Real Salt Lake fought back after conceding a first-half goal, in a match that turned on a red card, to beat 10-man Austin FC, 2-1, at Rio Tinto Stadium on Saturday night.
Verde got out in front midway through the first half, with Alex Ring slipping a near-post, tight-angled ball past RSL's Zac MacMath – a play that earned Diego Fagundez his league-leading seventh assist.
The match took a dramatic turn shortly after the restart, with Dani Pereira given a red card for a DOGSO push on Bobby Wood near the edge of the box.
It didn't take long for RSL to capitalize on the man advantage, as Maikel Chang equalized in the 55th minute. Austin held steady after giving up the equalizer until Andrew Brody hit a banger from distance in the 88th minute for the match-winner.
Goals
Three Things
- THE BIG PICTURE: RSL got a big home win against a team above them in the West standings, while they stayed in fifth place, pulled closer to all their competitors in the top four, and chipped away at their negative goal differential in the process. Austin had a chance to go atop the West with a win and instead suffered a costly loss, meaning their No. 1 SuperDraft pick won’t be available for selection when they continue a road trip with a tough Wednesday matchup against LAFC.
- MOMENT OF THE MATCH: Pereira’s red card didn’t at least lead to a PK situation, but RSL applied pressure afterward and broke through with both goals needed to triumph.
- MAN OF THE MATCH: Brody got the match-winner and helped keep Austin off the board for the final 65 minutes of the contest.
Next Up
- RSL: Sunday, May 22 at CF Montréal | 4 pm ET (MLS LIVE on ESPN+)
- ATX: Wednesday, May 18 at LAFC | 10:30 pm ET (MLS LIVE on ESPN+)
