For another example of just how #drunj MLS can get, we point you to Sandy, Utah, on a Saturday evening following the 21st night of September.
Aidan Hezarkhani scored less than three minutes into the match, and Sergi Solans notched a brace as Real Salt Lake snapped a 13-match winless skid in MLS play with a 3-0 win over the surging New England Revolution at America First Field.
Reeling just three days after a third consecutive shutout Wednesday in Seattle — and with an unavailable list longer than a CVS receipt — RSL (9-5-13, 27 points) put in arguably it’s most complete performance in MLS play since the FIFA men’s World Cup in July to upend a club-record winless skid.
And they did so emphatically.
“It’s moments like this that make you realize how difficult it is to win in this league … and the type of perseverance and grit it takes to win,” RSL manager Pablo Mastroeni said. “It was a lot of guys working out there, and doing some dog work.
“We’ve been through it, man,” he added. “Now hopefully we can look at this game, and build upon it as we move forward.”
Hezarkhani snapped RSL’s shutout streak at 287 minutes, finishing off a rebound just before the end of the second minute to give the home side the early advantage.
After Dominik Marczuk took a pass from Morgan Guilavogui across the face of goal, the Polish international’s shot was blocked — and fell right to the feet of the Salt Lake homegrown, who wasted no time efforting the rebound from a tight angle with his left foot inside the far post.
New England, which won four of its last five in MLS play, out-shot Salt Lake 6-5 with 62% of possession. But RSL put three shots on target to the Revs’ two and took a 1-0 lead into halftime.
But lack of possession aside, RSL didn’t slow down.
Solans doubled the advantage in the 62nd minute, taking a pass in traffic from Noel Caliskan before finishing through New England goalkeeper Matt Turner for his first goal since Aug. 19.
He didn’t wait nearly as long to score again.
The rookie striker bagged his brace in the 80th minute, finishing a left-footed shot in front of goal from Morgan Guilavogui to stretch the hosts’ lead to 3-0.
With the brace, Solans became the sixth MLS SuperDraft pick in league history to score at least 10 goals in his first full season out of college, with 15 across all competitions. The former UCLA and Oregon State standout from Lleida, Spain, was selected by RSL with the No. 30 overall pick in the 2025 SuperDraft.
The 23-year-old agreed to a lengthy extension with RSL in August, keeping him under contract with Salt Lake through the 2029-30 MLS season with a club option for 2030-31.
New England out-shot Salt Lake 16-9 — but put just four shots on target that goalkeeper Rafael Cabral parried to secure the club’s first clean sheet in MLS play since May 13 against Houston.
Watch RSL manager Pablo Mastroeni’s post-match press conference in the video below:
