Real Salt Lake had a tremendous team performance against Sporting Kansas City on Saturday with a 2-1 road victory extending the club’s unbeaten run to four matches to start the season. With so many players turning in good shifts, it should come as no surprise that two players earned spots on the MLSsoccer.com Team of the Week, with defender Aaron Maund and forward Joao Plata both finding themselves among the 11 players selected.
“Obviously Kansas City is not an easy place to not only get a result but to walk away with three points. I'm extremely pleased with the way our team handled themselves out there against a very good team,” RSL Head Coach Jeff Cassar said. “For this group of guys, I'm really happy.”
Maund’s eight clearances, four interceptions and three tackles only scratched the surface of his outing, as the back line coaxed KC into eight offside calls and limited the home side to just two shots on goal until the stoppage-time penalty that resulted in their only goal.
Plata, meanwhile, assisted on Justen Glad’s first career MLS goal and also had eight chances created in the match. He now has a goal or assist in each of RSL’s first four league matches and his streak is at five matches overall after also scoring in the second leg of the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal series against Tigres. In MLS play the March Player of the Month has three goals and three assists in four matches.
Joining Maund and Plata are goalkeeper David Ousted (Vancouver Whitecaps FC); defenders Robbie Rogers (LA Galaxy), Johan Kappelhof (Chicago Fire) and Brek Shea (Orlando City SC); midfielders Osvaldo Alonso (Seattle Sounders FC), Lamar Neagle (D.C. United) and Cristian Higuita (Orlando City SC); and forwards Shkelzan Gashi (Colorado Rapids) and Kaka (Orlando City SC).
For more on the Week 5 Team of the Week, click here.
Team of the Week
Week 1: Juan Manuel Martinez
Week 2: Sunday Stephen
Week 5: Aaron Maund, Joao Plata
Fill the Fortress.
