A quick first-half start had Real Salt Lake fans dreaming of another runaway home victory. But David Beckham singlehandedly spoiled those plans.
Beckham punched in two goals in a four-minute span to force a 2-2 tie between RSL and the Los Angeles Galaxy at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Saturday evening.
RSL got off to the kind of start that made it look like the Galaxy would be the latest team to walk away on the wrong end of a lopsided loss in Salt Lake City.
Real took the lead after just six minutes on a goal from Fabian Espindola. Javier Morales sent a long booming service deep inside the penalty area to Espindola. The Argentinean forward then settled the ball and calmly booted it in between the feet of goalkeeper Steve Cronin.
RSL went up 2-0 in the 18th minute on a nice goal from Kenny Deuchar. Once again, Morales set up the goal. He sent a cross from the near side of the penalty area to the far side where Deuchar was stationed. Deucher quickly headed the ball into the upper corner of the net.
That assist -- the fourth this season, so far, for Morales -- tied him with Beckham for the MLS lead in assists.
But while Morales was setting up goals for RSL, Beckham busied himself by scoring them for the Galaxy.
Beckham struck first on a booming 30 yard effort in the 36th minute. Receiving the ball on the right side, well out from the corner of the box, Beckham sailed it high inside the far post. Goalkeeper Nick Rimando tucked and rolled in a desperate effort to create a save out of thin air, but he could not get a hand on the ball.
Los Angeles evened the score in the 40th minute on Beckham's second goal of the night. He sent a direct free kick outside the penalty area high and arching over the wall and Rimando's head and the ball dropped down behind him to make everything square at 2-2.
Both teams had really good opportunities to add to their goal tally in the first half. A mistake by Nat Borchers in the 38th minute nearly opened the initial door for the Galaxy's second goal.
Borchers accidently slid the ball backward with his feet to Landon Donovan. Donovan quickly sent a cross on a west to east trajectory running parallel to the net. Alan Gordon was supposed to move up and punch the ball forward as it sailed past, but he mistimed his advance and did not reach the ball before it went out of range.
RSL nearly answered with its third goal of the match in the 43rd minute. Kyle Beckerman plowed through the defense and sent a crisp cross to Deuchar in front of an open net. Deuchar knocked the ball home alongside the far post, only for the goal to be disallowed for offside.
RSL's efforts to score from that point on did not improve. Espindola laid off the ball to Andy Williams in the 50th minute. Williams fired on an angle from the near post. His shot was on frame, but Cronin made a sprawling kick to come up with the save.
Deuchar drove toward the near post in the 57th minute, intending to send a short snap-shot into the net. He did not even release the ball before Troy Roberts blocked the drive and flicked the ball away from the Scottish forward.
Rookie defender Tony Beltran had another strong opportunity in the 67th minute. Beltran, who made his first MLS start, had only Cronin to beat at the near post, but could not bend the ball around the post for a go-ahead goal.
Things were not any easier for the Galaxy. Beckham nearly torched RSL again in the 73rd minute when he sent a 30-yard free kick spiraling to Donovan. Donovan had acres of space in front of the net to deliver a header. But, at the last minute, Rimando came out of nowhere to palm the ball away, pushing it around the post for the save.
John Coon is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
