Real Salt Lake 0 at New York City FC 4
April 11, 2018; New York, New York; Yankee Stadium
Real Salt Lake (2-3-1, 7 points); New York City FC (5-0-1, 16 points)
Man of the Match: In his MLS debut, Pablo Ruiz put a shot on goal, completed 16 of his 19 pass attempts and made three tackles without committing a foul. Not bad for 32 minutes of action. The 19-year-old midfielder has been impressive in training and in stints on loan with Real Monarchs SLC in the USL and his brief foray into MLS action on Wednesday is reason for optimism in a match that left more questions than answers.
Telling Stat: Hard to pick just one … 26 shots to 11. 12 corners to 3. 85% passing accuracy to 69%. 65% possession. There was hardly a stat that didn’t weigh heavily in favor of New York City FC. They were undoubtedly the better team on the night – showing what a well-rested and in-form team can do against a team grinding to find its identity on short rest and on a long road trip. No excuses for RSL, just facts.
What You Missed: Unless you tuned in on the radio in New York, you missed Chris Wingert making his broadcast debut guesting with New York City FC’s radio crew. The 10-year RSL defender and Babylon, New York native served as color commentator for NYCFC on the night.
So What: Real Salt Lake will have time to regroup, not playing again until hosting the Colorado Rapids on April 21 in the first of three matches in the Rocky Mountain Cup. That gives Mike Petke and his team 10 days to right the ship in an effort to rekindle the fire that burned for one of the hottest teams in MLS over the second half of the 2017 season.
