Real Salt Lake 2 vs Chicago Fire 1
August 4, 2018; Sandy, Utah; Rio Tinto Stadium
Real Salt Lake (10-9-4, 34 points); Chicago Fire (6-13-5, 23 points)
Man of the Match: Damir Kreilach became the second RSL player to record a brace this season, scoring his fifth and sixth goals of the season to share the team scoring lead with Joao Plata. He also has six assists this season, sharing the team lead in that category with Albert Rusnák and Jefferson Savarino. By scoring in both halves, Kreilach pushed RSL to its 10th win of the season and Western Conference-leading ninth home win on the year.
Telling Stat: Of Real Salt Lake’s 15 shots in the match, they put 10 shots on frame. In any match, it’s good to test the opposing goalkeeper, but in the case of the Chicago Fire, it came against a keeper making his first MLS start. In the hostile atmosphere of Rio Tinto Stadium, facing that many shots is bound to produce some goals and on Saturday he picked the ball out of the net twice.
What You Missed: RSL wore the alternate white jerseys at home for just the second time in club history. As part of LifeVantage’s title sponsor night, fans in the stadium were given white mock-jersey t-shirts and thunder sticks as part of a “Whiteout” at Rio Tinto Stadium. The result was 19,817 fans loudly cheering RSL to victory.
So What: The win keeps RSL in playoff position and gave the club its first victory since winning consecutive matches on July 4 and July 7 against Sporting Kansas City and FC Dallas, respectively. The three-match winless run in between included consecutive draws, now putting RSL in a three-match unbeaten streak (it’s all about perspective). Now unbeaten in the last 11 (9-0-2) at Rio Tinto Stadium, the home pitch is looking more and more like a fortress for Real Salt Lake.
