Real Salt Lake 1 vs San Jose Earthquakes 1
July 22, 2016; Sandy, Utah; Rio Tinto Stadium
Real Salt Lake (8-6-7, 31 points); San Jose Earthquakes (6-6-8, 26 points)
Man of the Match: Midfielder Luke Mulholland was an instigator both offensively and defensively while earning himself a beautiful volley goal from a clever Javier Morales assist. The goal sent 19,842 RSL faithful into delirium and spurred what looked to be an RSL comeback. Mulholland was on the move constantly, rotating himself through RSL’s three-man midfield and doing his duties defensively. All-in-all a very solid 83 minutes from the Englishman.
Telling Stat: 83-69. RSL’s passing accuracy trumped that of San Jose’s in both the first and second halves, as well as in the final third. This also showed in the overall possession and chances created as RSL won the possession battle 62.5 percent to 37.5 percent, while outshooting San Jose 14-12.
What You Missed: With an assist on Luke Mulholland’s goal, Javier Morales moved into 10th place all-time in league assists. He is now tied with Chris Henderson and Mauricio Cienfuegos with 80 assists. Fans have become all too familiar with ‘Morales magic’ in his time with RSL as he shows no signs of slowing down.
So What: RSL is now 1-4-3 when trailing at halftime, showing the resilience and the fight within the team. RSL is also 5-0-5 at home in 2016, one of five remaining teams who are unbeaten at home. The claret and cobalt will close out a busy July by travelling east to face the Philadelphia Union on July 31. The game is scheduled to kick off at 5 p.m. MT.
