Real Salt Lake and Montreal Impact split a point Saturday in a 1-1 draw at Rio Tinto Stadium. Both goalkeepers stood tall as the two teams desperately look for points in positioning for the playoffs.
RSL struck first thanks to a penalty kick goal from Joao Plata. In the 26th minute, Montreal midfielder Ken Krolicki defended Plata in the box, bringing him down. Goalkeeper Evan Bush then handled a ball touched back by his teammate. The fouls led to a penalty kick opportunity and Plata's seventh goal of the season.
Tense moments for RSL came in the waning minutes of the first half when Saphir Taider looked to equalize with a shot that caught goalkeeper Nick Rimando off guard. Midfielder Nick Besler came to the rescue for RSL in the first half, but the Impact got yet another chance to equalizer after the break.
During a Montreal corner in the 55th minute, a quick one-two-three set piece sequence ended with a clean strike from defender Jukka Raitala for the equalizer. The goal was one of the few mistakes committed by either goalkeeper on the night.
Rimando and Bush kept their teams' hopes alive for a point each. Bush made an acrobatic save in the 56th, to tip a shot from Kyle Beckerman up and out of danger. Rimando matched that save 20 minutes later standing tall to block Impact's main man, Ignacio Piatti, from taking the lead.
Real Salt Lake extended its unbeaten streak to twelve while the Impact stole a crucial point away from home.
Goals
Three Things
THE BIG PICTURE
: Playoffs?! Playoffs. RSL and the Impact are two teams already focused on the red playoff line. Both clubs toddle too close to the cutoff for comfort, especially RSL who missed the postseason by just one point last season. When one point can mean all the difference, a draw has a drastically different tone for each of these clubs. For the Impact it is a scrappy point to take with them as they look to climb the table in a close Eastern Conference. For RSL, conceding the second-half equalizer is tough to swallow looking ahead to a quick turnaround against LAFC in a week of three matches.
MOMENT OF THE MATCH
: The 55th minute equalizer from Montreal showed the fight the Impact have in them. The play started with a corner from Taider to
Alejandro Silva
. Silva laid off the ball for Raitala to strike with precision at the top of the box.
Next Up
- RSL: Wednesday, Aug. 15 at Los Angeles Football Club (10 pm ET | ESPN2 & TSN2 - Full TV & streaming info)
- Impact: Saturday, Aug. 18 vs. Chicago Fire (7:30 pm ET | TV & streaming info)
