Sports stats

MLS Real Salt Lake

Real Salt Lake Drops 6-4 Road Result to DC United

August 1, 2015 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Real Salt Lake News Release


Washington DC - In the highest scoring game in Real Salt Lake history, RSL got out to a fast start, but was outscored 6-2 after taking a 2-0 lead in the 21st minute and lost 6-4 to D.C. United at RFK Stadium on Saturday.

FW Joao Plata had one goal and one assist, MF Kyle Beckerman scored his first goal of the season and MF Javier Morales added two assists, but a second-half explosion from the Eastern Conference leaders doomed RSL in the club's last match of the regular season against an East opponent.

It took just 65 seconds for Real Salt Lake to get on the board, as Plata continued his hot streak with a goal in his third consecutive match. Real Salt Lake opened scoring through a passing sequence at the edge of the box. From a central position, FW Devon Sandoval played the ball wide to FW Sebastian Jaime, who dropped it back to Plata for a shot from 20 yards out that beat Andrew Dykstra inside the far post for his third goal of the season and a 1-0 RSL lead.

It was the fastest goal of the season for Real Salt Lake.

While D.C. was able to put pressure on GK Jeff Attinella's goal, RSL would add to the lead in the 21st minute when Beckerman notched his first goal of the season.

Off a free kick from Morales, Jaime headed the ball centrally to Plata. He collected the ball and played it back to Beckerman for a blast from 26 yards out that skipped past Dykstra to give RSL the 2-0 lead.

D.C. put together a scare in the 39th minute from former RSL forward Alvaro Saborio when he got his head to a ball from the right side, but Attinella made the point-blank save to keep the 2-0 advantage.

D.C. would cut that lead in half when Chris Rolfe finally got United on the board in the 43rd minute. Rolfe took the ball off the foot of an RSL defender and spun a shot into the net and the Claret-and-Cobalt went into the half toting a 2-1 lead.

In the 53rd minute, Sandoval was whistled for a foul in the box when he pulled down Bobby Boswell on a set play opportunity for D.C. United. Rolfe converted the penalty for his second goal of the match, leveling the score at 2-2.

D.C. then took the lead in the 59th minute on a screamer from Taylor Kemp. On a ball over the top, former RSL forward Fabian Espindola took a touch to the corner of the box and played a ball across to the far post. DF Justen Glad cleared it, but it fell to Kemp who ripped a left-footed shot on the volley to beat Attinella inside the far post to put RSL behind 3-2.

Salt Lake equalized on a Morales free kick from the right side, as DF Aaron Maund rose up and snapped a header into the net for his second goal of the season to make it 3-3 in the 62nd minute. However, D.C. reclaimed the lead seconds later when Saborio curled a shot from the left side that took a deflection before falling to Espindola at the far post. Mansally defended his initial effort but when Glad attempted to clear it off the line it deflected off Espindola and into the net to make it 4-3 in favor of D.C. United.

Mansally evened the score again with his first goal of the year, taking a leading pass from Morales up the left side and blasting it past Dykstra to make it 4-4 in the 68th minute. However, D.C. added two more when Perry Kitchen headed in a ball from Kemp in the 79th minute and Nick DeLeon blasted a ball from distance in the 85th minute for the final 6-4 tally.

Real Salt Lake remains on the road to open CONCACAF Champions League play on Tuesday against Municipal in Guatemala City. The match will be broadcast live on Fox Soccer Plus. The next league match will be on August 8 on the road against Vancouver Whitecaps FC in the third and final regular season meeting of the year between the two clubs.

Check out the Real Salt Lake Statistics



Major League Soccer Stories from August 1, 2015


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central