Game at a Glance: RSL Earns Late Winner

Real Salt Lake 3 vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC 1

June 18, 2021; Rio Tinto Stadium

Real Salt Lake (3-1-3, 12 points); Vancouver Whitecaps FC (2-5-1, 7 points)

Man of the Match: Scoring his team-leading fourth and fifth goals of the season, Damir Kreilach kept the team in the game both offensively and defensively. He netted the lone goal in the first half and then put the nail in the coffin of Vancouver with his second of the night in the final moments of stoppage time to earn the 3-1 win.

Telling Stat: The team now leads the league in assists, with 17 on Real Salt Lake’s 12 goals through the first seven games of the season. Defender Aaron Herrera is tied for second in the league and leads the team with his four assists, followed closely behind by Damir Kreilach’s three.

What You Missed: Defender Erik Holt proved to be the hero of the night for Real Salt Lake when he scored his first Major League Soccer goal in stoppage time with a flick of his head to take the lead and earn the eventual win. Holt came on as a second-half substitute for Marcelo Silva and immediately helped fellow center back Justen Glad preserve the score line in order to put the team in a position to win.  

So What: After a nearly three-week international break Real Salt Lake came back with a vengeance, earning their first win after three-consecutive draws. The team now enters into a three-game week with a midweek match against Seattle Sounders FC on Wednesday, June 23 and another home matchup on Saturday, June 26 against the Houston Dynamo at 6:00 p.m. MT.