MLS Real Salt Lake

Costa Rican International Scores in 91+' & 95+' to Draw RSL Even with L.A. Galaxy atop MLS Standings

Published on October 24, 2010 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Real Salt Lake News Release


COMMERCE CITY, Colo. - Real Salt Lake saw its hopes for a first-ever MLS Supporters' Shield title stay alive tonight at Dick's Sporting Goods Park thanks to some late-game heroics by FW Álvaro Saborío, his brace in second half stoppage time salvaging a 2-2 draw for the defending MLS Cup champs.

With tonight's crucial standings point, Real Salt Lake (15-4-11, 56 pts.) once again drew even with the Los Angeles Galaxy for the League's top overall spot, meaning an FC Dallas win tomorrow evening over the Galaxy at The Home Depot Center (6:00 p.m. MT kickoff) would give the Utah side the regular season Supporters' Shield crown courtesy of the second tie-breaker of overall goal differential (teams are even on first, head-to-head points tie-breaker).

Another unknown heading into tomorrow's ultimate contest of the MLS regular season in Carson, Calif., is who Real Salt Lake will square off against in its upcoming Western Conference Semifinal Series that will kick off the 2010 MLS Cup Playoffs. A Galaxy loss tomorrow evening would give RSL the #1 seed and set up a marquee match-up against #4 Seattle Sounders FC, while a Galaxy win or draw puts RSL in with the #2 seed, thereby opening its title defense with another tough draw against #3 FC Dallas. The only thing about the series that is known is that Real Salt Lake will host the second leg of the series at Rio Tinto Stadium on Saturday, November 6 (time TBA); the date and time of Leg 1 of the series will be announced by Real Salt Lake and MLS on Sunday evening following the Galaxy-FC Dallas showdown.

Colorado would shoot out of the gates in tonight's contest, and it took just 16 minutes for Rapids FW Omar Cummings to move the scoreboard, his one-touch redirect off a cross from the left by DF Anthony Wallace putting the home side up early. Not to be outdone by his strike-mate, FW Conor Casey added one of his own six minutes after the halftime break, his close-range header off a DF Kosuke Kimura cross seemingly wrapping up the result for the Rapids, especially as the half wore on and the visitors began to run out of time.

Despite struggling through one of its more disjointed efforts of the season, Real Salt Lake would be rewarded for playing the full 90 minutes thanks to the hustle of Saborío, who blocked GK Matt Pickens' clearance at the beginning of stoppage time, the ball bouncing off the striker and then the crossbar before the Costa Rican slammed home the rebound to give the road side hope. Two minutes later, DF Jamison Olave was hauled down in the area by Rapids MF Brian Mullan as he tried to reach MF Javier Morales' free kick as it looped towards the penalty spot. That's where referee Ricardo Salazar pointed, and Saborío would make no mistake from there, placing his shot inside the right post and past Pickens to send the hundreds of Claret-and-Cobalt supporters in attendance into frenzy.

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Major League Soccer Stories from October 24, 2010


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