Real Salt Lake 0 at Sporting Kansas City 3
April 29, 2017; Kansas City, Kansas; Children’s Mercy Park
Real Salt Lake (2-5-2, 8 points); Sporting Kansas City (4-1-3, 15 points)
Man of the Match: Sebastian Saucedo was brought in with RSL trailing 2-0 in the 71st minute. His role – to provide a spark to RSL’s attack. In his 19 minutes, he took three shots, second only to Joao Plata for RSL in the match. He put one of his shots on frame, which was one of only two on the night for RSL. It was his best appearance off the bench thus far this season and with the U-20 World Cup fast approaching, it is a sure thing that his time on the field has the attention of U.S. U-20 Head Coach Tab Ramos.
Telling Stat: Real Salt Lake outshot Kansas City 14-10. However, RSL put just two shots on frame while the home side managed seven. In a game that was virtually identical in nearly every statistical category, that was the sole difference in the match.
What You Missed: In the 59th minute, Matt VanOekel came out for one of the more unconventional saves you’ll ever see. Dom Dwyer – already with a goal to his credit – got free up the right side and attempted to chip the oncoming VanOekel. However, he didn’t quite get the ball high enough and the RSL goalkeeper made the clearing save with a header from the edge of the box.
So What: This was a tough one to take for RSL. Prior to that match, Salt Lake hadn’t fallen to its rivals in Kansas City in a league match since 2013 – a span of seven matches. While playing without the likes of Kyle Beckerman, Nick Rimando, Tony Beltran, Justen Glad, Aaron Maund, Jordan Allen, David Horst and Chad Barrett didn’t help matters on Saturday, Head Coach Mike Petke wasn’t about to let injuries provide an excuse for his club. While eight points through the first nine matches isn’t good enough, six points in four matches under Petke is a trend in the right direction. As players return from that lengthy injury report and Petke is able to implement more of his gameplan, that upward trend is likely to continue.
