Real Salt Lake 2 vs. Portland Timbers 0
Round of 16; Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup
July 1, 2015; Rio Tinto Stadium
Real Salt Lake advances to the Quarterfinal Round, where it will face the LA Galaxy at Rio Tinto Stadium on July 14 at 8 p.m. MT
Man of the Match: The offense was dangerous throughout the second half and created shots in the first half, despite being unable to generate any shots on goal in the first 45 minutes. Javier Morales was the primary facilitator in that offensive outburst and was rewarded with a penalty in the second half.
Telling Stat: 77. That’s how many consecutive minutes Portland went without a shot on goal to close out the match. The first and only shot on goal for the Timbers came in the 13th minute on a shot from distance by Maxi Urruti that was stopped by Jeff Attinella. The rest of the way, RSL was able to defend as a team and limit the threatening opportunities from the visitors.
What You Missed: RSL defender Elias Vasquez arrived in Salt Lake early Wednesday after enduring visa issues that kept him from returning to the club following his time with the Guatemala National Team. Playing in his first MLS match since June 7, Vasquez didn’t miss a beat in his return to the field for RSL, helping neutralize the Portland forwards throughout the match.
So What: Real Salt Lake is back in the quarterfinals and will host the LA Galaxy on July 14. After the last Open Cup win, RSL came back the following weekend and had perhaps its best match of the season in a 2-1 win over Sporting Kansas City. With Orland City SC coming to Rio Tinto Stadium on Saturday, the hope is that history can repeat itself against one of the hottest teams in the Eastern Conference.
