Real Salt Lake is about to have (several very good) problems after club-record 6th road win
Real Salt Lake is about to have (several very good) problems after club-record 6th road win
Anderson Julio's stoppage-time goal gave RSL a 1-0 win to extend its 10-game road unbeaten streak across all competitions.
The result probably wasn’t in doubt, but perhaps it wasn’t the result Real Salt Lake wanted based off its recent road form against the one of the worst teams in the Eastern Conference that had just fired its head coach.
RSL out-shot the Reds 20-12, limited TFC to just two shots on target — and had nothing to show for it as the two sides were both scoreless after 90 minutes. The club known for its lack of finishing — and welcoming $6 million striker Chicho Arango to full eligibility next week — was once again showing a lack of finishing, with 2.5 expected goals translating into a goose egg in the scoring column.
Until Anderson Julio made magic happen.
The Ecuadorian substitute put back Bertin Jacquesson’s saved shot after two minutes of stoppage time, scoring his first goal since April 8 to lift Salt Lake to a 1-0 win at Toronto FC.
Goonies never say die? Maybe in Salt Lake City.
A week after Justen Glad’s stoppage-time equalizer salvaged a point via 2-2 draw with Minnesota United, RSL (8-7-6, 30 points) earned an even bigger result with its club-record sixth away victory in 2023.
The win also extended Salt Lake’s active unbeaten run to 10 games across all competitions.
Suddenly, points on the road aren’t just hoped. They’re expected.
"Going on the road and getting a point is always good. But getting 3 points is just fantastic," said RSL defender Emeka Eneli, who started at right back and also played defensive midfield in the second half en route to an 88% passing game with seven duels won.
“The vibes in the locker room after wards are just great. I think we’ve been fantastic on the road, and if we continue with the same mentality, I’m excited for the group.”
A club that once found itself floundering near the bottom of the Western Conference has been on a roll. While its home form has been anything-but perfect, RSL has more than made up for it with road success.
Salt Lake shot up as high as No. 3 in the Western Conference following its match, eventually settling in fourth place after Seattle’s 1-0 win over Houston. Perhaps more stunning, RSL its just 5 points behind West-leading St. Louis City SC — a feat that would’ve seemed impossible after a 4-0 Rout at the RioT back on March 25.
That was in the middle of five losses in six matches, a run that had fans calling for heads to roll.
But RSL stayed the course. General manager Elliot Fall brought back former MLS Newcomer of the Year and MLS Cup champion Chicho Arango from Liga MX on a Designated Player contract, then traveled to Colombia to escort center midfielder Nelson Palacio back to Salt Lake City on a U22 initiative deal.
Both players will be available for selection next Saturday, July 8 against Orlando City SC. Arango, at least, is expected to start.
But does that leave RSL in a predicament? Suddenly, the club’s fortunes are changing. Once left among the league’s dross, Real Salt Lake’s six-match unbeaten run in league play is tied for second in the league (New England, 7).
What’s more, the club is one of four semifinalists for the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup — and that all before Arango has played a formal match.
Is head coach Pablo Mastroeni worried about disrupting the momentum of a team that has found all of it — even for a 35-goal scorer in the last three years like Arango?
It’s a silly question. But perhaps a well-deserved one.
If nothing else, it simply leaves Mastroeni with some difficult decisions — the kind of difficult decisions that any manager in the world would like to have, like who to start and whose form to trust on a given day?
“They’re very tough decisions,” Mastroeni admitted. “I think the hardest thing for me as a manager is sitting with the guys individually and talking through my decisions. I think being upfront and transparent is so critical to a player’s psyche, and obviously with a couple of extra players coming in — Andrés Gómez will be joining the group next week, too — they’re terrible conversations. They’re not easy.
“But as I’ve said to the guys, I’m always charged with making the best decisions for the group. Sometimes you’re in, and sometimes you’re not. That’s what a team feels like. Chicho’s a guy we’ve been looking at for quite some time, and I think he’ll bring his own flavor. He’s a killer in front of goal. And Nelson is a guy who, with Jasper (Loffelsend) and Braian (Ojeda), will create a wonderful, competitive environment.
“Often times, people believe that, because you have a coach, you’re going to grow exponentially. But the greatest teacher are players with certain qualities that you may or may not have at the moment, and you’re always striving for them. Since Chicho’s been with the group, everyone has this aura of confidence, knowing that we have a fantastic player on the front line. And for Nelson, it’s really managing his minutes coming off a championship in Colombia. It’s really important for me, as far as the health of the team, to make sure that I don’t disregard the work that’s gone in to this point. How we bring this guys in will be more art than science, but they are great guys who can help us achieve what we want — to raise trophies and to become a better version of ourselves every day.”