Real Salt Lake 2 (3) vs. Wilmington Hammerheads 2 (1)
June 14, 2016; Sandy, Utah; Rio Tinto Stadium
Fourth Round; Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup
RSL advances in a shootout to the fifth round, June 28 or 29
Man of the Match: When Joao Plata entered the match in the 56th minute alongside Yura Movsisyan, the whole complexion of the game changed. Both players were dangerous throughout their 64 minutes on the field and Plata got the comeback started with a spectacular goal in the 65th minute, later assisting on the second goal by Juan Manuel Martinez as well. Plata now has four goals and four assists in 10 U.S. Open Cup matches, making him RSL’s all-time leader in both categories.
Telling Stat: Real Salt Lake took 30 shots on the match – one every four minutes – and forced Wilmington goalkeeper John Smits – who had a wonderful night in net – into seven saves. Nine of those shots, including four on goal, came from Plata and Movsisyan, with midfielders Javier Morales and Luke Mulholland also contributing nine shots between them.
What You Missed: It was an electric return to Rio Tinto Stadium after 46 days away while the grass on the pitch was replaced. While the two goals and the shootout victory brought tremendous ovations, some of the biggest cheers came when Plata and Movsisyan prepared to enter the match. The way the forwards on the team have captured the hearts of the fans has been a sight to behold.
So What: It wasn’t as crisp a performance as anyone in RSL’s locker room hoped for, but coming off of a break, that’s not altogether unexpected. Fighting back from a 2-0 deficit against any team is difficult, so the desire on display was immense as Salt Lake battled to force extra time and eventually win in a shootout. Head Coach Jeff Cassar downplayed it a bit in his press conference, but playing 120 minutes may require some additional squad rotation as RSL gets into a busy portion of the scheduled that will now see the club play six games in 18 days, concluding July 1 against D.C. United. Real Salt Lake will learn its opponent and site for the Fifth Round on Thursday when U.S. Soccer conducts the draw.
