(Monday, May 27, 2024) – For the seventh consecutive matchday Real Salt Lake places at least one player – this week, “supersub” Anderson Julio – to Major League Soccer’s “Team of the Matchday” for Matchday 16 of the 2024 season, following the Ecuadoran international’s goal and assist off the bench to spark Saturday’s scintillating comeback at Dallas, as RSL rebounded from an 0-3 deficit in the final half-hour to score at the death and secure the road point.
Julio’s audacious banger in the 72nd minute brought RSL to just a goal down with roughly 20 minutes remaining. Taking two touches 25 yards out following a pass from fellow substitute **Maikel Chang**, Julio ripped a right-footed laser that went upper 90 to Dallas GK Maarten Paes’ right. The goal was Julio’s third of the season for RSL, for whom he has now scored 20 career MLS goals, including 14 off the bench. Fifteen of Julio’s 20 career goals have come in the second half, including nine in the 80th minute or later.
Julio also earned the assist on the 90+8 equalizer from MF **Nelson Palacio**, squaring a ball across the top of the box and finding Palacio open. The Colombian midfielder’s goal was his first-ever in MLS, while the game-tying goal matched Justen Glad’s home header last year against Minnesota for the latest equalizer in RSL history. The point secured at Toyota Stadium after falling down 0-3 marks the first time in RSL’s 629-game history that the team was able to come back from an 0-3 deficit.
With the 3-3 desperation draw at Dallas, RSL’s active unbeaten run entering Wednesday’s trip to Seattle has been extended to 11 games, the third-longest single-season streak without a loss in MLS action in the Club’s 20-year history. Head Coach Pablo Mastroeni’s men have also secured seven straight road results, last losing away on Feb. 21 in the MLS 2024 season opener at Miami. Overall this season, RSL boasts a 3-1-4 / 13-point road record, second only to Minnesota in the West and Miami/Cincinnati/Philadephia in the Eastern Conference.
First-place RSL (8-2-5, 29 points, 1st West) will return home this Saturday, June 1 against Austin FC for a 7:30p MT kickoff at America First Field, next returning home on Sat., June 22 against LA Galaxy following next week’s international break and two more away matches, June 15/19, at Montreal and Kansas City.
Recent Team of the Matchday selections have also recognized RSL MF **Diego Luna** (Matchday 15), DF **Brayan Vera** (Matchday 12), **Alex Katranis** (Matchdays 10 and 11) and Captain **Chicho Arango** (Matchdays 10, 11, 14, 16) honored for their stellar performances, while RSL has also previously seen both **Andrés Gómez**(Matchdays 3 and 15) and teenage attacker **Fidel Barajas** (Matchday 5) honored in the League’s weekly recognitions.
