Photo by Russ Isabella/USA TODAY Sports
By RYAN TOLMICH
Entering Friday night, Sporting Kansas City had lost just one of the team’s eleven matches. Following a matchup with Real Salt Lake, Sporting KC will have to settle for two in twelve.
Led by goals from Javier Morales and Joao Plata, Real Salt Lake halted Sporting KC’s recent run with a 2-1 victory at Rio Tinto Stadium.
Morales’ opener came in the 34th minute, as the RSL midfielder’s dribbling prowess was on full display in grabbing his team’s first goal.
Following a goal kick, the ball was headed into the path of Morales, who took a trio of touches to dribble past a pair of Sporting KC defenders. Now alone on goal, the Argentinian midfielder fired a right-footed shot into the bottom left-hand corner, giving RSL the game’s opener with his fifth goal of the season.
After seeing Benny Feilhaber nab an equalizer in the 49th minute, it was Plata who pushed RSL to all three points from the penalty spot. He had previously hit the post to close the first half.
The spot kick was earned by Olmes Garcia, who darted in on goal before being taken out in the box by Sporting KC goalkeeper Tim Melia. Tasked with taking the ensuing penalty kick, Plata rocketed a shot into the lower right-hand corner, besting Melia, who guessed right but could not get a hand to the shot.
Plata’s finish left Feilhaber’s rocket as a mere consolation, as the MLS All-Star’s 49th minute missile from 30-yards-out was not enough to extend Sporting KC’s unbeaten streak.
With the win, RSL now has three straight victories across all competitions, lifting the team within three points of a playoff position at the final whistle.
RSL will now look to continue momentum with a matchup against Eastern Conference leaders D.C. United on Aug. 1, while Sporting KC looks to rebound from Friday night’s setback in a match against the Houston Dynamo that same day.
It was a really entertaining game. You could argue that RSL could/should have had 3 more goals and SKC at least 2 more. As an RSL fan, it was especially nice to see chances created frequently. Sandoval works so hard but his finishing is absolutely terrible. Also, Plata is struggling with confidence right now and would have had at least 2 more goals in the form he was in last year.
However, the best part of the night by far was seeing Feilhaber completely meltdown and lose it. His antics got so ridiculous that a number of his teammates were going at him hard during the last 10 minutes and after the game. It looked like he was trying his hardest to get sent off. Complete embarrassment to the game of soccer. He had a ridiculous tackle from behind on Morales and then lost his mind at the yellow card when his teammates seemed to be relieved it wasn’t red. Then he just followed Javi around the last 10 minutes yelling, pushing, elbowing and generally acting the fool.
I am so glad that Benny doesn’t get called up to the Nats anymore. I always thought he embarrassed the game when he played for the USMNT. As a soccer purist, his seeming disrespect for the game is just really hard to handle. There are a lot of really talented players that I respect a lot, even on teams I don’t like, but Feilhaber is a clown and I have absolutely ZERO respect for him as a player. No room in the game his him.
Great win by RSL. I missed this one but everyone is saying Benny had a few halarious meltdowns. Good for RSL to keep momentum. By the Attinela is MLS starting quality keeper.
You missed a good one. It is the best RSL has looked this season. Javi and Beltran were making their back line look silly on multiple occasions, and Mansally made a great defensive run on what I expected to be a sure breakaway goal by Dwyer. Both teams whiffed on some great chances and both keepers made some good saves. Definitely a fun match.