New-look attack shut out in Real Salt Lake's 2-0 loss to last-place San Jose

The Earthquakes held RSL debutantes Diogo Gonçalves and Lachlan Brook scoreless in shutting out the No. 3 team in the West at home.

Saturday was supposed to be the debut of Real Salt Lake’s new designated player Diogo Gonçalves, and perhaps evidence that the club had arrived.

San Jose had other ideas.

Cristian Espinoza scored early, and the last-place Earthquakes took a surprising 2-0 win at America First Field in Sandy, Utah.

“Obviously, it’s not the result we wanted. That’s football,” said RSL winger Lachlan Brook, one of three debutantes on the evening. “The tempo was quick; that’s probably the main thing. Tonight was an individual thing for me, trying to get fit again. This was my first game in three months, so that’s a personal thing for me as I’m trying to learn the system and stuff. That’s going to take a bit of time.”

But it was Espinoza who gave the visitors an early lead, ripping a shot that caromed off Zac MacMath’s goalkeeper gloves to give the Earthquakes a 1-0 advantage in the 20th minute.

Amahl Pellegrino doubled the advantage in the 33rd minute with a right-footed shot off a rebound in front of goal that put San Jose up, 2-0.

On the first goal, RSL manager Pablo Mastroeni didn’t have much to say. But the second was different.

“That’s two games in a row we’re conceding goals on wide free kicks,” he said. “We’ll look to make some adjustments there.

“But I think it’s two sides of the coin: We looked like a team that hasn’t played in a few weeks. We gave away a lot of cheap balls early. And what that does to the psyche of the individual and the group, is that it doesn’t allow us to re-press. Obviously, they got momentum after the goals. But the story of the game is we weren’t sharp with the ball, and more importantly after conceding the first goal, is trying to force it instead of just finding the next pass to build confidence and get into the attack … That’s what it looked like to me, and that’s what it felt on the sidelines. I think the score reflected that.”

With frustration visibly mounted on several faces across the home side, Anderson Julio — who was celebrating his 100th appearance in MLS play — replaced Chicho Arango just 42 minutes into the match.

Three new RSL players made their debuts in Gonçalves, Brook and Javain Brown — becoming the ninth, 10th and 11th debutantes this season for the Salt Lake side.

But none could find an answer as RSL fell to the last-place team in MLS’s Western Conference after out-shooting the Quakes 17-15 but putting just four shots on target.