A week after being the scapegoat, Jamison Olave transformed into the hero.
Olave pushed Real Salt Lake into the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals on Tuesday, scoring the decisive goal in the first half of a 1-0 victory over Municipal. The win at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah, saw RSL take Group G with a 3-0-1 record, and marked the second time the club has reached the knock-out rounds of the competition.
The hulking centerback struck in the 43rd minute of the match against the Guatemalan outfit, and that combined with Nick Rimando’s latest cleansheet was enough to see RSL advance. Olave, who was red carded a week ago in a loss in MLS play, found a Javier Morales corner kick and rose up to nod home the winner inside the far post.
Rimando helped ensure that goal would be the difference, as he came up with an impressive save on a Carlos Ruiz free kick in the 76th minute.
Real Salt Lake is the fourth MLS club to advance to the quarterfinals of this edition of the CCL, joining D.C. United, the LA Galaxy, and Seattle Sounders.
What did you think about RSL’s 1-0 win over Municipal? How impressed were you with the performance? Expecting RSL to do well in the knockout rounds next year?
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