Marcelo Silva Provided The Spark RSL Needed To Split The Points Against Minnesota United

SANDY, Utah – Real Salt Lake did not look as confident or comfortable as they played out a 1-1 tie against Minnesota United.

Jefferson Savarino played a bouncing ball into the box and found the foot of Marcelo Silva who punished the ball into the back of the net for RSL’s only goal in the 70th minute.

That was after a Darwin Quintero header and goal in the 54th minute to open the scoring.

A timid performance, particularly in the first half, left Mike Petke and the players frustrated after the game. Petke spoke on the performance post match stating that “I feel like I pushed them a little too hard this week, looking back on this game tonight it was clear that I did.”

Despite dominating 62 percent possession and out shooting Minnesota 9 to 7, RSL clearly did not have the same mentality they did a week ago against the Philadelphia Union.

A draw at the RioT pic.twitter.com/0AZADuPh9k

— Real Salt Lake (@realsaltlake) July 21, 2019

Here is how the players were rated after the loss, on a scale of 0-10.

0-5: The player did not play well or did not get enough minutes to judge performance correctly.

6-7: The player played well, but had moments where they did not make good decisions.

8-9: The player was very impressive, had very few mistakes and offered a lot of production.

10: The player played a perfect game. No mistakes, everything the player touched turned to gold.

Head Coach

Mike Petke, 7
Petke admitted after the game that he pushed the players in training too hard. The players look tired and slow. Fortunately RSL were still able to pick up a point, although considering they beat Philadelphia 4-0 the week prior, it was a disappointing outcome for a team that was seemingly full of confidence.

Petke on the mic pic.twitter.com/IGB4q8vBJb

— Real Salt Lake (@realsaltlake) July 21, 2019

Goalkeeper

Nick Rimando, 7
Rimando had an interesting evening. During the first half, Rimando fumbled a few balls that he should have swallowed. The goal in which Rimando conceded was unfortunate after the ball was deflected straight onto the head of Quintero who was standing on the back post. Another solid performance from Rimando led to a 1-1 draw. Rimando made three saves on the evening.

Defenders

Right Back: Brooks Lennon, 8
Lennon has put together a very impressive few games. Against Minnesota he was dominant again, running up and down the right side of the pitch offering his help both in the attack and in defense. Lennon ended the night with two interceptions and 56 successful passes.

Center Back: Justen Glad, 8
Glad has been the lone standout at center back and has shown that he can play alongside anyone. Against Minnesota, Glad had six clearances and two tackles in what was a promising performance against a very talented Minnesota United attack.

Center Back: Marcelo Silva, 9
Man of the match honors go to Marcelo Silva who put in a very impressive shift playing center back. The Uruguayan native scored RSL’s only goal of the match. He added five interception, two clearances and fifty seven successful passes. Mike Petke said that with how well Silva has played lately, he is considering playing five along the back line, as opposed to his traditional four.

That volley tho pic.twitter.com/06f9PRloA5

— Real Salt Lake (@realsaltlake) July 21, 2019

Left Back: Donny Toia, 8
Much like Lennon, Donny Toia was formidable going up and down the left hand side of the pitch offering his services both defensively and in the attack. Toia ended the evening with four interceptions and was influential with his delivery into the box.

Midfielders

Center Midfield: Kyle Beckerman, 8
Beckerman was good, yet again. The captain never lacks effort or work rate and he is constantly chasing down balls and winning 50/50 challenges. Beckerman stays back in a defensive position when RSL have the ball, allowing his midfield counterpart Everton Luiz to get involved in the attack with his Brazilian flair.

Center Midfield: Everton Luiz, 8
Yet again, the Brazilian native was sensational stopping counter attacks from Minnesota United. His tenacity and explosiveness was on full display against Minnesota United. He ended his evening with three tackles, two interceptions and one clearance in a very defensive display.

Right Wing: Jefferson Savarino, 8
Savarino was the only bright spot in the attack. Despite all the good work from the defenders and midfielders, the attacking players had a hard time generating space. Although, Savarino was effective when the ball came to him. Savarino found himself constantly getting double or triple teamed which limited his ability to dance around defenders.

Some times you gotta applaud the keeper pic.twitter.com/W1FoAqq4Gw

— Real Salt Lake (@realsaltlake) July 21, 2019

Center Attacking Midfield: Albert Rusnak, 7
Rusnak had a very difficult time playing himself into the contest. He was unable to generate the space we are accustomed to seeing from Rusnak. That ultimately led to him being substituted for Joao Plata in the 77th minute.

Left Wing: Sebastian Saucedo, 7
Much like Rusnak, Bofo was unable to generate any space in the attacking third. The ball movement slowed down when it came into the attack, and Saucedo had a difficult time producing chances for RSL.

Striker

Striker: Damir Kreilach, 7
Kreilach did not lack effort, he just had a hard time finding the ball in space and generating shots or dangerous passes playing striker. When Sam Johnson went down with a quad injury, the scare was always going to be how effective can the likes of Kreilach or Baird be playing out of position at striker. After playing well against the Union, Kreilach slowed down against Minnesota drastically.

The Bench

Corey Baird, 5
Baird came on in the 58th minute for Sebastian Saucedo and had a difficult time creating any chances for RSL. Baird has been out of form for the majority of this season and will hopefully regain the form we once saw from his a year ago, eventually winning MLS Rookie Of The Year honors.

Joao Plata, 6
Plata joined the game in the 77th minute for Albert Rusnak. He was able to provide a spark for RSL which was promising considering he has not played very well this season when Mike Petke has called his name.

Taking a look at the numbers 👇 pic.twitter.com/Tk2jt2VVlu

— Real Salt Lake (@realsaltlake) July 21, 2019

Next Up

Real Salt Lake take on Tigres UANL this Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. It will be the first match for RSL in the inaugural League’s Cup.

Reminder

KSLSports.com in collaboration with Real Salt Lake has launched a new podcast, The RSL Lion’s Den. It is the official Real Salt Lake podcast for all your club news and updates. Tom Hackett, Spencer Warne and RSL’s Director of PR, Matt Gaschk break down the games and discuss important club matters.

To listen to The Lion’s Den, click here. It is available on iTunes, Google Play or wherever podcasts are found. Don’t forget to rate and subscribe!

Head coach Mike Petke and TV analyst Brian Dunseth have launched a new podcast titled “Off The Chest”. The duo discuss all matters of the world game in a entertaining and informative podcast that will be sure to make you laugh.