Real Salt Lake 1 at Municipal 0
August 4, 2015; Estadio Mateo Flores
CONCACAF Champions League Group G
Real Salt Lake (1-0-0, 3 points); Municipal (0-1-0, 0 points)
Man of the Match: Nick Rimando made three huge saves to preserve the 1-0 lead that Joao Plata earned just two minutes into the match. Coming off of a lengthy stretch without a competitive match outside of 45 minutes in the the AT&T MLS All-Star Game, Rimando didn’t miss a beat in keeping his Champions League shutout streak alive. His two biggest saves came against former MLS star Carlos Ruiz – one on a first-half free kick and the other on a second-half shot from the doorstep of equalizing.
Telling Stat: 436. That’s how many consecutive shutout minutes Rimando has posted in Champions League play. His streak dates back to the club’s first Group Stage match of the 2012-13 tournament when RSL fell 1-0 to Herediano of Costa Rica.
What You Missed: If you weren’t there watching from kickoff, you may have missed Plata scoring a second-minute goal for the second consecutive match. RSL couldn’t hang on when he did it against D.C. United on Saturday, but a solid defensive effort gave Salt Lake the win on Tuesday.
So What: Opening the tournament with three points on the road was nothing short of huge for Real Salt Lake. With the first two matches of the Group Stage coming on the road, RSL can make the home legs easier for themselves if they can go into them with four or even six points. Getting the win in the first one takes a lot of pressure off for the next match in El Salvador next month, but also gave players a taste of what the tournament feels like.
