Real Salt Lake falls behind Minnesota United after penalty shootout loss in playoff opener
Zac MacMath made seven saves, but Minnesota United took Game 1 of its best-of-three MLS Cup Playoff series with Real Salt Lake via penalty shootout, 5-4 Tuesday night in Sandy, Utah.
Zac MacMath had one of his best games of the year, but it was all for disappointment in Real Salt Lake’s playoff opener.
MacMath made seven saves, but Minnesota United took Game 1 of its best-of-three MLS Cup Playoff series with Salt Lake via penalty shootout, 5-4 Tuesday night in Sandy, Utah.
Chicho Arango, Diogo Goncalves, Anderson Julio and Emeka Eneli each buried a penalty during the shootout for Salt Lake, which must win Saturday to force a winner-take-all Game 3 next Friday in Sandy, Utah.
Impossible? Hardly. But the higher-seeded Salt Lake side is up against it.
“I think we’re a good road team. I think we’re a good home team,” RSL manager Pablo Mastroeni said. “It’s not anything as dramatic as, you’ve got to finish your chances — whether you’re home or away.”
MacMath came up clutch in the 72nd minute, stopping a breakaway led by Tani Oluwaseyi to preserve the scoreless draw.
Moments after Will Trapp’s cynical sliding tackle earned the Loons a yellow card, MacMath was was back with consecutive saves on Yeboah and Oluwaseyi in the 83rd minute to keep the zero.
“Zac played like the Zac I know,” Mastroeni said of MacMath. “He kept us in the game man; he stood on his head back there for us. That’s what’s disappointing.
“You have such a fantastic performance to keep it zeroes. And we need to make plays, man. You can’t tactic your way into the back of the net … You’ve got to make plays. We haven’t been getting there.”
MacMath’s 2024 season is probably best described as “up and down,” with some focusing more on the downs and others the ups.
But in this moment, when RSL needed a big performance, the 33-year-old net minder stepped up in a big way.
Forget what you felt about MacMath before Tuesday night. Game 1 does not fall on his shoulders.
“It’s been tough,” Mastroeni explained. “We call it ‘real talk’ in the locker room, and explaining that there are so many factors that go into decision making. We have a really talented young goalkeeper in Gavin, and wanted to give him some reps. But I’ve taken (MacMath) out to dinner, and explained it all to him, to connect with him as a human being … I let him know that even being out for a couple of games, he had to be ready. And I can’t speak highly enough about how he came in there and stood on his head tonight.
“He’s a very talented goalkeeper, and I think tonight he showed his class.”
Minnesota out-shot the hosts 12-10, with both teams relatively even in shots on target with six and seven for Real Salt Lake.
But with no goal nor clear winner, a penalty shootout immediately commenced where Yeboah, Trapp, Sang-bin, Oluwatimikhin and Diaz each converted a penalty for the Loons, who will host RSL on Saturday night at Allianz Field in St. Paul, Minnesota.
RSL is scheduled to bring back Brayan Vera, the Colombian center back who has missed the past three matches due to league suspension.
“You can talk about the execution. But the effort was fantastic,” Mastroeni said. “On any other night, we put away those chances and it’s a different game.”