This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated.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.
Sandy • Referee Chris Penso didn't even bother starting play once more. Once the frenzied celebration inside Rio Tinto Stadium eventually died down, Penso looked down at the ball at the center of the field and simply signaled the end to the evening.
The last kick of the ball had the final say.
Burrito Martinez shimmied to his right, creating just enough space from Robbie Rogers outside the L.A. Galaxy box. There, Martinez let loose a prayer. A low, curling, right-footed prayer that spun off the right heel of Jeff Larentowicz and kept on spinning. All the way underneath the outstretched arms of goalkeeper Brian Rowe, and leisurely into the back of the net.
"You have to keep fighting until the last minute," Martinez said. "We received that bonus in the last second."
Some bonus.
The 94th-minute goal by Martinez not only kept the undermanned Galaxy from taking a three-point lead on Real Salt Lake (12-8-8, 44 points) in the Western Conference standings, it kept RSL's unblemished home record (8-0-6) in 2016 still spotless. His last-second goal capped a wild 3-3 draw in Sandy, sending Rio Tinto Stadium into a tizzy over a home draw and the Galaxy, up 3-1 in the 66th minute, dejected realizing a golden opportunity slipped away underneath the arms of Rowe.
"We walk away with a point when we should be going home with three," Galaxy coach Bruce Arena said.
Before Martinez stunned the Galaxy, fellow forward Joao Plata threw RSL not one, but two second-half lifelines while it trailed an L.A. team minus Robbie Keane, Steven Gerrard, Gyasi Zardes and Jelle Van Damme. Down 3-1, Plata pulled one back for RSL in the 67th minute smacking a ball by Rowe into the back of the net played back to him by Yura Movsisyan.
Earlier, Plata converted RSL's sixth penalty kick of the season in the 53rd minute to equalize 1-1, but it was the manner in which he earned it that was a small subplot to the night. Plata rushed Rowe, who casually let an errant high header bounce off the ground. Rowe reacted suddenly by tripping Plata before he could snag the ball and Penso awarded RSL the penalty.
"When we want to be dynamic with our movements and our runs and our passing, it causes a lot of problems," RSL coach Jeff Cassar said.
The RSL comeback also spoiled a spectacular night by L.A. midfielder Giovani dos Santos.
Dos Santos deflated the buzz inside Rio Tinto Stadium in the 57th minute once he made a timely run on a quick restart. The Galaxy midfielder drifted free of defender Jamison Olave, easily trapping a the free kick from Baggio Husidic. After a touch, dos Santos fired a left-footed shot that ricocheted off goalkeeper Nick Rimando and in.
Seven minutes later, dos Santos put RSL down two finishing off a loose ball that banged off the crossbar. Larentowicz smacked a shot at the near post off the bar, and dos Santos was there to pounce in the 64th minute.
Rowe responded to his initial gaffe when called upon four minutes before the lasting mistake on Martinez's goal. The L.A. goalkeeper made a point-blank save on RSL substitute John Stertzer at the near post when the ball squirted out of a scrum, it fell to Stertzer. His one-time shot was right at Rowe, but it went out.
RSL again ran into a habit its yet to manage to shake off: For the fifth time in 14 league home matches, RSL conceded the opening goal in the first 10 minutes of a match. And it was a familiar thorn in the club's side. Galaxy winger Emmanuel Boateng put L.A. up 1-0 in the seven minute thanks to his speed that provided distance between a chasing Olave.
Dos Santos played a perfect through ball to Boateng who had already beat Olave for position. Olave tried to close, but Boateng stayed on the ball eventually beating Rimando at the near post.
"I wish I had a definitive answer right now," Cassar said when asked of the slow starts.
While that remains an issue for RSL, responding has not. The point earned in the 3-3 draw was the 21st point earned by RSL this year from a trailing position. And with six regular-season matches, RSL and the Galaxy, neck-and-neck for the No. 2 seed out West, remain deadlocked.
"You live to fight another day," Cassar said.
Twitter: @chriskamrani —
Storylines
R Burrito Martinez scores game-tying goal in the 94th minute to rescue a point.
• Real Salt Lake remains unbeaten at home at 8-0-6 this season.
• Galaxy star Giovani dos Santos had two goals and an assist in the draw.