HOUSTON, Texas (Saturday, March 2, 2019) – Real Salt Lake opened its 15th season in Major League Soccer with a 1-1 draw at the Houston Dynamo on Saturday afternoon in front of 16,827 at BBVA Compass Stadium.
From the outset the match was physical with both teams trading stiff fouls in the early stages. In total, five yellow cards were handed out in the first stanza. MF Albert Rusnák broke the deadlock in the 40th minute when his shot inside the box easily found the inside of the back post for the 1-0 lead which the team took into the halftime break.
Houston saw most of the ball to begin the second half and eventually found the equalizer when Mauro Manotas beat DF Nedum Onuoha to the ball at the near post, bringing the score to 1-1 in the 62nd minute. In the 77th minute Houston thought it had found the go-ahead goal, but Boniek Garcia was judged to be in an offside position, letting RSL off the hook.
In the 82nd minute, RSL saw it gain a man advantage when Matías Vera was ejected after his from behind tackle on Joao Plata. RSL pressed for the winner with the man advantage but couldn’t find a second goal as the match ended in a 1-1 draw.
UP NEXT: Real Salt Lake will now open the home portion of the 2019 schedule, hosting Vancouver Whitecaps FC on March 9 at Rio Tinto Stadium. Kickoff is set for 4:00 p.m. MT.
GOAL SCORING RUNDOWN:
RSL: Albert Rusnák (Corey Baird), 40th minute: Fielding a ball from Baird inside the box, Rusnák’s touch opened up space for a shot. The Slovakian’s shot easily found the back of the net for the go-ahead goal.
HOU: Mauro Manotas (Adam Lundkvist, Maynor Figueroa), 62nd minute: A low service into the box from Lundkvist found the near post run of Manotas who lunged to redirect the ball into the net.
NOTES:
- On Friday, 13-year RSL veteran goalkeeper Nick Rimando announced that the 2019 MLS season will be his last. The 20-year MLS veteran holds every goalkeeping record in league history including wins, saves, games played, games started, and shutouts.
- DF Justen Glad suffered a broken toe in Thursday’s training session in preparation for the match against the Dynamo. Glad is set to be evaluated upon the team’s return to Utah.
- MF Albert Rusnák scored his third goal in two matches at BBVA Compass Stadium, again causing problems for the Dynamo.
- RSL’s newest Designated Player Sam Johnson made his debut in the 67th minute when he entered the game for Corey Baird.
Match: Real Salt Lake at Houston Dynamo
Date: March 9, 2019
Venue: BBVA Compass Stadium; Houston, Texas
Attendance: 16,827
Weather: Cloudy and 72 degrees
Scoring Summary:1 2 F
Real Salt Lake 1 0 1
Houston Dynamo 0 1 1
RSL: Albert Rusnák (Corey Baird) 40’
HOU: Mauro Manotas (Adam Lundkvist, Maynor Figueroa) 62’
Lineups:
Real Salt Lake (4-2-3-1): Nick Rimando; Brooks Lennon, Nedum Onuoha, Marcelo Silva, Aaron Herrera; Kyle Beckerman, Everton Luiz, Albert Rusnák; Jefferson Savarino (Joao Plata, 78’), Damir Kreilach, Corey Baird (Sam Johnson, 67’)
Subs not used: Andrew Putna, Tony Beltran, Nick Besler, Justin Portillo, Sebastian Saucedo
Houston Dynamo: (4-3-3): Joe Willis; Kevin Garcia, Alejandro Fuenmayor, Maynor Figueroa, Adam Lundkvist; Matias Vera, Boniek Garcia, Alberth Elis, Tomas Martinez (Tommy McNamara, 52’), Romell Quioto (Memo Rodríguez, 76’); Mauro Manotas (Marlon Hairston, 89’)
Subs not used: Tyler Deric, Chris Duvall, Sam Junqua, Darwin Cerén
Stats Summary: HOU / RSL
Shots: 8 / 14
Shots on Goal: 1 / 5
Saves: 4 / 0
Corner Kicks: 9 / 8
Fouls: 12 / 9
Offside: 3 / 1
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY:
RSL – Everton Luiz (caution) 11’
RSL – Kyle Beckerman (caution) 14’
RSL – Aaron Herrera (caution) 27’
HOU – Kevin Garcia (caution) 30’
HOU – Matias Vera (caution) 31’
HOU – Matias Vera (second caution, ejection) 82’
RSL – Sam Johnson (caution) 90’+3
OFFICIALS:
Referee: Armando Villareal
Assistant Referees: Corey Parker, Eric Boria
4th Official: David Gantar
VAR: Jorge Gonzalez
