Real Salt Lake 2 vs Santa Tecla FC 1
September 24, 2015; Rio Tinto Stadium
CONCACAF Champions League; Group G
Real Salt Lake (2-0-1, 7 points); Santa Tecla FC (0-2-2, 2 points)
Man of the Match: It would be disingenuous to say that Real Salt Lake didn’t boss the match before Javier Morales and Kyle Beckerman entered in the 65th and 66th minutes, respectively. However, what was a dominant performance without results quickly turned on its heel through the creative mastery of Morales. He finished the night with assists on both RSL goals to stage the comeback, giving him 10 goals and 13 assists in 29 matches across all competitions this season.
Telling Stat: Real Salt Lake set the CONCACAF Champions League record with a shutout streak of 587 minutes, dating back to the 2012 Group Stage. That broke the previous record of 574 minutes set by Alajualense.
What You Missed: A lot of nutmegs. They were everywhere. From Tony Beltran’s fancy footwork at the end of the first half to the game-winning goal when Morales set up Juan Manuel Martinez, RSL’s rekindled confidence on the ball was on display.
So What: RSL moves into sole possession of the top spot in Group G with seven points through three matches. The final match of the Group Stage on October 20 will be a winner-take all match against Municipal from Guatemala, who wins the tie-breakers with any win, while RSL needs a win or a draw to advance to the Championship Round starting in February.
