Real Salt Lake 3 vs. LA Galaxy 3
September 7, 2016; Sandy, Utah; Rio Tinto Stadium
Real Salt Lake (12-8-8, 44 points); LA Galaxy (10-4-14, 44 points)
Man of the Match: Joao Plata continued his hot streak with two goals and an assist in rallying RSL back for the draw. He now has four goals and five assists in the last eight matches dating back to July 22. In that stretch, RSL is 4-2-2, and while Plata may not be getting mentioned in the MVP chase, his nine goals and 11 assists on a team with such balanced scoring as RSL is something to marvel at. Only Toronto FC’s Sebastian Giovinco and the LA Galaxy’s Giovani dos Santos have surpassed nine goals and nine assists this season.
Telling Stat: 22. It’s becoming a common refrain that Real Salt Lake falls behind in a match, but still manages to earn points. That was the case again on Wednesday as RSL trailed by 1-0, 2-1 and 3-1 scorelines before ultimately coming back for the draw with Martinez scoring on the last kick of the game. RSL now has six wins and four draws for 22 points when coming back from a losing position. With six matches to play, allowing early goals is something Head Coach Jeff Cassar certainly plans to address as the postseason draws nearer.
What You Missed: RSL captain Kyle Beckerman was away last week with the U.S. National Team. With World Cup qualifiers against St. Vincent & the Grenadines and Trinidad & Tobago, it was a busy week for the midfielder. He played 90 minutes in St. Vincent, but didn’t appear against Trinidad on Tuesday, so he was eager to get back on the field for his club on Wednesday. That meant an early flight and a quick message to Cassar upon landing in Salt Lake City that he was ready to play. You would not have known by his performance that he had flown from Jacksonville on the same day, as Beckerman completed 85% of his passes and helped lead RSL to hold over 70% of the possession in the comeback draw.
What You Missed, Part 2: Fans may have notice yellow nets and yellow water bottles on the sidelines. That was in recognition of Major League Soccer’s month-long Kick Childhood Cancer initiative, the annual League-wide campaign to raise awareness and funds in conjunction with Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. For more information, click here.
So What: Three points would have been ideal and weren’t out of reach, but coming back to earn a point against LA, no matter how depleted either roster was, lends credence to RSL’s legitimacy as a serious West contender as the playoffs get closer. In the last three matches, against the top three clubs in the conference RSL has gone 2-0-1. Hard to argue with those results and with just six matches to play and the team still with room to inch their way into even better form, optimism abounds in the Salt Lake locker room.
