Real Salt Lake 2 vs FC Dallas 4
March 30, 2019; Rio Tinto Stadium
Real Salt Lake (1-3-1, 4 points); FC Dallas (3-1-1, 10 points)
Man of the Match: In a frantic match, Everton Luiz was all over the field. He has proven to be a physical presence in the middle of RSL’s midfield in partnership with Kyle Beckerman and on Saturday, he finished with a game-high five tackles. He now leads the league with 21 tackles through five matches entering Sunday’s two nationally-televised matches.
Telling Stat: For the third straight match, RSL saw a red card when Damir Kreilach was sent off in the 17th minute. In the last three matches, RSL has played a man down or more for 124 minutes and 11v11 for 146 minutes. In 2018, RSL was the only team in MLS to play the whole season without having a player ejected.
What You Missed: Making his second MLS start, Erik Holt was forced to an early exit when he left the match in the 11th minute with an ankle injury. After a strong preseason, he earned his first start when RSL had a depleted roster last week against LAFC and showed his mettle against tough competition. That earned him the nod this week, but he will have a tough road back with Marcelo Silva sliding back into the starting role and Justen Glad nearing a return from injury as well.
So What: RSL suffered its first home loss of the season after posting a Western Conference-leading 11-2-4 mark at Rio Tinto Stadium last season. At 1-3-1 on the season, the road doesn’t get any easier with an away contest with unbeaten Seattle Sounders FC (3-0-1) on the horizon next week at CenturyLink Field. Keeping 11 men on the field will be critical against a difficult opponent in a difficult venue. However, it was in the Emerald City that RSL earned its first road win of 2018 and it’s the site of the club’s cornerstone moment when Salt Lake lifted MLS Cup in 2009.
