Real Salt Lake was gifted an early goal and never looked back.
Real Salt Lake finally got a win. It was much needed. It started quickly, and RSL was on the front foot for the majority of the match. Seattle made several errors and gave the ball away too many times. RSL was able to punish the Sounders, extending their home dominance against Seattle, the Washington side last beating RSL in Utah in 2011.
Things got off to a fast start when Seattle won an early corner. Seattle thought they had the opening goal, but RSL had nobody by the goal, resulting in the goal being disallowed for offside. Shorty after, an Alex Katranis cross was tapped into the Seattle net by Nouhou Tolo, an own goal that was caused by communication issues and Nouhou not seeing the ball. RSL would take control of the match, generating several chances. Despite the pressure, the halftime score was 1-0.
Seattle would make a pair of changes at halftime and start generating chances. RSL goalkeeper Rafael Cabral stayed strong and made several big saves to keep the clean sheet and the lead. RSL would take back control of the match and create more chances.
Seattle would make attacking changes but could not gain any momentum. Seattle would have another goal disallowed and lost a chance to equalize. RSL would find a free-running Forster Ajago, who would have a one-on-one with stranded Sounders goalkeeper Stefan Frei and made no mistake, slotting the ball in at the near post to put RSL up 2-0.
Seattle would try to get one back, but RSL’s defense held firm. Cabral would make a few key saves, and the backline made it so hard for Seattle to find anything. Seattle missed the target on great chances and could not break through. Seattle has not scored a goal in Utah since 2020, and it’s no surprise, given the strength of the RSL defense and home-field advantage.
Three takeaways from RSL’s win against Seattle:
- The attack has finally clicked: Real Salt Lake finally managed to score goals. RSL did score against Herediano, but they lost that game. The difference this week was two goals. RSL was good at attacking, and four shots on target.
- The goalkeeper battle is decided: Rafael Cabral was a beast in goal. He made three key saves and organized a few key plays. Cabral looks to have locked in the starting job.
- Strength in numbers: Real Salt Lake had numbers today. In attack and defense. These numbers suffocated the Seattle attack and created strong numbers in the attack, leading to two goals.
Overall, it was a solid performance from the Claret and Cobalt. They punished Sounder’s mistakes, the offside trap kept Seattle scoreless, and the own goal was a defining moment. RSL will look to keep the momentum going and put together some more wins.
Real Salt Lake will be back in action at home against San Diego FC on Saturday, March 8th, at 7:30 pm MT. The game will be streamed on MLS Season Pass.
