Real Salt Lake 1 vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC 0
April 16, 2016; Sandy, Utah; Rio Tinto Stadium
Real Salt Lake (4-0-2, 14 points); Vancouver Whitecaps FC (2-4-1, 7 points)
Man of the Match: Juan Manuel Martinez continues to dazzle with the ball at his feet. Against Vancouver he was at his most dangerous, though, creating space on several occasions before finally scoring his first goal of the season in the 55th minute. Martinez has been mystifying with his maneuvers, making opponents look silly all season. To do it in and around the opposing 18-yard box makes him all the more dangerous and his goal makes RSL’s triple-threat attack even more lethal.
Telling Stat: Joao Plata has scored or assisted in each of RSL’s first six matches, logging four goals and four assists to rank third in the league in goals and first in assists. With his assist on Martinez’s goal, he has now assisted goals by four different RSL players.
What You Missed: For the second straight week, RSL earned a shutout at home and for the second straight week the match included stellar goalkeeping from Nick Rimando – who earned his 125th career shutout – and a goalline save by defender Aaron Maund. This week, it came on an athletic stop at the post on a point-blank shot from Kekuta Manneh in the first half. After the two shutouts, RSL’s goals against average for the season is now at 1.00, tied for fourth in MLS.
So What: RSL remains the only unbeaten team in MLS at 4-0-2, including a 3-0-0 record at Rio Tinto Stadium. Real will play host to the Houston Dynamo on April 30 for the club’s final home game until June 18. With six of the next seven matches on the road, earning points early in the season is key to building momentum for that difficult stretch.
