SALT LAKE CITY - The Real Salt Lake reserves (4-3-2, 14 pts.) raced to a quick 2-0 lead Sunday at Rice-Eccles Stadium in a closed-door reserve match against visiting FC Dallas (4-3-4, 16 pts.), and even took a 3-2 lead into second-half stoppage time, but were unable to emerge with three points, instead settling for the tie. The contest, originally slated to be played at the Quinn's Junction Complex in Park City, UT, was moved to Rice-Eccles due to snowfall.
RSL MF Joey Worthen, a Cottonwood High School graduate, opened the RSL account in the 23rd minute with a left-footed blast from 20 yards out that surprised FC Dallas and Trinidad & Tobago international GK Shaka Hislop. Worthen tracked down a loose ball just outside the box and unleashed a first-touch shot for his first goal of the 12-game reserve season.
Just five minutes later, veteran MLS utilityman Chris Brown extended the RSL lead to two, beating Hislop and FC Dallas DF Alex Yi to a bouncing pass served up from RSL FW Jamie Watson. As the ball skipped forward on the Rice-Eccles Field Turf, Brown split the defensive players and nodded the ball over the onrushing Hislop to give RSL a 2-0 lead, one they would take into halftime.
At the half, newly-acquired DF Jake Besagno, added to the team Friday on loan from the Seattle Sounders (USL Div. I), joined his younger brother Nik on the RSL backline, coming in as a substitute for RSL reserve stalwart Cameron Knowles. Just minutes after making his MLS reserve debut, the elder Besagno was cautioned for a hard foul on Dallas MF Dax McCarty.
In the 60th minute, it was McCarty's finesse that allowed FC Dallas to cut the RSL lead to one goal, as the former U.S. U-17 standout split the RSL defense with a penetrating dribble and set up Dallas FW Dominic Oduro, who slammed the ball home past an outstretched but nearly helpless Jay Nolly.
In the 83rd minute, after RSL had sustained several Dallas attacks and began to push forward for a third goal, it was McCarty who found the back of the net, taking a looping pass from teammate Aaron Pitchkolan and heading the ball past Nolly for the equalizer.
Only two minutes from time, In the 88th minute, Brown gave RSL what it hoped would be the game-winner, tracking down a loose ball at the top of the penalty arc and ripping a missile high into the right-side netting. However, RSL was forced to settle for the draw when Dallas MF Arturo Alvarez ran onto a deflected dribble by Oduro one minute into stoppage time and slotted a shot from just six yards out past Nolly.
The RSL Reserves return to action on Sunday, October 1 in Kansas City, the first of three consecutive games to end the season, as the schedule includes a Sunday, October 8 date in Park City against Houston before the final reserve game of the year, on Monday, October 16 at The Home Depot Center against Los Angeles, a game that was rescheduled from August due to congested slates for both teams. The MLS Reserve League is an annual 12-game slate which awards a $20,000 cash prize to the top-of-the-table finisher.
Real Salt Lake - Jay Nolly, Nik Besagno, Cameron Knowles (Jake Besagno 46), Nelson Akwari, Joey Worthen (Ryan Martin 60), Kenny Cutler, Brian Gil, Adam Acosta, Duke Hashimoto, Chris Brown, Jamie Watson
Subs Not Used: Chase Harrison, Tiger Fitzpatrick
SHOTS: 12, SHOTS ON GOAL: 7, FOULS: 9, OFFSIDE: 4, CORNER KICKS: 5, SAVES: 3.
FC Dallas - Shaka Hislop (Ray Burse 46), Justin Moore, Alex Yi, Michael Dello-Russo, Blake Wagner, Ramon Nunez, Aaron Pitchkolan, Dax McCarty, Arturo Alvarez, Alex Smith (Josh Rife 36), Dominic Oduro
Subs Not Used: none
SHOTS: 9, SHOTS ON GOAL: 6, FOULS: 11, OFFSIDE: 5, CORNER KICKS: 4, SAVES: 4.
Scoring:
RSL - Worthen 23
RSL - Brown (Watson) 28
DAL - Oduro (McCarty) 60
DAL - McCarty (Pitchkolan) 83
RSL - Brown 88
DAL - Alvarez 91+
Misconduct Summary:
RSL - Worthen (caution) 37
DAL - Moore (caution) 37
RSL - Jake Besagno (caution) 49
DAL - Pitchkolan (caution) 70
Referee: Ben Chouaf
Assistant Referees: Carlos Palomino, Tyler Ploeger
Fourth Official: Brett Stephens
