Real Salt Lake turned its five-match road swing around on Saturday night in a surprising 3-1 win at Sporting Kansas City. And the difference, according to captain Kyle Beckerman?
Well…
So there’s that.
In reality, it was a little more complicated, though.
RSL was in straight up survival mode early on as SKC controlled possession, and Sporting was able to put a lot of pressure on Real’s back four. It looked like it was going to be another one of those nights for RSL, as the team looked a little slow and reactionary in the opening minutes.
Once the critical first 15 minutes had passed, though, Real seemed a little more settled and was able to get the ball forward more regularly. The front line, Joao Plata in particular, was testing the Kansas City backline and the assistant referee’s ability to judge the offside rule as the half-hour mark drew near when Burrito Martinez found himself open in front of goal to open the scoring in the 32nd minute.
RSL added a second goal in bizarre fashion just before halftime when Yura Movsisyan’s well-hit shot pinged off Brad Davis and into the Sporting goal. That seemed to turn the momentum definitively in Real’s favor as the second half started.
However, in the immediate aftermath of RSL missing a chance to add another, things swung back in the other direction when Dom Dwyer, frustrated by a lack of service in the center, drifted out to the right and got himself open to pull one goal back for Kansas City.
Real took advantage of a giveaway in the midfield and an abundance of space in the Sporting half just three minutes later, though, showing the defensive grit that Jeff Cassar had been pushing for all week in training and turning that into the team’s third (and decisive) goal of the match through Movsisyan.
Defensively, RSL gave up too many chances for comfort, but a combination of Nick Rimando’s usual magic and some poor finishing by Sporting kept those chances from being converted. There were a few scary moments at the back when midfield runners weren’t tracked and SKC got numbers forward.
On the other hand, the emphasis on team defense was apparent at times — Burrito dropped back to make critical plays practically at his own goal line during the second half, for example. The midfield shape was generally improved as well, meaning that Beckerman and Sunny were able to better protect the center of the pitch and force Kansas City out to the flanks to look for chances.
Despite the defensive scares, it was overall a much better performance for RSL than in its last two matches (at Colorado and Houston). Although the players started out looking a little lethargic, they played their way into the match and were able to collectively divert the pressure from themselves onto their opponents.
Individual players also stepped up on critical ways. Movsisyan and Burrito came good on their scoring potential, despite not having put up much in the way of stats so far this season. The midfielders came up with possession at critical moments. Justen Glad — reunited with Aaron Maund for the first time in several matches at center back — continues to make progress every game, becoming a vital part of the team’s success.
So, yeah, RSL scored more goals than Sporting. That definitely wasn’t the full story, though.
Real Salt Lake
MLS
