Real Salt Lake 2 vs. Sporting Kansas City 1
July 24, 2015; Rio Tinto Stadium
Real Salt Lake (7-7-8, 29 points); Sporting Kansas City (9-4-6, 33 points)
Man of the Match: It’s hard to pick anyone but Javier Morales in this one. His fifth goal of the season was a thing of wonder as he weaved in and out of Kansas City defenders for a first-half lead. A very close second would be Jeff Attinella, who made five saves, including three that should have been goals for Kansas City – a first-half shot from point-blank range from Dom Dwyer and two second-half chances from Jacob Peterson.
Telling Stat: Real Salt Lake is 5-2-5 in matches that Javier Morales plays 90 minutes. In those 12 matches, Morales has five goals and seven assists, accounting for 12 of the 15 goals RSL has scored in those matches. Of the three that he didn’t directly contribute to, two were penalties.
What You Missed: After the match, the fans were treated to a Pioneer Day fireworks spectacle. On the field, RSL improved to 3-0-1 on Pioneer Day – the state holiday in Utah that celebrates the arrival of Brigham Young and other pioneers to the Salt Lake Valley on July 24, 1847. The club has played a league match on the holiday weekend seven times in its 11 seasons, boasting a 5-1-1 record.
So What: RSL finished out the regular season series by taking seven out of nine points from Kansas City, going 2-0-1 and taking all six points at Rio Tinto Stadium. In a rivalry, that’s huge, but even more crucial is to get those points against a Western Conference foe. If it comes down to the final weeks, RSL can point to those results as crucial to its playoff hopes. Also of note – these teams will meet again in the semifinal of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on August 12 at Sporting Park.
