MLS Real Salt Lake

Espindola Brace Powers 3-0 Win at Chivas USA

Published on June 17, 2012 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Real Salt Lake News Release


CARSON, Calif. (Saturday, June 16, 2012) - Real Salt Lake (10-3-2, 32 points, West #1) maintained its lead atop both the overall and Western Conference standings with tonight's 2-0 road victory against Chivas USA (4-7-3, 15 points, West #6). RSL FW Fabian Espindola struck for two goals - one on each side of halftime - to secure all three points for RSL. The win extended RSL's unbeaten run to seven games, matching D.C. United and Kansas City for the longest streaks in the league this season without a loss.

The Espindola "brace" was the 35th multi-goal performance in RSL's 269 games across all competitions [MLS (232), Playoff (11), CCL (12) & Open Cup (13)], and only the 12th on the road. When an RSL player scores two or more goals in a game, the team has posted a 26-3-4 mark.

The multi-goal performance by the Argentine striker Espindola extended his all-time regular-season club goal-scoring lead to 32 goals, and tied the sixth-year RSL player with the 2012 golden boot lead with strike partner Alvaro Saborio, each player with six goals on the season.

The clean sheet by GK Nick Rimando and the RSL defense was the sixth of the season, and the third away from home, the team not conceding on the road in 315 minutes, dating back to a Brek Shea penalty kick in the 45th minute of a 1-1 draw at Dallas on April 25.

Real Salt Lake was denied an early lead in the 35th minute when DF Chris Wingert's perfectly crossed ball led to a goal by red-hot Costa Rican FW Alvaro Saborίo, adjudged to be offside. Minutes later, however, MF Jonny Steele - making his second start of the season - intercepted an outlet pass by Chivas GK Dan Kennedy and fed MF Kyle Beckerman, whose 35-yard diagonal ball into the box found the head of Espindola for the dreadlocked captain's second assist of the season.

Espindola's added his name to the scoresheet a second time in the 54th minute, after MF Ned Grabavoy won the ball and sprung the Argentine one-on-one with former RSL DF Rauwshan McKenzie at the top of the box, where Fabian sideswept his former teammate and slammed a left footer into the back of the net.

In the 60th minute of the match, RSL manager Jason Kreis inserted talismanic playmaker Javier Morales, making his first appearance since May 9 at Chicago, the Argentine removing himself in the 20th minute of an eventual 0-0 draw. Morales replaced DF Jamison Olave, which necessitated the move of MF Will Johnson to left back in place of birthday boy Chris Wingert, who celebrated his 30th by playing the final 30 minutes at centerback.

Johnson added the final and third RSL goal of the game late in second half stoppage-time on a spectacular play started by Beckerman, who fed Morales for the assist, setting up Johnson, one of four RSL internationals just returning from FIFA World Cup Qualifying duty. The three-goal margin tonight was RSL's largest of the year.

Real Salt Lake Match Notes - CHV 0 : 3 RSL

"¢ Real Salt Lake's record of 10-3-2 (32 points) through 15 games and its 6-1-0 start at home this season each mark the best starts in the team's eight-year history, surpassing the 9-3-3 (30 points) start and 5-0-2 home mark during its record-setting 2010 season ...

"¢ RSL's active unbeaten run in MLS play now stands at seven games overall, equaling the longest in MLS this season (D.C. United, 3/24-4/28; and Kansas City, 3/10-4/18) ... Real Salt Lake's last loss came on April 21 at San Jose, as the nine-man RSL side succumbed to a pair of stoppage-time Earthquakes goals to drop a 1-3 decision.

"¢ Tonight's road result extended RSL's unbeaten run away from home to four games on the trot, the second-longest run in the club's eight-year history, trailing only the nine-game unbeaten road streak from August, 2010 to April, 2011 ...

"¢ RSL Captain and MF Kyle Beckerman and GK Nick Rimando (United States), MF Will Johnson (Canada) and FW Alvaro Saborio (Costa Rica) each returned to the club tonight following their respective FIFA international duty in recent weeks ...

"¢ RSL MF Javier Morales (right quadriceps) made his first appearance since the 20th minute of the May 9 draw at Chicago, playing 30 minutes and adding an assist in tonight's match ... Since suffering a horrific ankle injury last May 7 in a home 1-0 win over Chivas USA, Morales has started just 11 games and made 15 appearances in RSL's 46 games since that fateful day in all competitions ...

"¢ Only DF Tony Beltran and FW Alvaro Saborio have appeared in all 15 MLS games for RSL this year, with Beltran the team's 2012 minutes leader (1334) ...

"¢ Real Salt Lake continues this week's stretch of three games against California-based opposition in eight days by welcoming the defending MLS Cup champion Los Angeles Galaxy on Wednesday at Rio Tinto Stadium. A handful of tickets remain for that night's 7:00 p.m. MT kickoff, a rematch of last November's Western Conference Final, and can be purchased at www.RealSaltLake.com or by calling (801) 727.2701. Three days later, RSL plays host to the current West #2 side, San Jose Earthquakes, the Saturday, June 23 match also kicking off at 7:00 p.m. MT at Rio Tinto Stadium ...

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