Real Salt Lake 1 vs. 2 Atlas FC
September 22, 2022; America First Field; Sandy, Utah
Man of the Match: In his Real Salt Lake debut, goalkeeper Tomas Gomez made six saves between the pipes, scaraficing his body to make several diving saves in an effort to keep Atlas FC from finding the back of the net. His six saves were the most made this week in the Leagues Cup by a Major League Soccer goalkeeper against a team from Liga MX.
Telling Stats: RSL Homegrown Aaron Herrera’s first-half goal marked what is believed to be the longest goal in Club history. Fellow Homegrown defender Erik Holt sent a short pass to Herrera who sent it soaring more than 70 yards over the entirety of Atlas FC’s team, including the goalkeeper, deep into the back of the net. The Claret-and-Cobalt played one man down for 54 minutes when Justin Meram was shown a red card. Additionally, RSL Homegrown forward Axel Kei made his Club debut, the youngest to do so for RSL, coming on as a second-half substitute at 14 years, 8 months and 23 days old.
What You Missed: Real Salt Lake hosted Atlas FC from Liga MX for an international friendly as part of Major League Soccer’s Leagues Cup. The 2-1 loss gives RSL an all-time 3-7-4 record against teams from Mexico and a 18-13-11 overall international record. RSL Homegrowns Zack Farnsworth, Axel Kei, Gennaro Nigro, and Jude Wellings made their Claret-and-Cobalt debuts, while goalkeeper Tomas Gomez earned his first appearance for RSL.
What’s Next: Real Salt Lake return to MLS regular-season action on Saturday, October 1 at 8:30 p.m. MT at LA Galaxy, before returning to America First Field for Decision Day on Sunday, October 9 at 3:00 p.m. MT, to face Portland Timbers. Tickets are available at www.rsl.com/tickets.
