After taking down heavily favored Seattle and Sporting Kansas City on the road in the first two rounds of the playoffs, Real Salt Lake now faces the Portland Timbers in the Western Conference final on Saturday.
RSL outplayed Sporting KC the entire game but fell behind early due to a poor decision on defense that led to a penalty.
Despite facing an early deficit, Real pushed on, leading to a pair of second-half goals to claim the comeback victory and eliminate its hated rival.
The winner came in stoppage time off the foot of second-half substitute Bobby Wood, proving RSL’s win over Seattle in the previous round was no fluke.
BOBBY FREAKING WOOD ARE YOU JOKING pic.twitter.com/y4EXhJ9rrZ
— Real Salt Lake (@realsaltlake) November 28, 2021
We also can’t forget how Real got into the postseason, scoring this goal in the 90+5 of the final match of the season against…Sporting Kansas City.
🗣 90' + 5'
Damir Kreilach's stoppage time goal that sent #RSL into the @Audi #MLSCupPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/0bkOBYBo3c
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) November 8, 2021
2009 repeat, anyone?
So for anyone who remembers, RSL barely made the playoffs on the last day of the season 12 years ago. They then proceeded to win MLS Cup 2009.
Two wins down for a repeat of that season, two more to go.
Last time out
After shocking Seattle in round one, RSL found themselves as underdogs again in the semis against SKC.
Playing without Albert Rusnak again, Real still came out on the front foot and pushed for a goal after going all out on defense in the previous match.
Even after falling behind, RSL’s game plan didn’t change, with the pressure they put on Sporting ramping up.
Second-half substitutions by interim manager Pablo Mastroeni also came at the right time, with both goals being scored by bench players (Anderson Julio and Bobby Wood) while Justin Meram also assisted on the game-winner.
Chances created
Even without Rusnak, RSL was still able to create plenty of opportunities against SKC.
Real out possessed the home side 56 percent to 44 percent, but even more important were the shots.
After registering zero shots in an all-out attempt to stop Seattle from scoring in round one, RSL tallied 11 shots with five on target, while SKC managed five total shots with two on target.
So somehow, Real came out with two completely different game plans for two different opponents but was able to execute both to reach the conference final.
A look at the Portland Timbers
One of the more consistent clubs in Major League Soccer, the Portland Timbers have reached the postseason in seven of the last nine years. They have also played in the MLS Cup final twice, winning it all in 2015. The Timbers also took home the title at the 2020 MLS Is Back Tournament.
Finishing fourth in the West with a record of 17 wins, 4 draws, and 13 losses (55 points), Portland scored 56 goals during the season, the second-highest total in the Western Conference.
Much like RSL did during the regular season, the Timbers allowed a large number of goals. Letting 52 goals into the back of the net, Portland allowed the second-most among all the West’s playoff teams behind only Real. That meant Portland finished with a plus-4 goal differential, good for fourth in the conference.
In the playoffs, the Timbers faced fifth-place Minnesota at home in the first round, falling behind 1-0 early before winning 3-1 on the strength of a Sebastian Blanco brace. They then went on the road to top seed Colorado, securing the 1-0 upset win in the 90th minute.
Playoff history
RSL and Portland have met twice previously in the postseason, the first in the 2013 West final that Real won 5-2 over two legs to advance to MLS Cup 2013.
RSL also came out on top in the first round of the 2019 playoffs, winning a 2-1 match at home.
Prediction
With Rusnak returning after a two-match absence, RSL should be able to insert him seamlessly into a lineup that shined on the offensive side of the ball against Sporting.
His 11 goals and 11 assists on the season add even more of an offensive threat for the visitors, while the absence of the second and third-leading goal scorers for Portland – Sebastian Blanco and Dairon Asprilla – hurt their own chances.
With that being said, Real has played the Timbers three times this season, coming out on the wrong side of all 3 matches. In the three losses, RSL was outscored 12-4 overall, including a 6-1 drubbing in Portland on September 25.
While I am a Real Salt Lake supporter, I’m just not sure that the magic can continue for the third time. Especially knowing how poorly we’ve matched up with Portland this season.
If the run does end though, it was really fun while it lasted.
Portland Timbers 2, Real Salt Lake 1
RSL and Portland kick off their Western Conference final matchup on Saturday, December 4 at 4:30 p.m. MT. The game will be played at Providence Park in Portland, Oregon, and can be seen on FS1.
