Real Salt Lake went 2-0-1 in the Atlantic Cup. Let’s look at how they did overall.
Real Salt Lake has wrapped up The Atlantic Cup, and came out with a winning record. Two 2-1 wins against Randers and Brondby IF, no draws, and one loss to fellow MLS side FC Dallas. The Randers match, of course, was just a friendly, and did not count towards the tournament standings, and with the Brondby win and FC Dallas loss, RSL finished with three points, and is eliminated from contention for The Atlantic Cup.
RSL looked solid in their first two matches, winning each 2-1. RSL showed dominant attacking power, but the defense was not quite fully there. Then again, it is a preseason tournament with quite a few new faces, so this was to be expected. This is still a learning period for this team, especially those who were called up from the Monarchs. Grace should be given to these players, especially since they may not be entirely match fit. But with every match and competition, there is some good and some bad to looked at.
The biggest positive takeaway was that the attack was creating chances. RSL had a few great chances in the match against Randers. Although they only scored two goals, they had several chances, including a goal disallowed for offside. Against Brondby, RSL had a couple easy chances wasted, one a ball in for a tap-in with no runners, and the other was an unlucky shot off the post in a one-on-one. Against Dallas, RSL had a strong first half and a terrible second half. The match was scoreless before RSL gave the ball away in a bad spot, and went down 1-0. Later, RSL conceded again, sealing the defeat.
Goalkeeper Rafael Cabral was solid against Randers, making a few big stops. However, bad pass on a close out gifted Brondby an easy goal. Backup goalkeepers Mason Stajduhar and Max Kerkvliet shined as well, but showed their youth. RSL has a lot of good to take away from this match, and there is plenty for Head Coach Pablo Mastroeni to be proud of. RSL will look to keep the attack hot and tighten up the defense. It is RSL’s season to lose, and they have control of their own destiny.
Real Salt Lake will be back in action on Friday, February 6th against Orange County SC. Time and TV are pending.
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