoppage-time corner kick, but when Colorado cleared it, it left Juan Ramirez with an open net and he dribbled unabated into the box before pounding a shot into the open net for the final 3-1 tally.
The loss drops Real Salt Lake to 5-7-8 (23 points) on the season.
It will be a quick turnaround for RSL this week, as the LA Galaxy visits Rio Tinto Stadium on Tuesday for a quarterfinal match in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. MT.
Real Salt Lake Match Notes – COLvRSL
- DF Boyd Okwuonu made his first MLS start on Saturday, filling in at left back. DF Demar Phillips is away with Jamaica at the CONCACAF Gold Cup and DF Abdoulie Mansally is serving a one-match suspension for yellow-card accumulation.
- Along with Phillips, RSL also played without MF Kyle Beckerman (USA), GK Nick Rimando (USA) and FW Alvaro Saborio (Costa Rica) due to Gold Cup duty.
- DF Chris Schuler returned to the starting lineup for the first time since April 5 when a knee injury put him out of action.
- FW Sebastian Jaime has scored four goals in the last five MLS matches and five goals in the last six matches across all competitions. His goal on Saturday was his first outside of Rio Tinto Stadium.
- Jaime’s red card was the seventh of the season for Real Salt Lake. The next highest team in the league has four.
COLORADO RAPIDS 3-1 REAL SALT LAKE
SATURDAY, JULY 11, 2015
DICK’S SPORTING GOODS PARK
Goals by Period 1 2 F
Colorado Rapids 0 3 3
Real Salt Lake 0 1 1
Scoring Summary:
RSL: Sebastian Jaime (Javier Morales, Joao Plata) 79’
COL: Drew Moor (Charles Eloundou) 81’
COL: Jared Watts 91+’
COL: Juan Ramirez (Charles Eloundou) 97+’
Misconduct Summary:
COL: Bobby Burling (Yellow; Foul) 83’
RSL: Sebastian Jaime (Red; Fighting) 84’
Lineups:
Colorado Rapids (4-4-2): Clint Irwin; James Riley, Bobby Burling, Drew Moor, Jared Watts; Marcelo Sarvas, Sam Cronin (C), Lucas Pittinari; Vicente Sanchez (Juan Ramirez 80’), Kevin Doyle, Luis Solignac (Charles Eloundou 73’).
Substitutes not used: Zac MacMath, Marc Burch, Joseph Greenspan, Marlon Hairston, Dillon Powers.
Real Salt Lake (4-3-3): Jeff Attinella; Tony Beltran, Aaron Maund, Chris Schuler, Boyd Okwuonu; Luke Mulholland (Luis Gil 75’), John Stertzer, Javier Morales (C); Olmes Garcia (Jordan Allen 62’), Sebastian Jaime, Joao Plata (Devon Sandoval 88’).
Substitutes not used: Lalo Fernandez, Justen Glad, Phanuel Kavita, Pecka.
Referee: Edvin Jurisevic
Assistant Referees: Corey Rockwell, Brian Poeschel
4th Official: Fotis Bazakos
Attendance: 15,248
Weather: Partly cloudy and 85
