Chris Wondolowski ended his recent scoring drought in MLS, but Real Salt Lake came back in the second half to tie the San Jose Earthquakes 1-1 at Rio Tinto Stadium Friday night.
The Earthquakes jumped out to a good start in the first 10 minutes. On the team's first corner kick of the night, Simon Dawkins' service bounced through a tangle of bodies in the 6-yard box before Wondolowski latched onto the ball and buried the shot.
RSL struggled until the hour mark, and their prospects appeared to take a hit just before halftime, as forward Yura Movsisyan was forced out of the game due to an injury.
But the hosts found the equalizer in the 64th minute, as Javier Morales hit a chip pass inside the box which teammate Luke Mulholland ran onto and scored on the volley, and the teams divided the points on the night.
Box Score
- 9' - SJ - Chris Wondolowski
- 64' - RSL - Luke Mulholland (Javier Morales, Joao Plata)
- Full box score
- Stats
- Highlights
Three Things
- RSL STAY UNBEATEN AT HOME: Very quietly, Real Salt Lake are rebuilding the home fortress reputation that was a hallmark of the team a few seasons ago. With 10 league games played this season, RSL remain unbeaten at Rio Tinto, winning five and drawing five. While their form has been inconsistent of late, staying unbeaten at home should help keep them in the playoff race for the time being.
- WONDO OFF THE MARK: After scoring eight goals in his first nine games this season, Wondolowski hit a dry spell. Prior to his tally in this match, he went seven league appearances without scoring, and San Jose missed his goals for a total of eleven games, due to his absence with the US national team for Copa America Centenario duty. With the Quakes on the edge of really making a run to get above the red line, having the captain back on the scoresheet should bolster those ambitions for the final stretch of the season.
- ABOUT THAT GOAL: Mulholland gets all the credit for scoring RSL's equalizer, and rightly so. His one-time volley while on the run is a beautiful goal. But Morales' assist was vintage JaviMo, and altogether it's a play to watch at least a few extra times.
