(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Real Salt Lake forward Joao Plata (10) collides with Colorado Rapids defender Bismark Adjei-Boateng (21), as he goes for the ball, in MLS soccer action, RSL vs Colorado Rapids at Rio Tinto Stadium, Saturday, April 21, 2018.
Sandy • As soon as Real Salt Lake forward Joao Plata’s shot hit the back of the net, an almost audible sigh was drowned out by the cheers at Rio Tinto Stadium.
It took 62 minutes of playing up a man for RSL to score, but after it did, it was like the team couldn’t help but score some more.
RSL beat 10-man Colorado 3-0 Saturday at Rio Tinto Stadium, scoring all three goals after the 80th minute. To run up the score on a conference rival was the perfect remedy for RSL fans still experiencing heartache from a blowout in RSL’s previous outing.
“When you’re playing against a team that’s a man down, and they’re sitting deep,” RSL coach Mike Petke said, “you’ve got to move the ball quick side to side in order to create those gaps. Eventually the gap will create, and I think eventually you saw a lot of two-v-ones on the right side with Brooks [Lennon] and [Jefferson] Savarino, a lot of one on ones on the right side. It was a bit stressful.”
The circumstances under which RSL was awarded the penalty kick only added to its stress. There was no call as the ball bounced around the box and Justen Glad’s shot was blocked. But an injury on the sideline a minute later allowed video review to interfere.
After review, the Rapids’ Tommy Smith was shown yellow for a handball in the box, and RSL was awarded a penalty kick.
Plata stutter-stepped as he closed in on the spot, and then he lined a shot to backup goalkeeper Zac McMath’s right, and out of his reach. The goal broke 82 minutes of scoreless play.
Seven minutes later, RSL midfielder Damir Kreilach scored his first MLS goal, settling a pass from Albert Rusnák in the box, and then sending it in at the far post.
Rusnák followed his assist with a goal of his own in the second minute of stoppage time. He bent a free kick around Colorado’s three-man wall and into the goal.
“Today we played with a lot of passion and patience” Kreilach said. “Also with a lot of self-confidence, and in the end we won 3-0.”
Perhaps the most game- altering play of the match happened before the 20-minute mark, and it didn’t result in a goal.
Rusnák played a through ball to Jefferson Savarino, sprinting in from the right side. Colorado Rapids goalkeeper Tim Howard came streaking off his line, meeting Savarino one on one three steps outside of the penalty area.
Savarino tried to chip it over Hoaward with his first touch, but the ball bounced off Howard as he slid in at Savarino’s feet.
Then the assistant referee held up his flag. Handball.
The ball was ruled to have hit Howard in the left arm, as he attempted to block the shot away with his chest in an upright slide tackle. Referee Joseph Dickerson went over to his assistant to talk over the call and then returned, pulling out a red card as he walked.
Real Salt Lake was unable to score on the free kick, as Plata’s attempt was saved by McMath, but in the 20th minute RSL was facing an advantage in numbers for the remainder of the match.
“If the red card wasn’t given, [how] would this game have ended up?” Petke said. “It’s one of those things that will occupy my mind for the night and then tomorrow I’ll watch the tape and I’ll be back to getting ready for Vancouver.”
And in the end, that’s just an afterthought that three goals helps to erase.