Real Salt Lake 0 at Chicago Fire 2
March 11, 2017; Bridgeview, Illinois; Toyota Park
Real Salt Lake (0-1-1, 1 point); Chicago Fire (1-0-1, 4 points)
Man of the Match: In his professional debut, defender Justin Schmidt asserted himself well under difficult circumstances on the road against a team of experienced forwards with a pension for goal. In defeat, Schmidt stood out in his ability to blend in. The second round SuperDraft pick from the University of Washington was efficient and effective and will make it difficult for Head Coach Jeff Cassar to make decisions once the team is fully healthy.
Telling Stat: Five. Already missing four potential starters due to injury (Justen Glad, Aaron Maund, Chris Schuler and Joao Plata), RSL lost a fifth in the 26th minute when Jordan Allen was subbed out with a right quad strain. With three center backs and two wingers out of action, Cassar has looked to his club’s depth early in the season. While both early Fire goals were somewhat fluky, much of what RSL does can be cleaned up with lineup consistency.
What You Missed: On Chicago’s first goal in the 11th minute, the assistant referee raised his flag for offside. However, center referee Kevin Stott waved off the flag, as the ball was poked through by Sunny, keeping Nemanja Nikolic onside on the play and he calmly put it into the net for his first MLS goal. The play drew initial confusion on the field when the flag was raised, but Nikolic was the only player on either team that didn’t stop when the he got the ball and he was rewarded.
So What: Real Salt Lake is still looking for its first goal this season and will have the LA Galaxy next on the slate at Rio Tinto Stadium on Saturday. This is far from the start the club was hoping for through the first two matches, but confidence remains high as the club looks to earn its first win against a potentially depleted Galaxy team.
