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SALT LAKE CITY — Real Salt Lake settled for a 1-1 tie on the road against the LA Galaxy Saturday in the penultimate match of the regular season.
“We should’ve won the game,” defender Aaron Herrera said. “We played the better game and had the better chances.”
RSL pressured the LA defense early, earning three corner kicks in the opening three minutes. The Galaxy got the first two shots on target, however, and then earned a penalty in the 15th minute.
Zac MacMath was able to save the penalty from Riqui Puig, and just eight minutes later Sergio Cordova headed home a chip from Herrera to give RSL a 1-0 lead on the road after 25 minutes.
It was MacMath’s third penalty save of the year and Cordova’s ninth goal in a decisive 10-minute run for RSL from the penalty being called to the opening goal. LA led 6-3 in shots on goal at the half, but MacMath saved all six in an impressive 45-minute shift.
“A solid first half from us. We executed the game plan and did exactly what we wanted to do,” Andrew Brody said at the half. “We know we can beat them in transition here when they commit numbers forward.”
The Galaxy owned 66% of possession, but it was just the transition opportunities that Brody mentioned that mattered in the first half.
RSL made its first substitutes in the 58th minute when Diego Luna and Anderson Julio came on for Cordova and Jasper Loffelsend.
LA earned its second penalty of the night in the 63rd minute when Marcelo Silva got tangled up with Chicharito in the box. Douglas Costa stepped up and buried the penalty kick to tie the game 1-1 in the 68th minute.
“It’s these external forces that come into the game and really changed the game on its head,” RSL head coach Pablo Mastroeni said. “It’s like a bizarre world. But as far as our performance, man, I couldn’t be more proud of the guys.”
Veteran winger Justin Meram came on for Bryan Oviedo in the 86th minute as RSL looked to make one last push for a late game winner.
Meram sent a cross in that found the head of Justen Glad unmarked in the 95th minute, but the center back’s header was saved off the line by the keeper’s foot.
The draw keeps RSL just outside of the playoffs in the eighth spot with 44 points.
The Claret and Cobalt will have to win on Decision Day on Oct. 9 against Portland at America First Field to have a chance at making the postseason.
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Caleb Turner covers Real Salt Lake as the team’s beat writer for KSL.com, in addition to his role where he oversees the sports team’s social media accounts.
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