LA Galaxy 1, Real Salt Lake 1 | 2017 MLS Match Recap

Alicia Rodriguez

Kyle Beckerman scored on the final kick of the game on Saturday, as Real Salt Lake kept their Audi 2017 MLS Cup Playoffs hopes alive with a 1-1 draw against the LA Galaxy at StubHub Center.

Beckerman scored on a rebound in the 95th minute, on a shot into the top netting after Clement Diop saved Joao Plata's free kick but spilled the ball back into play.

RSL went down a man just 14 minutes in, as Marcelo Silva was issued a red card following Video Review, as his foul on Giovani dos Santos made for denial of an obvious goal scoring opportunity.

Bradford Jamieson IV capitalized on the man advantage just before half-time, opening the scoring for the Galaxy with a well-taken shot off a Jermaine Jones feed. But LA could not hang on until the final whistle, and RSL got a big boost by drawing, going back above the playoff line for the time being in the Western Conference.

Petke on RSL comeback: "This is why I'm in this sport"

Goals

41' – LA – Bradford Jamieson IV Watch
95' – RSL – Kyle Beckerman Watch

Three Things

THAT OLD MAGIC:
Beckerman remains a key player for Real Salt Lake, but his days of scoring important goals appeared to mostly be behind him. He now has three goals on the season, bouncing back from the last two seasons, when he had a combined one goal, and the finish he provided on that walk-off goal showed the 35-year-old still has it.

A late, late, LATE equalizer for Kyle Beckerman and 10-man @RealSaltLake. #LAvRSL https://t.co/WhRoeIMcqD
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) October 1, 2017

NOT AGAIN: On the other side, the Galaxy will be very upset with the way the game ended. The hosts had the game firmly in hand until about the 70-minute mark, when two fresh RSL attackers, Brooks Lennon and Sebastian Saucedo, came off the bench to give their team new life. The duo didn't dictate the play in the final minutes, but their energy helped lift the rest of their squad, too, and RSL came close to equalizing a few times before the final play. Considering the Galaxy appeared to have the game well in hand, collapsing yet again isn't likely to sit well with head coach Sigi Schmid, his players, or their fans.

UNSUNG HERO: The other player who made an enormous impact on the game? RSL defender David Horst. Coming off the bench to replace Silva after the Uruguayan's ejection, Horst saved a sure goal from Giovani dos Santos late in the match, before then keeping the play alive and setting up Beckerman's goal. The veteran has never been in the spotlight, but this was absolutely a game to remember for Horst.