After a scoreless draw on Saturday in the first leg of the Western Conference Semifinals, Real Salt Lake is in a good position heading into the second leg against the LA Galaxy on Sunday at the StubHub Center in Carson, Calif.
On the surface, that may not make sense. The Galaxy is a good team at home, going 12-1-4 at the StubHub Center this season. And while Real Salt Lake’s 4-7-6 road record doesn’t jump off the page as outstanding, it does provide some reason for optimism entering the second match of the two-leg playoff series because of the institution of the away goals tie-breaker. In the event that the series ends in a draw, the first tie-breaker will go to the team that scored the most goals in their road match in the series. If both teams scored the same amount on the road, the match extends to a 30-minute overtime, then a shootout.
In 10 of RSL’s 17 road matches this season, the team got the result it needed to at least force overtime in the series. In eight of them, they got the result to win outright, as two of the road draws finished scoreless.
Simplified, RSL will advance with a win or a draw in which goals are scored in the match. It will go to 30 minutes of extra time if it ends in a scoreless draw. If LA wins the match, the Galaxy will advance, regardless of the scoreline.
Want more reason for optimism?
Salt Lake is riding a 252-minute shutout streak against the Galaxy in the playoffs that includes the scoreless draw on Saturday, a 2-0 extra time win in the second leg of the West Semifinals in 2013 and 42 scoreless minutes in the first leg of that series. Defensively, RSL has been masterful of late too, with a 503-minute shutout streak that dates back to Oct. 5.
That bodes well for a team that can turn the tides of the series with one away goal.
Time will tell, though, as the second leg approaches on Sunday and RSL looks to take the next step toward a return trip to the MLS Cup Final.
