In an effort to continue its winning-ways-of-late, Real Salt Lake took on DC United, the team that knocked them out of the playoffs a year ago, and escaped with a 2-1 win. For a team that has been a bottom dweller in Major League Soccer since joining the league in 2005, RSL has made the necessary adjustments to become competitive night in and night out.
Saturday afternoon at Rio Tinto Stadium amidst a soggy rain, Real, thanks to goals scored by Jamison Olave and Javier Morales, continued their development as a contender by coming back from a 1-0 deficit to record the win. DC United scored in the 38th minute only to watch Olave tie it up just two minutes later in the 40th minute with a header off a cross from RSL midfielder Will Johnson.
With the game locked at 1-1 in the 80th minute Morales found the back of the net. A Kyle Beckerman pass, intended for teammate Robbie Findley, found Morales instead just inside the box. The goal not only solidified the win, but also solidified RSL’s home-field advantage.
“We are historically a team that would have gone into that game and had difficulty, and might have walked away with a draw or even a loss. But we ended up finding a way to win it, so I think our guys should be proud of that,” RSL coach Jason Kreis said.
While RSL had somewhat of a home-field advantage last season they were getting draws out of their home games rather than wins. Already Real has won its two home games and the future appears bright for the team from Salt Lake.
Chalk it up to the new stadium, but as RSL continues to grow and mature, the home-field advantage should propel them into the playoffs for the second straight season. Now, RSL just needs to figure out how to steal some games on the road.
