The latest chapter in the burgeoning Real Salt Lake-Sporting Kansas City rivalry may not have been as explosive as other editions, but it was still eventful.
Real Salt Lake secured a 2-1 victory over Sporting Friday night with goals from Javier Morales and Joao Plata. Kansas City midfielder Benny Feilhaber came off the bench and contributed his own jaw-dropping tally, but it wasn’t enough in the end.
The result still leaves Sporting, who would have taken over the Supporters' Shield lead had they won this match, best in the league in points per game, although they remain in fourth place in the Western Conference. RSL, meanwhile, remain just out of the playoff slots in the West, but bring themselves to within three points of sixth place.
In the 34th minute Morales continued to provide evidence that he is perhaps better than ever before.
Plata initially got a head to a long ball before Sebastian Jaime headed it in front of a streaking Morales. The Argentine took the ball off his chest, touched it slightly to his left and then forward with his foot, weaving his way through three Kansas City defenders before slotting it home for the game's opening goal.
It was Morales’ fifth goal to go along with seven assists through 16 games this season.
The opening of the match featured back-and-forth action with RSL being guilty of a handful of sloppy turnovers. The claret-and-cobalt calmed down considerably as the first half went on and were unfortunate not to get a goal or two more.
Down a goal, Kansas City head coach Peter Vermes made two subs coming out of the half to try to jumpstart his side's prospects, with Feilhaber and Amadou Dia both entering the match.
It didn’t take long for RSL’s biggest critic of late, Feilhaber, to change the face of the match.
Just four minutes into the second half, Feilhaber launched a breathtaking strike from almost 30 yards out after RSL midfielder Luke Mulholland gave him too much space. Feilhaber took a small touch to create some space and blasted a long, looping ball that dipped into the side netting, leveling the match. It was the 2015 MLS All-star’s seventh goal of the season, in addition to 10 assists.
Neither team could find the go-ahead goal until another substitute, RSL forward Olmes Garcia, created the window that would secure the victory for the home side.
Garcia made a blistering 60-yard run into the box, touching the ball past Tim Melia before being taken down by the Sporting ‘goalkeeper. Referee Allen Chapman pointed to the spot, and it was Plata who stepped to the penalty spot. He placed it low and to the right of Melia who actually guessed right, but could not reach the ball in time.
RSL goalkeeper Jeff Attinella made a couple of key saves in the 65th and 76th minutes, both on Jacob Peterson, to help preserve the result.
Kansas City scrapped to the end but were unable to find a second equalizer and RSL stretched their winning streak to three games across all competitions.
RSL will next travel to the east coast to face off against Eastern Conference leaders D.C. United on August 1. Sporting will head home to face the Houston Dynamo the same day.
