Another game, another win for the Western Conference’s midpoint pacesetters, Real Salt Lake. It seems poetically fitting that on a day where Spanish Champions, Real Madrid, sealed victory in the UEFA Champions League final securing a historic 15th CL title, the club’s namesake across the Atlantic, our beloved Real Salt Lake, continued its own “Real” winning tradition a few hours later with a comprehensive 5-1 dismantling of Austin FC to continue the Claret-and-Cobalt reign atop the MLS Western Conference standings.
Led by the brilliant pair of Chicho Arango and Anderson Julio leading the lines, table-topping RSL improved to 6-1-1 / 19 points in its eight home games this season with a complete decimation of its Texan opponents at America First Field on Saturday, June 1, 2024. With the exciting 5-3 comeback on May 18 against Colorado and this 5-1 dismantling of Austin, RSL has scored 10 goals in back-to-back home games for the first time in 20 MLS seasons.
Captain Chicho continued his stunning form this season with a complete performance that underscored his talent, leadership, and commitment to the Claret-and-Cobalt cause. The 29-year-old led the charge for Pablo Mastroeni’s men with an early Puskas award contender and magnificent hat trick, his second of the season, surrounding the Julio brace in a result that never looked beyond doubt from the first whistle to the last, with RSL dominating proceedings from start to finish.
“Oh Chicho Arango…” reverberated in the stands as fans chorused in unison in praise of the RSL captain following yet another virtuoso performance from their flagbearer in what is surely now a formality this season.
RSL came into this game viewed as overwhelming favorites and looking to strengthen its grip atop the West standings, and never really looked back once the match got going. With the game underway, it was their talisman, Chicho - leader, superstar and top-scorer this season - who kicked off the scoring festivities with an early MLS goal of the year contender.
Receiving the ball in his own half and taking his time to slow down the game tempo, Chicho spied Brad Stuver, in goal for Austin, off his line, looking away and unleashing an audacious 63-yard effort from behind the halfway line, a frozen rope that sizzled past the head of Stuver and into the top corner of the net to stun Austin and send the RSL faithful into pure, unadulterated ecstasy.
It was an ingenious piece of skill for a wondergoal, representing his 50th career regular-season goal in only his 79th career game, tying Raúl Ruidíaz as the second-fastest active player to reach 50 career goals (Josef Martinez).
With RSL a goal to the good, Ecuadorian striker Anderson Julio picked up the baton from his captain to double the Claret-and-Cobalt’s lead less than 10 minutes later. Playing up top ahead of Chicho in this game, the 28-year-old promptly arrived on the left-hand side of the penalty area in the 24th minute to receive a pass from Braian Ojeda, before opening up his body and placing a low right-footed strike just beyond the reach of Stuver and into the back of the net to double RSL’s advantage.
Julio then doubled his personal tally just seven minutes later to complete his brace and RSL’s third goal of an entertaining game. Having won the ball high up in the Austin half, a subsequent delayed one-two between Chicho and Andrés Gómez allowed the former time and space to play Gómez in behind the Austin defense, squaring a hard, whipped pass across the face of goal to find Julio at the back post who bundled it home as the hosts raced into a 3-0 lead inside the first half-hour. The goal was originally chalked off for offside before a Video Assistant Review (VAR) corrected the play to give RSL their first-half triple and Julio his second goal in a seven-minute span.
Julio’s brace represented the player’s fourth goal and fifth goal contribution in RSL’s last four games and his first brace since April 202, in his first-ever game for the club against Minnesota United.
With Julio’s brace secured, the baton then fell back to Captain Chicho to continue the charge and the Colombian did so in swashbuckling fashion. With RSL already three goals up and cruising in the game, fullback Andrew Brody received the ball deep on the right wing and promptly delivered a whipped, curling cross into a crowded Austin penalty area that made its way to Chicho, arriving unmarked with a late run at the back post to power a ferocious header that stung the gloves of Stuver en-route to establishing a 4-0 lead after 45 minutes. It represented one of RSL’s most dominant performances ever, scoring four goals in the first half for only the second time in the club’s history, and for just the third time in any single half.
With this goal, Chicho also tied the fifth-fastest player to reach 15 goals in MLS history, behind only Josef Martínez (14 games, 2017), Carlos Vela (15 games, 2019), Mamadou Diallo (15 games, 2000), and Jaime Moreno (16 games, 1997).
Chicho’s second goal also represented just the third time in the franchise’s history that two players for RSL tallied multiple goals in a single game (Sept. 2018, Damir Kreilach/Albert Rusnák; May 2024, Chicho/Andrés Gómez).
In a night of broken records, Chicho would have the final say, sealing his magnificent hat trick with a perfectly taken penalty from the spot to put the icing on the cake and encapsulate a truly divine performance from the talented Colombian striker. In a wild turn of events, Austin FC had the ball in the back of the net following a rapid counter attack from an RSL corner. However, upon VAR consultation, the goal was chalked off for an Austin handball in their own penalty area during the corner and a penalty kick was awarded to RSL. Up stepped the captain who made no mistake, sending Stuver the wrong way with a stuttered run up followed by a low right-footed effort into the bottom left corner for RSL’s fifth and final goal of the game.
With this hat trick, Chicho became the second of 210 all-time RSL players to score multiple career hat tricks (2 in 35 MLS games), joining Alvaro Saborio, who scored three in 127 regular season games. It also meant Chicho became just the third-fastest MLS player to reach 25 goals and assists in a season, this year with only 17 games played.
Off to the best start in the club’s history, the win for RSL moved it further clear atop the Western Conference standings with 33 points from 17 games played. The Claret-and-Cobalt has ascended to the top of the Western Conference for its latest first-place bragging rights in the calendar since April 30, 2016, and the latest solo No. 1 in the West since August 2013. RSL will now enjoy a much-needed June 8 international bye weekend, prior to again traveling to Montreal and Kansas City on June 15/19 for the final batch of its grueling road title examinations.
Important Milestones
- Chicho’s 16 goals this season leave him one shy of Saborio’s all-time Club-high of 17, set in 2012; another RSL striker, Jeff Cunningham, had 16 goals in 2006.
- MVP contender and RSL Captain Chicho Arango tallies 2nd hat-trick of 2024, becoming 2nd RSL Player All-Time with multiple hat tricks, with two in 35 MLS games for Real Salt Lake, joining Alvaro Saborio, who had three in 127 regular season games. Saborio notched two hat tricks in his 2012 season, that mark matched tonight by Chicho, who previously tallied 3 goals on March 30 v St. Louis.
- Chicho earns the hat trick to reclaim sole possession of MLS Golden Boot lead. His 16 goals are three more than the closest competitor (C. Benteke, DC, 13).
- Chicho Arango claims shared title for second-fastest active player to reach 50 MLS goals (79 Matches, ties Raul Ruidiaz), with Josef Martinez being the only active player to achieve the feat in less games). He also becomes the fifth-fastest all-time to 15 Goals in a MLS season (17 games) behind only Josef Martínez (14 games, 2017), Carlos Vela (15 games, 2019), Mamadou Diallo (15 games, 2000), and Jaime Moreno (16 games, 1997).
- With Chicho Arango’s second goal against Austin FC, he recorded his MLS-high 15th goal of the 2024 Season in his 17th game, tying for fifth-fastest player to reach 15 goals in MLS history.
- Anderson Julio nets first-half brace to tally his fourth and fifth goals of the season. The first-half double is Julio’s first brace since April of 2021 at Minnesota, his first match with Real Salt Lake.
- Two RSL players tally multiple goals (Chicho Arango, Anderson Julio) for just the third time in franchise history (5/18/24 v. COL - Chicho Arango two goals and Andrés Gómez two goals, 9/1/2018 v. LA Galaxy - Damir Kreilach hat trick and Albert Rusnák brace).
- Andrés Gómez earns an assist to become the third U-22 player in MLS history with a goal contribution in six consecutive matches. He joins Andy Williams (7 games in 1998) & Erick Torres (6 games in 2014).
- RSL scores 4 goals in first half for the second time in club history (9/19/2014 RSL v. COL), the third time in a single half (either first or second) (8/22/2020 RSL @ COL, second half)
- After not scoring more than four goals in a game in any home match of Head Coach Pablo Mastroeni’s first 116 games managed, RSL has found the back of the net five times in each of his last two games on Utah soil.
- RSL unbeaten in 13 consecutive matches, the second-longest single-season streak in Club history (14, 2010). RSL’s last defeat was on March 9 vs. Rocky Mountain Cup rival Colorado, 96 days prior to the next RSL match on June 15 in Montreal
