Real Salt Lake’s attacking tandem of Captain Chicho Arango and new summer signing Diogo Gonçalves featured alongside each other for the very first time on Saturday night and proved two of the team’s most consistent performers throughout the 90 minutes on an ultimately frustrating night in Houston.
On a difficult night on the Gulf Coast, the pair provided tenacious, resilient displays in the face of unyielding, insurmountable adversity, with Chicho even managing to force the ball over the line to pull one back for the visitors early in the second half in an eventual 4-1 defeat.
RSL’s captain made his eagerly anticipated return to the starting lineup, leading from the front, having been absent from the team’s last game, a 2-0 home win over the New England Revolution on the final day of August, due to an injury suffered a week earlier against San Jose.
In search of a win and goal to end his recent goal drought and set a new single-season goal record for the Club, the Colombian striker came out firing on all cylinders, leading the charge for the team on both sides of the ball, both defensively in the press and in offense, and linking up well with teammates to create shooting and goalscoring opportunities.
Chicho’s first chance of the game came less than 15 minutes in when, on the back of sustained RSL possession and pressure, midfielder Diego Luna picked up the ball out on the left before cutting infield and delivering a sublime lofted cross into the path of RSL’s number 9, just inside the box, who rose up to meet it. But the striker’s ensuing snapped header went just wide off the far post as the scores remained level.
A few minutes later, Chicho created another opportunity all by his lonesome when he unleashed a rifled long range strike flying in from more than 20 yards out, but his well struck effort sailed into the arms of Steve Clark.
Although his exertions would yield no fruits throughout a challenging first 45 minutes, a dogged, hardworking performance was finally rewarded in the second half. A long ball played over the top of the Houston defense by Bode Hidalgo fell kindly into the path of the 29-year-old forward, advancing into the penalty area, who, under the strong challenge of Erik Sviatchenko, subsequently managed to bundle the ball over the goal line off the foot of the Houston defender for RSL’s only goal of the night which at the time split the difference between both sides in the contest in half.
Chicho would then come close again less than 10 minutes later, in the 55th minute and on a counter attack, after he was played through on goal by Gonçalves, and one-on-one with Clark, but under pressure from an advancing defender near the edge of the penalty box, his eventual left-footed effort dragged just narrowly wide of the goal.
Throughout his time on the pitch, RSL’s captain made a total of 14 successful passes and a total of four shots, the joint-most of any player from both teams on the pitch throughout the 90 minutes.
Tireless Gonçalves Shows More Encouraging Glimpses
Following in the footsteps of his captain, new signing Gonçalves also continued his encouraging start to life on the Wasatch Front with an equally tireless, determined performance away in the Bayou City.
The 27-year-old, still awaiting his first goal in Claret-and-Cobalt colors, wasted little time in getting into the thick of the action when he found space at the back post to connect with his head to an inswinging cross from the right by Lachlan Brook, with only a minute on the clock, but his placed header was plucked out of the air by Clark.
With the team a goal down, Gonçalves came close to assisting the equalizer, and his first for the club, in the 55th minute, when, on the break from a defensive corner, he found Chicho with a lovely spin and though ball which the striker managed to run onto before making his way all the way to the edge of the area, but under pressure from Micael, his ensuing effort fell agonizingly wide.
In the 69th minute, Gonçalves managed to create yet another opportunity when a deflected pass from Luna fell to him high up the field in the left half space with ample time and space for a long range shot, but his fierce, low effort was saved again by Clark.
Throughout his time on the pitch, he recorded 15 successful passes - an accuracy percentage of 83 percent, including three key passes and two total shots, with both being on target.
Did You Know?
RSL’s captain and flagbearer currently sits second in the Golden Boot race with 17 goals, and 11 assists, this season, now two goals behind DC United’s Christian Benteke with 19 goals. Chicho remains only one goal away from breaking the Club’s single-season scoring record of 18, and having been booked in the first half of Saturday’s game, will now have five reg-season games to achieve the feat.
24-year-old German midfielder Noel Caliskan made his fourth first-team appearance of the season, coming on in the second half and completing an impressive eight passes including one key pass.
The Bigger Picture/What Comes Next
With 13 wins, eight draws, and seven losses culminating in a 47-point total, RSL remain firmly in the hunt for a playoff spot.
The Claret-and-Cobalt will be back in action at home on Wednesday for a matchup against FC Dallas at America First Field, before then welcoming the Portland Timbers to the Beehive State just three days later on Saturday, Sept. 21. Kickoff for both games is slated for 7:30 p.m. MT. Tickets for all home matches are available at rsl.com/tickets
