Real Salt Lake 1 vs Montreal Impact 1
July 9, 2016; Sandy, Utah; Rio Tinto Stadium
Real Salt Lake (8-5-5, 29 points); Montreal Impact (6-4-7, 25 points)
Man of the Match: Yura Movsisyan scored his seventh goal of the season and has a goal or an assist in each of his last six starts, five goals and one assist total. He was the only RSL player to take a shot in the first half and as the team spread the love and diversified the attack in the second half, Movsisyan nearly set up a goal from Joao Plata, only to have Montreal goalkeeper Evan Bush slide in to make the last-ditch clearance. All-in-all a good night for June’s MLS Player of the Month.
Telling Stat: 9-1. Real Salt Lake dominated possession throughout the match, but really turned up the heat after halftime. Trailing 1-0 from the eighth minute, RSL needed a spark and it had to come from more than just possession. In the first half, Salt Lake got three shots, all from Movsisyan. But a 9-1 shots advantage after the break proved to be too much for Montreal as RSL was able to come back for the draw.
What You Missed: Justen Glad was a last-minute replacement for Jamison Olave in the starting lineup after the veteran defender suffered muscle tightness during pregame warmup. Glad ended up making a team-high three clearances in helping slow Montreal’s attack in the second half.
So What: RSL is now 4-3-1 when conceding the first goal. Allowing opponents to strike first is certainly something Head Coach Jeff Cassar has addressed with his team, but the resilience of the team remains strong as it continues to find ways to earn points against all odds. Next up is a Vancouver Whitecaps team reeling from a stoppage time goal against the Colorado Rapids on Saturday that turned a 2-1 home win into a disappointing draw. The Whitecaps were the last team shutout by RSL back on April 16.
