Real Salt Lake wasn’t at its best on Sunday night. But the team didn’t have to be in order to get a result, defeating the Colorado Rapids 2-1 through a pair of spectacular goals in Commerce City.
The win kept RSL’s playoff hopes alive, putting the club within three points of the final Western Conference spot. Real is now tied with Houston at 41 points, while San Jose and Portland currently sit on 44 points, setting the stage for RSL’s next match against the Timbers on October 14.
In addition to the three points, the outcome was an important statement for Real to have made ahead of a playoff push. The victory demonstrated that RSL can pick up results away from home — albeit against a last-place team — and that the players are capable of grinding out a result when needed, despite not playing particularly well.
Real didn’t look sharp early on, and started out the second half largely the same way. Colorado was able to step in and exploit space off the ball, trying to push the pace a little and force RSL into mistakes — as a result, Real struggled to maintain possession or find the width needed to get the attack going. Meanwhile, the Rapids were able to force the ball through the center of the midfield far too easily, forcing defenders into awkward clearances.
However, Colorado couldn’t sustain what momentum they had, and it proved to be utterly devastating late in the first half. Real was able to find more of the ball in the center, make runs down the flank, and eventually start to create legitimate scoring chances.
With several RSL players standing over the ball, Joao Plata commanded everyone’s attention with a wonderful free kick goal in the 33rd minute, a goal that appeared to be somewhat of a catharsis for him after a frustrating few weeks. Luke Mulholland outdid him just before halftime, collecting a Rapids clearance and bending a scorching ball into the back of the net to give Real a 2-1 lead going into the break.
The second half mirrored the first in terms of momentum and opportunities, the main difference being that neither side could capitalize on their scoring chances. The Rapids came out of the break with the momentum yet again, keeping Real from getting time on the ball; eventually, RSL worked its way back into a better rhythm, though, and really should have added another goal.
Tactically, the match was interesting in that one might have expected Jeff Cassar urge his side, playing on the road, to press high and play to disrupt rather than let Colorado settle in. Letting the Rapids burn themselves out, so to speak, was unexpected — a better team would likely have made RSL pay for their indifferent starts in both halves, not to mention the wasted opportunities.
However, the result ought to give Real more confidence going into the final few matches of the season. To remain in playoff contention, RSL will have to stay present in its play even when the passes aren’t necessarily connecting and space is difficult to find. With every match from here on out the equivalent of a cup final, that’s a critical point of focus moving forward.
For now, though, there’s little left to do other than wait until the 14th and prepare for the Portland Timbers’ visit to the Riot, where Real will be hoping to get another massive result.
