PARK CITY, UT - The Real Salt Lake reserves (4-2-1, 13 pts.) scored twice in the second half to emerge victorious with a 3-1 win over the visiting Colorado Rapids reserves (7-2-0, 21 pts.) today at Quinn's Junction Complex. The team will next travel to Washington, D.C. this upcoming Sunday, September 10, as they look to move up the 12-team MLS Reserve table. Each MLS reserve squad will play 12 games this season, with a $20,000 prize going to the Reserve League Champions. RSL's senior squad faces D.C. United Saturday night LIVE on KSL at 5:30 p.m. MT, as Freddy Adu and East-leading United host RSL, which is one of 5 West teams within 4 points of each other in the race to the MLS Cup Playoffs.
RSL FW Atiba Harris opened the scoring in the 16th minute, tracking down a pass inside the penalty box from FW Jamie Watson and blasting the ball past Rapids GK Bouna Coundoul. Harris found the back of the net just minutes after a sequence where his shot from 12 yards out was saved by Coundoul, with the rebound going straight back to Harris, who then hit the right post with his follow-up shot. RSL MF Duke Hashimoto ran onto that rebound, but sent his offering high.</p>
Colorado's possession controlled the game the next several minutes, with RSL GK Jay Nolly saving a trio of shots from Rapids MF Alain Nkong during the run of play, as well as an offering from FW Fabrice Noel. RSL nearly doubled the lead in the 25th minute, when MF Kenny Cutler's shot from 25 yards out was parried just wide by Coundoul for an RSL corner kick. On the ensuing corner, RSL DF Cameron Knowles' header was saved.</p>
Just four minutes later, Colorado forced the equalizer as former RSL FW Melvin Tarley, who started nine games for RSL in 2005 and scored once, was brought down in the box by Knowles. Tarley converted the ensuing penalty to knot the game at 1-1 just a half-hour into play.</p>
The teams entered halftime deadlocked with a goal each, alternating periods of possession. RSL took a 2-1 lead in the 66th minute on a goal by Watson. St. Kitts & Nevis native Harris started the play, winning a header in the offensive third and nodding the ball to RSL MF Chris Brown, who found an onrushing Watson on the far side of the box with a pinpoint cross. Watson slid at the left post to poke the ball past Coundoul and give RSL a lead which it would not relinquish.</p>
Watson nearly provided RSL's tertiary goal in the 74th minute, finding himself behind the Rapids defense and going one-on-one with Coundoul after guest RSL MF Tiger Fitzpatrick won the ball just inside midfield. Despite the opportunity, Watson's shot went just wide right.</p>
In the 89th minute, RSL iced the game as MF Duke Hashimoto tallied his first reserve league goal after Brown won the ball at midfield, sent a looping pass up to Harris, who earned his second assist of the day by freeing Hashimoto on a headed through-ball. Hashimoto finished the play by going one-on-one with Coundoul and picking his spot on the upper far-side netting to make it 3-1 RSL.</p>
Real Salt Lake - Jay Nolly, Adam Acosta, Cameron Knowles, Nelson Akwari, Joey Worthen, Kenny Culter, Ryan Martin (Tiger Fitzpatrick 46), Duke Hashimoto, Chris Brown, Jamie Watson, Atiba Harris
Subs Not Used: Chase Harrison
SHOTS: 11, SHOTS ON GOAL: 5, FOULS: 6, OFFSIDE: 6, CORNER KICKS: 4, SAVES: 6.
Colorado Rapids - Bouna Coundoul, Matt Crawford, Stephen Keel, Chris Wingert, Eric Denton, Luchi Gonzalez, Daniel Wasson, Alain Nkong (Sasha Gotsomanov 70), Jordan Harvey, Melvin Tarley (Aaron King 49), Fabrice Noel
Subs Not Used: Sam Reynolds, Bryan Eisenbraun, Josh Elbaum, Colin Clark
SHOTS: 11, SHOTS ON GOAL: 7, FOULS: 16, OFFSIDE: 3, CORNER KICKS: 3, SAVES: 4.
Scoring:
RSL - Harris (Watson) 16
COL - Tarley (penalty kick) 29
RSL - Watson (Brown, Harris) 66
RSL - Hashimoto (Harris, Brown) 89
Cautions:
none
Referee: Tyler Ploeger
Assistant Referees: Carlos Palomino, Brett Stephenson
Fourth Official: Jeff Young
