Western Conference powerhouses Seattle Sounders and Real Salt Lake faced off Friday night for what turned out to be an exciting clash. Both teams were coming off wins and were fired up. RSL went into the game with more urgency, as their spot in the standings was not as secure as Seattle's.
The game started off at a fast pace. Real Salt Lake seemed to keep the ball in their control for much of the first 15 minutes. In the 7th minute, RSL had a great attempt on goal, but Stefan Frei made a needed save.
In the 20th minutes Seattle forward Obafemi Martins took a shot on goal, but it hit the crossbar and was redirected out.
The opening goal didn’t come until the 30th minute. RSL’s Luke Mulholland passed it to the unmarked Javier Morales. The shot traveled through the legs of Seattle’s Zach Scott and past Frei, giving RSL the lead.
Seattle came back swinging as Clint Dempsey and Martins took several shots in the 35th minute. All of which were blocked by the Salt Lake defense, with Martins last shot being pushed up and over the goal by goalkeeper Nick Rimando.
The equalizer came in the 38th minute as Lamar Neagle took a long distance shot. It flew over the top of the defense and past Rimando’s right side to hit the top corner of the goal. RSL’s defense was so focused on tying up Martins and Dempsey that Neagle was able to find an open position for a great goal.
An amazing goal scoring run from Martins and Dempsey give Seattle the lead in the 43rd minute. Martins ran up with the ball, and back-heeled it to Dempsey. Martins then found a better position as Dempsey sent the ball back to him. The shot grazed the glove of Nick Rimando, but he couldn’t stop it.
Five minutes into the second half, RSL responded with another goal. After a corner kick and several passes, Joao Plata took a shot from just outside the 18-yard box. The ball deflected off one of Seattle’s players, whizzed by Frei and then was redirected by the inside of the far post into the net.
In the 68th minute, Martins attempted another score run, but this time was brought down before he even got close to the goal. Having received a pass he bolted for the goal, the only thing in his way being Nick Rimando. Just when he reached the 18, RSL’s Nat Borchers caught up to him and grabbed him. The whistle was blown and Borchers received a straight red card. He walked off the field, knowing that had he not committed the fowl, Seattle could have taken back the lead.
The game stayed tied up for the rest of the second half. Then in stoppage time, Seattle’s Andy Rose scored the final goal of the game. DeAndre Yedlin, in the midst of several RSL defenders, managed to bring down a long pass and hand it off to Rose, who sliced the ball underneath a few of the defenders and Rimando. This was the 2nd consecutive game in which a Rose goal gave the Sounders the win.
With this win, Seattle is guaranteed a playoff spot. They edge closer towards the Supporters’ Shield. They play the Philadelphia Union in the US Open Cup Final this week, and then play the New York Red Bulls on September 20th in their next league match.
RSL needs to perform well in their next games if they want to secure their playoff spot. RSL plays the Colorado Rapids on September 19th.