3 POINTS: Savarino's late goal punctuates, but doesn't fully erase, ugly tie in San Jose
3 POINTS: Savarino's late goal punctuates, but doesn't fully erase, ugly tie in San Jose
A point on the road is a success in Major League Soccer, but RSL's 2-2 draw at San Jose had plenty of reasons not to cheer — despite Jefferson Savarino's late equalizer.
Hello, and thank you for spending part of your day with 3 Points, the official post-match newsletter of the Salt City FC podcast. RSL was on the road against the San Jose Earthquakes this week, meaning no games at home — and therefore a slight change to our routine.
So you might be reading this in your email inbox on Sunday morning, like you are used to doing; if so, that’s great! And we hope you continue to reap the benefits of subscription, or maybe even share a subscription with your friends and family who are also RSL fans.
But we are also posting this online at Substack following the game, so you can read it there or in the Substack app in the hours after a frustrating 2-2 draw with the Earthquakes.
Do you prefer one schedule or the other? Let us know in the comments; we’re trying to figure out what schedule works best for the most readers.
Now, on to the post-match.
Jefferson Savarino scored on the brink of the final whistle to help Real Salt Lake steal a point from a road trip to the Bay Area with a 2-2 draw with the San Jose Earthquakes at PayPal Park.
It was even worth the yellow card for ripping off his jersey in celebration in the final minute of stoppage time.
“I don’t know about you guys, but I’m exhausted,” said RSL midfielder Justin Meram, who assisted on Savarino’s late equalizer. “It’s always tough in this league to go on the road; San Jose is really good at home.
“We shot ourselves in the foot twice tonight. I’m just proud of the group to be resilient, to always fight back. We didn’t quit. We were exhausted, we were fighting … Anderson got in the middle, played it out wide, and I just tried to create a little bit of magic to put it in the box. Sava put it away.
“Not the prettiest, but roll your sleeves up and get a point on the road; you can’t ask for much more than that,” he added.
Cristian Espinoza’s conversion was the first penalty scored by San Jose in 39 meetings all-time with Real Salt Lake in MLS play (not counting two scored during the MLS is Back tournament), according to Opta.
But Jasper Loffelsend drew the match level less than 10 minutes later, finishing off a nifty piece of inter-defender ball play by Andrew Brody before slotting home a right-footed shot in the 21st minute to pull the match back even, 1-1.
“I think this game really set us up for counter-attacking,” RSL coach Pablo Mastroeni said. “Jasper’s greatest attribute is his physical prowess, his ability to cover a lot of ground, and his changing speed. He’s an incredible competitor, and I thought he combined really well with Brody.
“A lot of quality and a lot of calm in a very difficult moment to even out the score.”
RSL held just 26.9% of possession against San Jose’s disruptive midfield force in the first half, including passing at a 68.8% clip. But the two sides stayed level through the break with a goal apiece, as RSL put three of its four shots on target compared to just two of eight for the Earthquakes.
Still, Salt Lake had a chance to lead in the early moments of the second half — including a one-on-one attempt from Sergio Cordova that beat the goalkeeper but couldn’t get past Nathan, who made a goal-line clearance on his back to keep the match level.
That set up Ebobisse’s go-ahead goal, finishing off a fantastic through-ball from Espinoza that gave the Quakes a 2-1 lead in the 62nd minute. And the hosts were ready to cinch up all three points at home.
That is, until Savarino scored his fifth goal since re-joining the club in the fifth minute of stoppage time, smashing home the equalizer with virtually the last touch of the match to give RSL a smash-and-grab 2-2 road draw.
“The subs that came in really made a big difference and really pushed the game,” Mastroeni said. “Overall, the mentality of the group was fantastic. It’s not easy to go into extra time to find a result. But if there’s one thing about this group: fantastic mentality.”
Ugly road result, but a road result
A point is a point, especially on the road, and any MLS team will take it any time — especially RSL, which rose to fifth in the West with 34 points, just one point behind third as 8-9 teams jockey for two home playoff bids behind LAFC and Austin FC. That needs to be said, and repeated, and reiterated, because it is — after all — still significantly better than a loss.
But there was something unsatisfying about the result, for fans and players, alike. And that’s OK, too.
“Great goal for Sava. Love that for him,” tweeted one fan. “But his late goal doesn't cover up the massive issues we saw throughout this game. RSL should have won this and won it comfortably.”
Added another: “Neat ending, preventable dropping of points.”
So it’s important — but don’t doubt, Saturday’s match was U-G-L-Y.
RSL controlled just 37.8% of possession, gave up 14 shots, and passed at an abysmal 74.3% with, as color analyst Brian Dunseth said during the broadcast, “way too many turnovers.”
Fortunately for Salt Lake, San Jose’s performance wasn’t all-too-pretty either. The Quakes controlled the tempo of the game, but put just four of its 14 shots on frame — including both goals — while passing around 498 passes to RSL’s 296.
“The thought is, you have a performance at home where you have a lot of the ball. And you go away on the road, and they did a really good job of throwing numbers forward,” Mastroeni said. “But I still thought we did a good job of not giving up any real, clear chances. The ability to do that as we progress in the season is so important. We’re going into difficult places to play, and you’re going to see pressure … I thought the guys that came in the second half really changed the game. You’re chasing, so you’re going to take more risks. But that mentality to start the game is more of what we’re looking for.”
What’s up with Sergio?
Cordova’s second-half miss will be roundly criticized among RSL’s fanbase, or at least #RSLTwitter, and probably for good reason. No one is taking that muffed opportunity more harshly than the Venezuelan on loan from FC Augsburg.
But while goal scoring is the most important element for a striker, it also only tells part of the story, Mastroeni said. The 24 year old from Calabozo, who played 75 minutes, had just one shot and one shot on target, according to MLS’s official stats. He completed 66.7% of his passes, won 11 duels, and conceded two fouls while suffering one.
“I think in that moment, there’s a bit of indecision on his finish,” Mastroeni said. “What role do I play in that? It’s always a tricky one; you’re balancing out bringing it up, versus letting him fight through it. What I’ve been saying this week in training, is I want him to take seven shots — and if you miss all seven, then take eight. The only thing that changes your mind as a player is hitting the back of the net.
“He’s doing a lot of good things away from the ball, but at the end of the day, what matters most is if he hits the back of the net.”
At the very least, Cordova was subbed off late in favor of Rubio Rubin — and even Mastroeni admitted after the match that each sub did exactly what the team needed to earn this road result.
Is that a hint that Rubin could be in line for more minutes, maybe even starters’ minutes, in place of Cordova? We’ll wait and see. There’s reason to doubt that assumption — and Mastroeni will likely give Cordova every opportunity to maintain his spot.
But Rubin could be working his way back into full form, and given opportunity, as well. Will he make the most of it?
Savarino Magic
Saturday’s match continued two trends that are becoming increasingly common for Real Salt Lake in 2022: scoring goals from non-striker positions, and late magic by Venezuelan designated player Jefferson Savarino.
Neither one is necessarily a bad thing, but first, a quick note on the first: Loffelsend scored his first career goal since being drafted in the 2022 MLS SuperDraft out of Pitt. A natural right back for the Panthers and two-time Hermann Trophy semifinalist from Cologne, Germany, Loffelsend has played almost exclusively in central midfield, totaling 1,069 minutes in 20 matches with 11 starts (and now, one goal).
It’s a heavy load, he admits, especially for a rookie who has been playing almost nonstop for close to 18 months (college seasons run August to November, with mid-summer training followed by the MLS Combine in December, then preseason and the regular season starting in early spring).
Still, getting that first career goal was a relief for Loffelsend — even if it wasn’t all pretty by the reformed fullback.
“I’m not a natural goal scorer; I was always the guy giving assists,” he said halfheartedly. “But when I went in on goal, I saw the goalie coming out and I knew if I kept it on frame and kept it out of his reach, then it would be a goal. I was a little bit scared when it came off my foot … but I’m very happy in the end.”
As for Savarino, the 25-year-old Maracucho has been everything the team wanted — and then some — in his return to the Wasatch Front from Atletico Mineiro, where he won just about every trophy imaginable.
That included saving RSL’s bacon with a brilliant rip with the final touch of the match, set up by Justin Meram’s savvy and a never-say-die attitude inside Major League Soccer’s original home of the Goonies. Take that, Steven Lenhart.
“We didn’t deserve to lose; we fought really hard,” Savarino said in Spanish. “And we pulled out the tie in the end.”
The moment, combined with the thrill of a semi-victory — a point on the road is that, at least — led Savarino to changing up his goal-scoring celebration from his usual hands-to-the-sky, all-glory-to-God moment to simply ripping off his shirt in a yellow card-laden exultation.
It was a frustrating game, but worth it — along with the card — in the end.
“More than anything, I was frustrated by the game,” Savarino said. “To finally get the equalizer, that frustration came out. It was an incredible moment for the team.
“My goal is always to dedicate everything to God in every moment, and that’s why I celebrate how I usually do. For Him, I dedicate everything.”