Real Salt Lake 1 vs. San Jose Earthquakes 2
May 7, 2021; Rio Tinto Stadium
Real Salt Lake (2-1-0, 6 points); San Jose Earthquakes (3-1-0, 9 points)
Man of the Match: Rubio Rubin catapulted RSL into the lead in the 43rd minute with what very may well be a contender for Major League Soccer’s Goal of the Year. The forward’s third goal of the season was hammered in via bicycle kick that sent the entire stadium into complete mania. In just three games Rubio has registered three goals and two assists.
Telling Stat: San Jose forward Chris Wondolowski had 10 goals in 25 career matches against Real Salt Lake entering the match on Friday – the most by any opponent in club history. He added two more to that tally – and his all-time MLS record of 166 career goals – after coming on as a second-half substitute.
What You Missed: With the absence of Marcelo Silva due to injury, Head coach Freddy Juarez rolled out a defensive back five made up of players exclusively from the RSL Academy. The five Homegrowns, Andrew Brody, Justen Glad, Erik Holt, David Ochoa and Donny Toia took the first field as an entire Homegrown back five.
So What:RSL’s first loss of the season will serve as a learning opportunity in terms of game management. Real Salt Lake faces Nashville SC on Saturday, May 15, in the first meeting against the 2020 expansion side. The match is the third in a string of home matches before the team heads back out on the road Saturday, May 22 at FC Dallas.
