Real Salt Lake3 vs Chicago Fire 1
August 6, 2016; Sandy, Utah; Rio Tinto Stadium
Real Salt Lake (10-7-7, 37 points); Chicago Fire (4-11-6, 18 points)
Man of the Match: With two goals and an assist, Javier Morales showed that he really is the “Maestro” in the RSL side. First playing provider to Olmes Garcia for the game’s first goal in the 14th minute, Morales added a goal from the penalty spot midway through the first half. His moment of brilliance came in the second half when he sent three Chicago defenders at the top of the box to the right as he went left before crashing a beautiful shot off the post and in for his second goal of the game. With three goals in RSL’s last three games this was a solid 90 minutes from the 36-year-old Argentine.
Telling Stat: 56.1. RSL controlled the possession and the pace of the game for the entire 90 minutes against the Fire and ended the match with 56.1% of the possession. In a game where RSL set out to control the game from end to end, they did just that. With strong midfield play from Kyle Beckerman, Javier Morales and Luke Mulholland RSL was able to take all three points in front of 19,909 at Rio Tinto.
What You Missed: RSL goalkeeper Nick Rimando now owns sole possession of the record for all time wins among goalkeepers in MLS. The Wall of the Wasatch sits at 181 wins in MLS play. Rimando also owns the shutout record (126) and most minutes played (37,413) among various other accolades -- cementing himself as one of the greatest and most consistent goalkeepers to ever play in Major League Soccer.
So What: After four straight home draws, RSL earned yet another home win to remain one of five team in MLS who is unbeaten at home. RSL is now 6-0-5 at home in 2016 and sits comfortably in third place in the western conference. Next up for RSL is a trip to the pacific-northwest to face the Seattle Sounders on August 14. The game is slated to kick off at 5 p.m.
