SANDY, Utah (Saturday, May 14, 2022) – Real Salt Lake (5-3-4, 19 points) earned the come-from-behind 2-1 victory over Austin FC in front of a Club-record fifth consecutive sellout crowd to start the season at Rio Tinto Stadium. DF Andrew Brody and MF Maikel Chang - both former Real Monarchs stalwarts - each netted second-half goals to erase an 0-1 halftime deficit, while GK Zac MacMath added two stoppage-time saves to ensure the dramatic victory, the Club’s seventh comeback win over the last two years.
Back home after a disappointing road loss last week, Real Salt Lake looked to bounce back from Sunday’s Nashville trip, returning to its Rio Tinto Stadium fortress. Forward Bobby Wood had the team’s first look at goal, hitting a right-footed shot off a pass from Chang, but his offering fell directly to the keeper. In the 24th minute, Austin found the back of the net as Alexander Ring slipped a tight shot near-post past MacMath to take the 1-0 lead. Forward Sergio Cordova then looked to equalize in the 34th minute, cleaning up a bouncing ball in the box, but the keeper was able to narrowly push his shot over the crossbar. Moments later RSL defender Marcelo Silva’s shot on the ensuing corner kick also skipped overtop the crossbar. The Claret-and-Cobalt continued to press towards goal, but RSL went into the halftime break down 1-0.
Coming out of the halftime break, Austin FC went down to 10 men after Daniel Pereira was shown a red card for denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity, taking down Wood on a breakaway run towards goal. With the upper hand, Real Salt Lake began to gain offensive momentum and soon found the equalizer. In the 55th minute, Chang pounced on the end of a pass from dynamic playmaker Justin Meram, jockeying around several Austin defenders before putting a shot past Andrew Tarbell and into the back of the net.
Just three days after signing a long-term contract extension, Brody scored what proved to be the game-winning goal in the 84th minute. Second-half super-sub Anderson Julio passed the ball up towards the top of the box, with midfielder Scott Caldwell dummying the ball to freeze the Austin defense. Brody, the RSL Homegrown / Academy / Monarchs product, curled a right-footed shot into the upper right corner from 24 yards out, netting his first career goal in Major League Soccer and sealing the come-from-behind victory to send 20, 122 fans home full of elation.
UP NEXT: Real Salt Lake is set to leave the country next weekend, heading North to Quebec, where the team will face CF Montreal on Sunday, May 22 at 2:00 p.m. MT. The Claret-and-Cobalt will return to Utah on Saturday, May 28 when the Club welcomes back newly re-signed Designated Player* Jefferson Savarino *to host Houston Dynamo FC, with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m. MT.
GOAL SCORING RUNDOWN
ATX: Alexander Ring (Diego Fagundez) 24th minute: Fagundez slipped a shirt pass through two defenders to an oncoming Ring inside the box. Ring took several touches towards the enplane before taking a left-footed shot into the bottom left corner.
RSL: Maikel Chang (Justin Meram) 55th minute: Meram drove towards the end line, cutting back to pass the ball in towards Chang in the middle of the box. Chang then maneuvered around several Austin defenders before taking a left-footed shot into the bottom right corner.
RSL: Andrew Brody (Anderson Julio) 88th minute: Julio after making a run down the right sideline, cut back and played a ball across the center of the box - through a dummy from Scott Caldwell - to find Brody on top of the 18-yard box. Brody fired a curling ball over Tarbell into the top-right corner to take the lead.
NOTES:
- Zack Farnsworth (right ankle), Bret Halsey (ankle), Erik Holt (left foot), Jonathan Menendez (adductor) and Damir Kreilach (back) were unavailable due to injury.
- Midfielder Pablo Ruiz was unavailable due as a result of the caution accumulation.
- Real Salt Lake welcomed yet another sell-out crowd to Rio Tinto Stadium, marking the fifth-consecutive sell-out to start the season, a record feat for the Club.
- With Maikel Chang’s goal in the 55th minute, Real Salt Lake have now scored in 15 straight home matches.
- Defender Andrew Brody netted his first career MLS goal, scoring a late game-winner to secure the three points and improve to 4-0-1 at home this year
- Tonight’s erasure of the one-goal deficit marked RSL’s league-high 7th come-from-behind win across MLS action the last two years
Match: Real Salt Lake vs. Austin FC
Date: May 14, 2022
Venue: Rio Tinto Stadium; Sandy, Utah
Weather: Sunny and 75 degrees
Attendance: 20,122
Scoring Summary: 1 2 F
Real Salt Lake 0 2 2
Austin FC 1 0 1
ATX: Alexander Ring (Diego Fagundez) 24’
RSL: Maikel Chang (Justin Meram) 55’
RSL: Andrew Brody (Anderson Julio) 88’
Lineups:
Real Salt Lake (4-4-2): Zac MacMath; Aaron Herrera, Justen Glad, Marcelo Silva, Andrew Brody; Scott Caldwell, Maikel Chang, Jasper Löffelsend (Everton Luiz), Justin Meram (Tate Schmitt 90+1’), Bobby Wood (Anderson Julio 64’), Sergio Cordova (Rubio Rubin)
Subs not used: Tomas Gomez, Chris Kablan, Johan Kappelhof, Nick Besler
Austin FC (4-4-2): Andrew Tarbell; Ruben Gabrielsen, Hector Jimenez (Nick Lima 54’), Julio Cascante, Zan Kolmanic; Dani Pereira, Sebastian Driussi; Ethan Finlay (Jhojan Valencia 53’), Diego Fagundez, Maxi Urruti (Jon Gallagher 84’)
Subs not used: Danny Hoesen, Rodney Redes, Damian Las, Kipp Keller, Felipe
Stats Summary: RSL / ATX
Shots:
Shots on Goal: 7 / 3
Saves: 2 / 5
Corner Kicks: 7 / 4
Fouls: 10 / 6
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY:
ATX: Sebastian Driussi (caution) 38’
ATX: Daniel Pereira (ejection) 48’
RSL: Marcelo Silva (caution) 63’
ATX: Max Urruti (Caution) 65’
ATX: Jhojan Valencia (Caution) 78’
RSL: Scott Caldwell (caution) 90+2’
OFFICIALS:
Referee: Lukasz Szpala
Assistant Referees: Corey Parker, Ian McKay
4th Official: Brad Jensen
VAR: Alejandro Mariscal
