Real Salt Lake 0 vs FC Dallas 3
May 6, 2017; Sandy, Utah; Rio Tinto Stadium
Real Salt Lake (2-6-2, 8 points); FC Dallas (5-0-3, 18 points)
Man of the Match: On a night when RSL struggled to find the net, Sebastian Saucedo was again an aggressive attacker, going for goal with incredible effort and fortitude, fighting off tackles and slaloming around defenders. He finished with five shots, putting two on target, while also creating two more chances for teammates. The 19-year-old homegrown winger is likely to leave with the U.S. U-20 National Team, bound for the FIFA U-20 World Cup in South Korea later this month.
Telling Stat: Since 2015, FC Dallas is 32-1-5 when scoring first. Scoring in the third minute on a penalty was hardly the start RSL hoped for and painted the picture of the match, as Dallas – already a staunch defensive team – was able to absorb and counter the rest of the way already toting a 1-0 advantage.
What You Missed: Before the match, Javier Morales was presented with a jersey and framed photo collage, celebrating his 10 seasons in an RSL uniform. Nick Rimando, Kyle Beckerman and Tony Beltran – all out with injuries for Saturday’s match – presented Morales with the gifts. A starter in three of the previous four matches for FC Dallas, Morales was on the bench, but did not make an appearance in the match.
So What: RSL’s third straight loss came with extreme disappointment from Head Coach Mike Petke after the match. “I am very frustrated right now, I am very angry right now, I am disgusted right now and I am trying to figure out a way, without being cliché to put it on myself. Because at the end of the day, I am the coach and it has to fall on me,” Petke said. “I am thinking about the last five weeks, that the transition from a coach that has been here for a while, and a way that they have been, and certain characteristics and culture that has been. I keep saying that I am doing step, step, step, and perhaps I am doing too much. Perhaps I am putting too much on that, to be honest with you.”
