Real Salt Lake Escapes With Draw Against West Leading LAFC
Jul 17, 2024, 10:54 PM | Updated: Jul 18, 2024, 11:46 am
LOS ANGELES, California – It wasn’t without some intense moments, but Real Salt Lake stole a road point from LAFC in the 1-1 draw.
RSL (12-4-8, 44 points) traveled to southern California for a date with western conference leader LAFC (13-5-5, 44 points) on Wednesday, July 17.
Leaving LA with +1#LAFCvsRSL | @SelectHealth pic.twitter.com/q7tDU7DerX
— Real Salt Lake (@realsaltlake) July 18, 2024
Brayan Vera scored his second goal of the year for RSL in the 33rd minute.
Christian Olivera scored LAFC’s only goal in the fifth minute.
First Half
LAFC put Real Salt Lake on its heels with an early goal. Zac MacMath misplayed a ball, leading to Cristian Olivera immediately beating the RSL keeper to give his team a 1-0 lead in the fifth minute.
An unfortunate mistake from Zac MacMath allows @LAFC to take an early 1-0 lead against @realsaltlake #RSL | @kslsports https://t.co/ugHF1aqQgL
— RSL Show on KSL 🎙️⚡️ (@rslshow) July 18, 2024
Minutes later, Diego Luna picked up a yellow card after a late challenge was deemed dangerous.
MacMath was nearly caught out of position in the 16th minute after coming out of the box to play a ball. As MacMath scrambled back to the goal, Mateusz Bogusz lifted a shot that MacMath punched over the crossbar for a corner.
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An injury to Timothy Tillman forced LAFC to use their first sub in the 17th minute. Kei Kamara entered for Tillman.
MacMath atoned for his earlier mistake when Dénis Bouanga made a deep run but was stoned near the top of the six by the fifth-year keeper.
Brayan Vera put RSL on the scoreboard in the 33rd minute after a foul set him up in a great position with a free kick. Vera’s ball was deflected slightly and stayed inside the right post to even the match at 1-1.
RELATED: Brayan Vera Scores Real Salt Lake Equalizer Late In First Half
Vera sneaks a GOLAZO past the LAFC defense and we are tied 1-1.#RSL | @kslsports pic.twitter.com/cM69BeMLz6
— RSL Show on KSL 🎙️⚡️ (@rslshow) July 18, 2024
The score remained tied at one into the second half.
Second Half
RSL putting pressure on the LAFC defense with three quick shots to open the half but couldn’t take the lead.
Another Real free kick, this time just outside the 18-yard box, was blasted just over the crossbar in the 62nd minute to keep the match even.
Alexandro Katranis received a yellow in the 66th minute.
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Minutes later, MacMath knocked down a free kick from Omar Campos.
Bouanga found Bogusz in the box on a run in the 78th minute, but Bogusz couldn’t keep the shot on frame, booting it over the crossbar instead.
Real Salt Lake had a series of scoring chances in the final minutes of regulation. Despite an excellent opportunity, they couldn’t find an accurate attempt.
90 +2' | J Glad takes the pitch
1-1 | @SJ_Utah pic.twitter.com/y2bYP8o7lI
— Real Salt Lake (@realsaltlake) July 18, 2024
The match ended in a 1-1 draw.
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Real Salt Lake heads to Commerce City, Colorado, for a Rocky Mountain rivalry with the Colorado Rapids. The match kicks off at 7:30 p.m. MT on Saturday, July 20, at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. So far, these franchises have split the season series, with Colorado winning 2-1 in early March and the Claret & Cobalt returning the favor with a 5-3 win in May.
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