Back at Rio Tinto Stadium after a 2-week international break, Real Salt Lake got back in the win column, taking down the Colorado Rapids 3-1 on Saturday night.
With the Rocky Mountain Cup rivalry trophy and three important points on the line, RSL came out on the front foot early. MLS All-Star Damir Kreilach scored the opening goal in the 13th minute, connecting with a cross from Aaron Herrera and heading the ball in at the back post.
The goal was Kreilach’s 14th of the season, currently tied for third in the league. The goal also broke a club record, with Damir now having scored in five consecutive matches.
No. 14 for King Kreilach 👑 pic.twitter.com/kKjlzNFXqr
— Real Salt Lake (@realsaltlake) October 17, 2021
Rubio Rubin scored off of a Kreilach delivery in the 56th minute for a 2-0 lead, but Colorado got one back in the 73rd minute to cut the lead to 2-1.
RSL saw the game out the rest of the way, standing up the Rapids attack that was trying to secure a vital point on the road that would have clinched its spot in the MLS Cup Playoffs. Adding a cherry on top, Anderson Julio added a third goal in the seventh minute of stoppage time (90+6), cementing RSL’s 3-1 win and taking back the Rocky Mountain Cup after a one-year hiatus.
In the standings
With the win, RSL moves to 5-0-4 under interim coach Pablo Mastroeni. The club now has 12 wins, six draws, and 11 losses (12-6-11) in the 2021 season, currently sitting at fifth place in the Western Conference with 42 points. The top seven teams in each conference qualify for the 2021 Audi MLS Cup playoffs.
Real Salt Lake now has five matches remaining in the regular season: on the road against Chicago, FC Dallas, and Sporting Kansas City and at home versus San Jose and Portland.
Club records
Not only did Damir Kreilach set a new club record, but Aaron Herrera did as well. Providing the assist to Kreilach’s goal, Herrera now has 10 for the season. With Albert Rusnak leading the team in assists with 11, the club now has two players with 10 assists each in a campaign for the first time ever.
The win over the Rapids also gave RSL its seventh straight home win, the longest streak in club history.
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Every game week, Spencer and Tyson will break down RSL’s results, future matches, and top stories about the club. Look out for it every Friday morning on Spreaker, Spotify, and Amazon Music.
