Real Salt Lake Ties Sporting Kansas City In First Leg Of Playoff Series

SANDY, Utah – Real Salt Lake permitted what could be a crucial road goal by Sporting Kansas City in a 1-1 tie in the first leg of the Western Conference semi-finals.

Nick Rimando made several huge first half stops to keep Sporting KC off the scoreboard in the first half. RSL managed just one shot on frame in a first half that head coach Mike Petke called slow for both teams.

Rusnak Out For Second Leg, Scores Goal In First

RSL took a big hit when midfielder Albert Rusnak was given a yellow card in the 27^th minute. Because he also had a yellow card in the game against LAFC, he has been ruled ineligible for the second leg against Kansas City.

While he won’t be a factor in the second leg, Rusnak made his mark in the game on Sunday. In the 52^nd minute he and Damir Kreilach played a little give and go together that finished with a powerful shot by Rusnak to find the back of the net.

ALBERT WITH THE 🚀 pic.twitter.com/RkZlJTDfJR

— Real Salt Lake (@realsaltlake) November 5, 2018

Rimando Bested Once, But Plays Solid Game

Unfortunately for RSL, Diego Rubio was subbed in in the 60^th minute. Less than a minute later he gave Sporting KC an important road goal when he bested Rimando on a shot outside the box.

Rimando made two incredible saves in a row to maintain the tie in the 74^th minute. In total Rimando made four saves in the tied decision.

Next Up

To advance to the next round of the playoffs, RSL will have to win or score two goals in a tie in the second leg.

In what’s become a major rivalry over the years, RSL is expecting a big time playoff atmosphere when they travel to Kansas City for the second leg.

“Kansas City has always had great fans,” defender Brooks Lennon told KSL’s Spencer Linton. “We’re going in there with a 1-1 result so we have to go in there with a positive attitude and try to pick up some points.”

The second leg contest against Sporting Kansas City will kick off on Nov. 11 at 1 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.