COMMERCE CITY, Colorado (Sunday, October 4, 2015) – Real Salt Lake kept playoff hopes alive on Sunday with a comeback victory over the Colorado Rapids at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. Colorado scored early, but goals from FW Joao Plata and MF Luke Mulholland gave Salt Lake the 2-1 victory, keeping RSL within three points of the sixth and final playoff spot with three matches left to play in the regular season.
The Rapids got out to an early lead through forward Kevin Doyle. After a free kick in Salt Lake’s end was cleared, Sean St. Ledger got control of the ball on the right side and sent a ball across to Doyle for a header that just eluded the reach of GK Nick Rimando to give Colorado the 1-0 lead in the 16th minute.
During a first-half that saw RSL suffer 11 fouls, Plata made the Rapids pay for one in the 33rd minute.
After FW Juan Manuel Martinez was fouled just outside the box on the left side, Plata lined up over the ball alongside MF Javier Morales and DF Demar Phillips. It was Plata who would take, curling his shot over the wall and under the crossbar inside the near post for his fourth goal of the season, evening the score at 1-1.
Ten minutes later, RSL would claim the lead on a goal from Mulholland.
RSL earned a corner kick and Morales played it short to Martinez, who whipped it into the box. It was cleared by Colorado, but only as far as Mulholland, who took a touch then bent his shot inside the far post for his third goal of the season to make it 2-1 in the 43rd minute.
Salt Lake had two chances to add to that lead in the second half, but were thwarted by Colorado goalkeeper Clint Irwin.
In the 69th minute, Plata played a give-and-go with FW Devon Sandoval before shooting from the top of the box, but Irwin made the stop. Then in second-half stoppage time FW Olmes Garcia got out on a break and was 1v1 with the keeper, but had his shot blocked off his foot by Irwin and the final tally was 2-1.
RSL won’t take the field again until October 14 when the Portland Timbers visit Rio Tinto Stadium, starting a stretch of four matches in 12 days to close out the regular season and CONCACAF Champions League Group Stage play.
GAME NOTES – COLvRSL
- Sunday was the first match that the trio of Juan Manuel Martinez, Sebastian Jaime and Joao Plata started together at forward.
- MF Luis Gil and DF Boyd Okwuonu were both away from RSL playing with the U.S. U-23 National Team at the CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying Tournament. Both started and played 90 minutes on Saturday in a 6-1 win over Cuba and conclude the Group Stage on Tuesday against Panama. With two wins already, the U.S. clinched a spot in the semifinals on October 10 at Rio Tinto Stadium.
- In the 83rd minute, MF Kyle Beckerman became the second player in Real Salt Lake history to amass 20,000 MLS regular season minutes for the club, joining GK Nick Rimando.
- With his late yellow card, DF Demar Phillips will miss RSL’s next match against the Portland Timbers on Oct. 14 due to yellow card accumulation.
- Real Salt Lake split the season series with the Rapids at 1-1-1, however, the Rapids take the Rocky Mountain Cup by outscoring RSL 4-3 in those three matches. It’s the fourth time Colorado has won the trophy and just the second since 2006.
COLORADO RAPIDS 1-2 REAL SALT LAKE
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2015
DICK’S SPORTING GOODS PARK
Goals by Period 1 2 F
Colorado Rapids 1 0 1
Real Salt Lake 2 0 2
Scoring Summary:
COL: Kevin Doyle (Sean St. Ledger) 16’
RSL: Joao Plata 33’
RSL: Luke Mulholland 43’
Misconduct Summary:
COL: Marcelo Sarvas (Yellow; Foul) 25’
COL: Bobby Burling (Yellow; Foul) 39’
RSL: Luke Hulholland (Yellow; Excessive Celebration) 43’
COL: Maynor Figueroa (Yellow; Foul) 75’
RSL: Demar Phillips (Yellow; Foul) 82’
Lineups:
Real Salt Lake (4-3-3): Nick Rimando; Tony Beltran, Jamison Olave, Aaron Maund, Demar Phillips; Kyle Beckerman, Luke Mulholland, Javier Morales; Juan Manuel Martinez (Luis Silva 93+’), Sebastian Jaime (Devon Sandoval 66’), Joao Plata (Olmes Garcia 90’).
Substitutes not used: Jeff Attinella, Elias Vasquez, Jordan Allen, John Stertzer.
Colorado Rapids (4-3-3): Clint Irwin; Maynor Figueroa, Bobby Burling (C), Sean St. Ledger, Drew Moor; Lucas Pittinari, Dillon Powers (Dominique Badji 78’), Marcelo Sarvas; Kevin Doyle, Luis Solignac (Juan Ramirez 58’), Vicente Sanchez.
Substitutes not used: Zac MacMath, James Riley, Jared Watts, Sam Cronin, Gabriel Torres.
Referee: Mark Kadelcik
Assistant Referees: Corey Parker, Craig Lowry
Fourth Official: Hilario Grajeda
Attendance: 16,048
Weather: Partly cloudy and 63
