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MLS Real Salt Lake

RSL come back for late dramatic victory

July 25, 2009 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Real Salt Lake News Release


SANDY, Utah -- A pair of quick first-half goals by FC Dallas seemed to put Real Salt Lake squarely on the ropes in their quest to get back into the playoff picture. But Real Salt Lake scored four goals -- two from halftime substitute Yura Movsisyan -- for a 4-2 victory Friday at Rio Tinto Stadium. Jeff Cunningham and Dave van den Bergh had given FCD the two-goal halftime lead. But second-half strikes by Movsisyan and Robbie Findley (a penalty kick) brought RSL back from the brink. An own goal by Daniel Torres in the 88th minute provided the victory and Movsisyan sealed it with his second goal in stoppage time.

Cunningham had a glorious opportunity to make the night a memorable one and restore the FCD advantage midway through the second half, but RSL 'keeper Nick Rimando saved his penalty kick.

In the 13th minute, Cunningham stole the ball away from RSL's Will Johnson and stepped up into the restraining arc. He fired a shot that took a slight deflection off defender Nat Borchers and left Rimando flat-footed, tying him with ex-RSL teammate and coach Jason Kreis on the MLS all-time goals scored list with 108 and gave FCD a 1-0 lead.

FCD took that advantage to 2-0 on van den Bergh's first goal of the season in the 21st minute. Dallas worked the ball through the RSL defense with precision passes as Cunningham laid it off to David Ferreira, who played it back to Cunningham, who knocked it across the goal first-time to van den Bergh. The final pass found the FCD winger just outside the 6-yard box and he slotted it easily past Rimando.

RSL got its first serious chance to answer in the 31st minute on a pair of corner kicks in succession by Javier Morales. The second kick from Morales found Jamison Olave in his usual spot outside the 6-yard box. Olave put his head under the ball, but it did not have enough force to get past Burse's hands.

Dallas came as close as you can get to adding a third goal in the 36th minute and again in the 37th minute.

The first chance came off a set piece that Drew Moor turned into a header inside the goalmouth. Rimando stretched out on the line to snag the ball for the timely save. Another shot at the third came a minute later when Cunningham settled a free kick from van den Bergh and flicked the ball forward on his first touch -- only to have the ball ricochet off the far post and bounce away.

Movsisyan came on to start the second half, and as he did, RSL returned to their 4-3-3 system that has worked well over the past games.

RSL nearly scored again in the 51st minute when Will Johnson fired a right-footer from about 25 yards out that Burse barely got his fingertips on, still managing to force the ball over the bar.

The Utah side finally tacked on a goal in the 55th minute when Morales poked the ball away from an FCD player at midfield, sending Movsisyan on a clear breakaway. With just Burse to beat, Movsisyan easily withstood the keeper's challenge and slotted the ball past him, sending it into the middle of the net.

RSL tacked on the equalizer just a few minutes later. Tony Beltran drove into the box and laid the ball off cleanly to Espindola. After receiving the ball, Espindola crossed it out to Robbie Findley as he charged toward the 6-yard box from the right flank.

Jair Benitez took down Findley inside the box, setting up a penalty kick in the 61st minute. Findley made the most of it, slotting the ball past Burse on the left to knot the score at 2-2.

Dallas had a chance to regain the lead in the 71st minute when a handball infraction by Nat Borchers in the midst of defending a free kick by van den Bergh put Cunningham on the spot for a penalty kick. Before the game, Cunningham said he was looking forward to passing Kreis on the MLS all-time scoring list by scoring twice against RSL and the perfect opportunity had come.

Cunningham tried to push it past Rimando's right side, but the veteran 'keeper made an outstanding dive to come up with the timely save.

RSL lost Kreis to a red card ejection two minutes later when he was sent off for verbally abusing the fourth official. Originally, referee Ricardo Salazar showed the red card to Clint Mathis, but after consultation with the linesman, sent Kreis to the locker room and RSL played on with 11 men.

The Claret-and-Cobalt nearly took the lead on a free kick in the 85th minute. Morales curled the kick over the four-man defensive wall and the ball clanked off the corner of the post and off Burse's right hand, just deflecting wide of the post.

Burse tipped the ball out to Johnson on the end line and he crossed it to Findley on the other side of the goal, but nothing more came of it.

Torres let through RSL's go-ahead goal in the 88th minute when a cross from Espindola deflected off his trailing leg and bounced past Burse alongside the right post to complete the comeback for the Utah side.

Then three minutes into stoppage time, Movsisyan sealed the contest. Picking up a bouncing ball in the center circle, he quickly turned and once again raced in alone on goal, slotting it past Burse from just inside the area for his sixth goal of the season.

FC Dallas did have a player sent off in the dying seconds when defender Drew Moor was shown a straight red card by Salazar for a harsh studs-up tackle on RSL's Tony Beltran right in front of the benches.

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