Real Salt Lake 1 vs. Colorado Rapids 0
April 9, 2016; Sandy, Utah; Rio Tinto Stadium
Real Salt Lake (3-0-2, 11 points); Colorado Rapids (2-2-1, 7 points)
Man of the Match: Joao Plata simply can’t stop scoring goals. Saturday night’s tap-in off a Colorado miscue wasn’t his most challenging goal, but Plata has found a way to put himself in the right positions to be dangerous every single match for RSL thus far this year and his 72nd minute goal was the difference-maker on Saturday.
Telling Stat: Plata extended his streak to five straight league matches with a goal or an assist, giving him four goals and three assists on the season. He tops the league in goals and is second in assists, but what becomes astonishing is his efficiency. Of his 11 shots, he has put seven shots on goal and has created 17 chances in five matches.
What You Missed: Real Salt Lake defender Tony Beltran reached a milestone on Saturday night, logging his 200th career MLS match. Beltran has become an iron man for RSL and the two-time All-Star is in his ninth season with the club. He is the sixth player to appear in 200 matches for RSL.
So What: RSL is now the only unbeaten team in MLS at 3-0-2 and with two of the next three matches at Rio Tinto Stadium, the team has an opportunity to continue to amass points before a lengthy stretch of road matches while the pitch at RTS is replaced at the end of the month.
