SANDY, Utah (ABC4 Sports) – What a week it has been for Real Salt Lake.
After a thrilling 4-3 comeback win over San Jose on Wednesday, Damir Kreilach scored his team-leading 10th goal of the season in the 48th minute, as RSL knocked off the top seed in the Western Conference, the Seattle Sounders Saturday night at Rio Tinto Stadium, 1-0.
Kreilach’s 48th-minute header, his team-leading 10th goal of the season, was enough to move RSL to 10W-9L-6D and 36 points from 25 matches and into the No. 5 spot on the West table.
Real Salt Lake started off on the front foot, notably coming inches from a highlight-reel opener in the 15th minute off a scorching volley from Aaron Herrera that looked bound for what could have an incredible goal, but wound up glancing off the crossbar — the closest chance for either side in what ended in a scoreless first half.
The hosts would find their opener just after second-half kickoff through a close-range header from Kreilach. The chance was set up by some fantastic individual play from Herrera, who put on a series of jukes on Brad Smith to free up the space for a perfect cross that gave Kreilach an easy finish.
RSL would continue to press the action in the aftermath of the goal, nearly doubling the lead just nine minutes later off a close-range effort from Albert Rusnak that took a difficult kick-save from Sounders goalkeeper Stefan Frei to keep it out of the net.
An insurance goal would elude the hosts, but it turned out to be a moot point, as the Sounders’ push for a second-half equalizer came up short and the match would end 1-0.
RSL moves up to fifth place in the Western Conference standings with a record of 10-9-6. Real next plays at Portland September 25th.