This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Chester, Pa. • Here in the birthplace of democracy, where just few miles away three nights ago Hillary Clinton made history by becoming the first woman presidential candidate nominated by a major party, Real Salt Lake was trying desperately not to make some dubious history of its own.

Never had RSL lost to the Philadelphia Union in eight tries, which included four draws in this suburban Philadelphia playpen on the banks of the Delaware River, Talen Energy Field. Winless in its last six games (0-2-4), RSL didn't want to start now.

It didn't look good when Philly's Roland Alberg converted a penalty kick late in the first half. But RSL shrugged it off — scoring twice in the first nine minutes of the second half on spectacular goals by Joao Plata and Javier Morales — then held off a desperate late Union surge for the 2-1 victory.

"At halftime a lot of guys came in and looked each other in the eyes," said goalkeeper Nick Rimando,who made a couple of clutch saves during stoppage time to preserve the win. That gave him a different piece of history, his 180th career victory, matching Kevin Hartman for the most MLS history. "The second half we put in the work to get results and that's exactly what happened.

"We dug in, committed to defending, and got two goals from our big players."

First, Plata took a perfect feed from Demar Phillips and rifled one to the far post over a flailing Philadelphia goalkeeper Andre Blake at the 46-minute mark to tie it. Eight minutes later Morales lured Blake off his line, then chipped it over him to the back of the net.

Thanks to Rimando and the defense, that proved to be all they needed. "I really said to just keep believing," said RSL coach Jeff Cassar. "Over the last month we've played some of our best soccer ever and we haven't been rewarded.

"So if we keep doing what we've been doing we will be rewarded. We got two world class goals from Joao and Javy and sometimes it takes that to break the dam open."

"Going into a two-game road trip [RSL plays at Toronto on Wednesday] we felt this was our best opportunity to have energy and be aggressive. Tonight was exactly what we thought.

"For me it's a team-builder. Everyone in that locker room is feeling very very good about what we're doing — and themselves — but that feeling hasn't quite been there because we haven't gotten three points.

"So three points on the road, complete team effort, it's really something to build on."

Considering the Union came into this one 7-1-3 here, while RSL was 3-6-2 away from Rio Tinto Stadium, few could've expected this. But 9-6-7 RSL didn't panic after getting behind, earning its fifth come-from-behind win for the season

That moves them into the fourth place tie in the West with Sporting Kansas City, which also won, at34 points, just two points behind the L.A. Galaxy and four ahead of sixth-place Vancouver. Even better, RSL has two games in hand over SKC.

"There's a lot of games ahead," said Rimando. "We're not way up there where we want to be, but three points is a step in the right direction."

As for being the latest to make history in Philadelphia, Rimando took it in stride. "I'm tied," he corrected a reporter asking him about breaking the record, "I want to have to all to myself.

"But it feels good. It's a great accomplishment, which I hold dear because of a lot of players around me."

There won't be much time to savor this one. But after so many ties and disappointments RSL won't mind.

This one was long overdue.