Real Salt Lake conceded two goals in the first fifteen minutes, and never recovered.
Real Salt Lake had a rough match tonight. The defense was in shambles, and the attack couldn’t really get anything going. RSL looked out of it from the start, and while there was hope near the end, it was quickly diminished on a counterattack. RSL fell behind early and never really looked in it. Son Heung-Min was dominant, scoring three goals and getting a few more shots off.
RSL started fast, with a Diego Luna chance in the first minute that went just wide. LAFC would take advantage of RSL’s disorganization in defense with a through ball that found Son in space, and he did not miss. RSL found themselves trailing 1-0 in the second minute. In the fifteenth minute, Son was found with another through ball and made it 2-0, a score that would last through most of the second half.
Late in the second half, RSL would draw a penalty kick. Rowan Cruz would make LAFC goalkeeper Hugo Louris dive the wrong way, but hit the post. RSL would fight and fight and eventually scored in the 76th minute on an acrobatic Zavier Gozo strike. The hope wouldn’t last long, as in the 82nd minute, Denis Bouanga would find himself in space. Instead of scoring himself, he laid it off to Son to complete the hat trick. Bouanga would score in the 88th minute, and RSL would see Victor Olitungi sent off in the 93rd minute. RSL fell 4-1.
Three takeaways from RSL’s loss to Los Angeles Football Club
- RSL has limited attacking capabilities: Real Salt Lake’s attack struggled, and there were only a few good moments in this match. RSL missed a penalty, and that has been an issue this year. RSL will need to figure out how to get real attacks going.
- RSL’s defense isn’t great: Real Salt Lake needs to tighten up the defense. This has become a big issue, and it was way too easy for LAFC to counter and score. RSL needs to get this figured out, and fast.
- RSL is not ready for the playoffs: Real Salt Lake played poorly. This is the level of competition that RSL will be meeting in the postseason if they make it there. RSL needs to fix several issues and get back on track.
Real Salt Lake was not in it today. Sloppy passing, poor marking, and a stagnant offense killed RSL from the start, and while there were a couple of bright spots, it was a rough game. RSL has LAFC again on Sunday, and it will be a rough one in California if they play like this again. Still, there is hope, and this team is young. There is light at the end of the tunnel, and one day it will all make sense.
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