Real Salt Lake Gets Ball Rolling Again In Win Over Houston Dynamo FC
Jul 3, 2024, 9:39 PM | Updated: Jul 5, 2024, 12:46 pm
SALT LAKE CITY – Real Salt Lake got back in the win column with a big 3-2 victory over the Houston Dynamo FC at home on Wednesday.
After dropping its last match to the Galaxy and then having 10 days off, RSL had fallen to third in the West standings.
With the win, Real entered a three-way tie for first with LAFC and the LA Galaxy.
Down goes the Dynamo 🧨#RSLVHOU | @SelectHealth pic.twitter.com/YWukWo2Szh
— Real Salt Lake (@realsaltlake) July 4, 2024
RSL Grabs Win Over West Rival Houston Dynamo
Coming off 10 days of rest, Real Salt Lake came out strong and looked to have the early advantage.
The pressure that RSL was applying quickly worked against them as Houston put together a counterattack in the 8th minute.
Running off on the break, Sebastian Kowalczyk found Ibrahim Aliyu who put his shot past the outstretched arms of Zac MacMath and into the right side of the goal.
Houston strikes first.#RSLvHOU #RSL #RSLonKSL @rslshow
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) July 4, 2024
Real was without two key backline members in Justen Glad and Brayan Vera against the Dynamo.
Their absence was felt whenever Houston pushed into Real’s defensive third.
But, when RSL is on the attack, you always have to be ready. Houston goalkeeper Steve Clark learned that lesson the hard way.
In the 22nd minute, Bode Hidalgo gave Andres Gomez a header pass inside the box. It was a bit out of reach for Gomez but he still committed to the play.
He raced to the ball and was able to sneak a shot past Clark to tie the score at 1-1.
RELATED: Andres Gomez Shows Off Speed, Scores Equalizer Against Houston Dynamo FC
GOMEZ FINDS THE EQUALIZER 💥#RSLvHOU #RSL #RSLonKSL @rslshow
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) July 4, 2024
The next 20 minutes were relatively quiet for both sides.
In the 43rd minute, Diego Luna gave the America First Field some fireworks a day early.
Matt Crooks found Luna on the left side of the field and he took it back toward the middle with eyes on the lead.
After evading the closest defender, Luna loaded up from the top of the box and sent a rocket past Clark and into the back of the net.
RELATED: Diego Luna Gives Real Salt Lake Lead With Heater From Top Of Box
WHAT A BANGER FROM LUNA 🌙#RSLvHOU #RSL #RSLonKSL @rslshow
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) July 4, 2024
RSL took the 2-1 lead into the halftime break.
Despite having momentum on their side, it didn’t take long for Real Salt Lake to let one through in the second half.
Héctor Herrera put a shot on goal from long range. MacMath and Andrew Brody got tangled up in the box and the ball bounced through them and over the line.
Emeka Eneli and Hidalgo both got looks at goal in the next 10 minutes. But, it wasn’t until the 67th minute that RSL broke through once again.
Braian Ojeda was the last to touch the ball on a great team attack from Real Salt Lake. Ojeda took his time and buried the shot into the bottom right corner for his first MLS goal.
RELATED: Braian Ojeda Scores First MLS Goal To Put Real Salt Lake In Front
Ojeda scored his first MLS goal at the perfect time!#RSLvHOU #RSL #RSLonKSL @rslshow
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) July 4, 2024
Ojeda’s goal put Houston on the clock for another equalizer.
One of the Dynamo’s biggest problems this season has been the lack of a No. 1 goal scorer. This wasn’t felt more than it was down the stretch.
RSL played extremely solid defense which left the Dynamo in search of a creative goal.
Houston was able to generate a few decent looks but ultimately fell short as the four minutes of stoppage time came to an end.
How To Watch Real Salt Lake
All Major League Soccer games are broadcasted on Apple TV with MLS Season Pass.
All Real Salt Lake English-language radio coverage for the 2024 season and beyond will be carried on various KSL radio signals. KSL Sports Zone (97.5 FM/1280 AM) and KSL Newsradio (102.7 FM / 1160 AM) are both stations under the Bonneville International umbrella.
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Chandler Holt is a co-host of the Jazz Notes podcast, a Locals In The NFL Insider, and Digital Sports Producer for KSLSports.com. Follow Chandler on Twitter @ChandlerHoltKSL or on Threads @chandlerho1t.
