Real Salt Lake 0, New England Revolution 0 | 2016 MLS Match Recap

Franco Panizo & Ian Foster

Plenty of chances, but no goals.

Real Salt Lake and the New England Revolution were forced to share the spoils after misfiring their ways to a scoreless draw at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah, on Saturday night. Both clubs had chances to take the lead, but neither was able to muster up that last bit of quality in the final third despite combining for 26 shots.

New England appeared to have found a goal in the 50th minute through Kei Kamara, but referee Ismail Elfath whistled it back because of a perceived foul on Aaron Maund in the build-up. Salt Lake's best chance came much earlier through Kyle Beckerman, who redirected a 14th-minute shot on frame with power before Revolution goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth came up with a key block.

Three Things

FAULTY EXECUTION: This certainly was not a game showcasing accurate finishing. The two sides combined for 26 shots, but only three were put on goal, with Real Salt Lake ending up with two and the New England Revolution with one. Bobby Shuttleworth’s heroics would have been for naught had the RSL attack been able to put a few more prime chances on frame.

RSL wasted more on the night. Joao Plata started the ill shooting in the fifth minute when he couldn’t put a beautifully-served ball on frame, and, in the 32nd minute, Juan Manuel 'Burrito' Martinez found a loose ball and an open goal in front of him, only for his chip to stray just wide. Kyle Beckerman’s open shot in the 45th minute also went wide, as did Javier Morales’ wonderfully set-up chance in the 91st. Yura Movsisyan’s deft backheel attempt drifted inches wide in the 61st, and Olmes Garcia had the last, and perhaps best, chance to score from the edge of the box in the 92nd minute, only for his curler to soar over the bar.
DISALLOWED FINISH: The Revolution looked to take a lead five minutes into the second half when Kei Kamara fired a shot into the back of the net, but referee Ismail Elfath called it back because Kamara was deemed to have fouled Aaron Maund seconds before the strike. Replays seemed to back that up as well, as Kamara made contact with Maund before the RSL defender hit the ground and left Kamara open in the penalty area.
BOBBY'S BIG SAVES: It’s hard to shut out Real Salt Lake’s dynamic attack without the goalkeeper coming up big, and Shuttleworth did just that. RSL should have gone up in the 14th minute on a Beckerman shot from right in front of goal, but Shuttleworth reacted quickly to parry it away. Later, in the 72nd minute, Shuttleworth again proved worthy, denying Movsisyan’s breakaway chance with a kick save. Not to be outdone, RSL’s Nick Rimando provided a breakaway stop of his own against Diego Fagundez in the 74th minute.