MLS Real Salt Lake

RSL Strikes First, Holds on For First Win on Road

Published on June 16, 2008 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Real Salt Lake News Release


Going into Saturday nights match against Chivas USA, Real Salt Lake was 0-6-1 all time when facing the California side at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. In the middle of one of RSL's biggest home streaks of the season, one point for a tie on the road may have been called a success by some RSL fans.

Fortunately, one point wasn't good enough for Robbie Findley.

Findley scored the only goal of the match in the 34th minute to give RSL its first road win of 2008, and the team's first win at Chivas since both teams started MLS play nearly four years ago. Midfielder Kyle Beckerman, displaying the captain's armband, flushed a pass to the fiery Findley down the field. The forward from Phoenix checked the ball once, blew past Chivas' Sacha Klejstan before faking keeper Dan Kennedy just inside the box and driving the ball into the left corner. The goal gave Findley three on the season, tied for a team best with Beckerman and forward Fabian Espindola, who sat on the bench nursing an injured ankle.

"I was able to find myself on the back line, it was a good ball by Kyle [Beckerman] right into space and I ran onto it," Findley said after the match. "The keeper started cheating out, so I took one more touch to be able to get it past him."

RSL only had three shots on goal as a team, and Findley only had one, but it was enough for the Salt Lake side to escape the Home Depot Center with three points before moving back to what forward Kenny Deuchar referred to as "the fortress" on the University of Utah campus for another home stretch.

"The difference for me is that when you don't play well and you pick up a result, it's a big leap for you mentally," coach Jason Kreis said. "And if you play well and don't get a result, it can still be in the back of your mind that you're losing games. For me, there's so much of this game, that's about mentality. To pick up a win like this will be a huge boost for us, not because we played particularly well tonight, but because we picked up a hard-fought win."

For Chivas, Salt Lake City native and former Skyline Eagle Justin Braun came up with three shots, two of them on goal, to lead his team's four shots on goals in a striking pattern of offensive tactics. Braun attempted to tally the tying goal with a 53rd minute blast inside the RSL penalty box that sailed over goalkeeper Nick Rimando. Unfortunately, the ball was also inches too high for the net, and the ball cruised over the crossbar to preserve RSL's lead. Rimando snatched four saves from Chivas' hands throughout the game.

"He had three chances tonight, and you've got to get there," Chivas coach Preki said of Braun's performance. "You have to find yourself in the position to score goals. Right now, no one is finding the spot apart from that kid. He is not finding the net right now, but hopefully he will. We need goals from the forwards, and right now we can't find the goals."

RSL had another chance early in the game, when Deuchar put his dome on the ball in the 25th minute off a pass from defender Chris Wingert on the left flank, but Chivas keeper Dan Kennedy stuck a finger on the ball and narrowly shoved it over the crossbar.

RSL will defend its home turf with a double header this weekend, when the San Jose Earthquakes make a third trip to Rice-Eccles on Wednesday, followed by a visit from the Eastern Conference's New England Revolution on Saturday. A good home showing from RSL could catapult them over most of the teams in the Western Conference, allowing them to contend for first place for the first time since traveling to FC Dallas three weeks ago.

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Major League Soccer Stories from June 16, 2008


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