Real Salt Lake 3 vs Colorado Rapids 0
April 21, 2018; Sandy, Utah; Rio Tinto Stadium
Real Salt Lake (3-3-1, 10 points); Colorado Rapids (2-2-2, 8 points)
Man of the Match: Albert Rusnák took over the match in the second half as Real Salt Lake looked to take advantage of a Colorado side that was reduced to 10 men when goalkeeper Tim Howard was red carded in the 20th minute. The Slovakian playmaker finished the night with one goal – a jaw-dropping free kick that bent around the three-man wall and curled inside the near post to buckle the knees of goalkeeper Zac MacMath and find the net – and one assist, and he was knocking on the door throughout the night. He completed 94% of his passes and created a game-high five chances to give him 24 on the season, putting him second in the league behind only Columbus Crew SC midfielder Federico Higuain, who has 25 chances created in eight matches.
Telling Stat: Over the first 18 minutes of the match, Colorado outshot RSL 6-0. Then, Tim Howard was red-carded on RSL’s first shot attempt when he blocked the shot with his hand outside the box. From that point forward, RSL outshot the Rapids 29-6. Perhaps more important than the distinct advantage held in the shot column is that Salt Lake held Colorado without a shot on goal for the match while putting 10 shots on target themselves.
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What You Missed: Nick Besler made his MLS debut on Saturday, going 90 minutes at center back alongside Justen Glad in a shutout victory that saw the opposition register zero shots on goal. The 24-year-old former Real Monarchs captain earned his first MLS minutes with his parents watching from the stands. For the occasion, they had flown in from Kansas City, where on Friday night they watched Besler’s older brother Matt break the Sporting Kansas City club record for starts and minutes played in a 6-0 win over Vancouver Whitecaps FC.
So What: The win was RSL’s third straight at home and was a thorough performance, continuing to show the resilience of the team as a youthful back line did its part to thwart Colorado’s attack while the offensive cohesion was as good as it has been throughout the first seven matches of the season. Repeating that type of performance in difficult conditions in Vancouver – where RSL is just 1-7-1 all-time – will be another test altogether
