Real Salt Lake 2 vs. Colorado Rapids 1
August 28, 2016; Sandy, Utah; Rio Tinto Stadium
Real Salt Lake (12-8-7, 43 points); Colorado Rapids (11-4-10, 43 points)
Man of the Match: Yura Movsisyan had two goals, but Nick Rimando’s six saves, including one in the game’s final minutes assured RSL would lift the Rocky Mountain Cup yet again. With his Colorado counterpart Tim Howard making a crucial penalty save on Javier Morales that could have put the game out of reach at 3-1, the stakes were high for Rimando and he made sure not to be outdone on his home field. Rimando now leads the league with 11 wins this season and his 417 career appearances surpassed Kevin Hartman on the all-time MLS leaderboard.
Telling Stat: 21. Real Salt Lake continued its comeback success on Friday. After falling behind in the fifth minute, two goals from Movsisyan on either side of halftime lifted RSL to the 2-1 lead that stood to the final whistle. It was the sixth comeback win for RSL this season to go with three draws. That never-say-die attitude has propelled Salt Lake through some difficult times throughout the year and could provide for some important lessons for the final seven matches and the postseason.
What You Missed: After the match, the Special Olympics Unified teams from Utah and Colorado met on the pitch at Rio Tinto Stadium. In the first year of the partnership between Real Salt Lake and Special Olympics Utah, the home side won in a shootout over the Colorado counterparts. Adding to the excitement of the match, players from both RSL and the Rapids cheered on the two teams and chatted with the players after the match.
So What: The win was RSL’s second straight against a top Western Conference opponent after a 1-0 win over FC Dallas one week earlier. That lifted the Claret-and-Cobalt into second place in the chase for the Supporters’ Shield with four of the final seven matches at home, where RSL is still unbeaten at 8-0-5. In addition to Rimando jumping to the top of the all-time MLS leaderboard in appearances, Kyle Beckerman also surpassed Steve Ralston for career minutes played by a field player. His 33,148 make him the league’s all-time iron man. In addition to those records of longevity, Movsisyan also moved to the top of the club’s 2016 leaderboard with nine goals and Joao Plata recorded his 10th assist of the season. Both are single-season bests for each player.