Real Salt Lake 1 v 2 Colorado Rapids
March 9, 2024; America First Field; Sandy, Utah
Real Salt Lake (1-2-1, 4 points); Colorado Rapids (1-1-1, 4 points)
Player Spotlight: Eneli’s first, Gomez continues fine form.
Real Salt Lake’s Emeka Eneli proved to be the team’s lone goalscorer on the night, as Real Salt Lake suffered a 2-1 home loss against Colorado Rapids at America First Field on Saturday, March 9, 2024, in the first leg of the 2024 Rocky Mountain Cup rivalry.
The 24-year-old got on the end of a low, driven cross from Andres Gomez in the 22nd minute to cap off a fine sequence from RSL and establish a Claret-and-Cobalt lead on the Wasatch Front.
Eneli once again put in a combative, omnipresent display in the middle of the park, winning tackles and dictating the tempo of the game with his precise, accurate passes to help Pablo Mastroeni’s side establish game state dominance for most of the contest. Although he was unlucky to be adjudged for the penalty which led to Colorado’s momentum-changing opener, the quality of Eneli’s fourth consecutive start - including three in central midfield - bode well for RSL’s 2024 prospects.
21-year-old Andres Gomez also continued his recent streak of impressive performances this season with an inspiring overall display, highlighted by his assist on Eneli’s goal, the Colombian’s second assist of the season.
Story of the Game
In a game RSL mostly dominated, the team struggled to make its superiority count when it mattered most and consequently was made to pay the ultimate price.
Buoyed by the home support of 20,147 fans in a sold-out America Forst Field and the recent home thrashing of LAFC, RSL began the game in the ascendancy, dominating early possession and limiting Colorado’s sphere of influence, and was duly rewarded for its positive start in the 22nd minute. Having won possession deep in the Colorado half, a quick exchange between Chicho Arango and Andrés Gómez found the young Colombian with acres of space in the opposition penalty area and his low, driven cross was slammed home near the backpost by Eneli to send the home fans into raptures.
The situation quickly changed less than 20 minutes later, however, in the 43rd minute when Eneli was adjudged by the referee to have handled the ball in his own penalty area allowing Colorado to capitalize and score from the resulting penalty to draw level.
RSL continued to press on in the second half in search of a go-ahead goal but came undone and was unable to stop Colorado from scoring a second in the 70th minute, condemning the Claret-and-Cobalt to a first home loss to their Rocky Mountain Cup rivals since 2020.
Important Stats
- With his strike against Colorado, Emeka Eneli became the 102nd different goalscorer in Real Salt Lake’s 618-game MLS history.
- Eneli’s goal also represented his first-ever career goal as a professional player and therefore his first for Real Salt Lake.
- Gomez’s assist for Eneli represented the Colombian’s second assist of the 2024 season.
- This match also represented a milestone for 23-year-old Noel Caliskan, who was given his first-ever MLS start for the club.
- The loss puts RSL’s season record at 1-2-1, and represents the Club’s first home loss to the Rapids since 2020.
What’s Next?
Next up for sixth-seeded Real Salt Lake is a trip to Vancouver to take on the Whitecaps in two weeks, on Saturday, March 23, at 5:30pm MT at BC Place.
RSL then returns home a week later on Saturday, March 30, at 7:30pm MT, for a return match at America First Field against St. Louis City SC; tickets remain available at www.RSL.com/tickets
