Real Salt Lake Convert Late Winner into Three Road Points at Philadelphia

April 27, 2024 – Major League Soccer (MLS)
Real Salt Lake News Release

PHILADELPHIA – Real Salt Lake (5-2-3, 18 points, T-1st West) converted an 89th-minute winner from nearly 30 yards by newcomer Alex Katranis into a 2-1 victory on the road at Philadelphia Union. The win gives RSL six road points in back-to-back wins at Chicago and Philadelphia and extends the Claret-and-Cobalt unbeaten run to a League-high six matches, including five straight results away from home.

The first half-hour of play was quiet as neither team could manufacture consistent scoring chances. In Captain Chicho Arango’s first match against Philadelphia since MLS Cup 2022, when his former LAFC squad defeated the Union on penalties for the title, the Colombian sniper created the match’s first chance in the fourth minute. Rushing at Philadelphia’s Andre Blake as he prepared to play the ball long, Arango leaped up to deflect it into the air. Matt Crooks and Andrés Gómez combined to find Arango at the top of the box, but his shot went over the crossbar.

Both teams would battle it out in the midfield until Fidel Barajas nearly collected his first MLS goal in the 25th minute. As Arango pinged a ball across to Alexandros Katranis on the left side of the midfield, he leapt forward with his first touch, slicing to the middle of the field before finding a cutting Barajas on the right corner of the box. Space suddenly appeared for Barajas to claim his first MLS goal as a fake shot sent the first defender flying out of view, but it would be deflected out of play as the Philadelphia defense converged with another sliding defender.

Real Salt Lake finally broke the stalemate in the 34th minute to claim a 1-0 lead. Arango carried possession forward in the midfield when an attempted tackle deflected the ball forward towards the box for Arango to sprint onto. Spotting Gómez darting in from the right side, Arango laid it off for his Colombian teammate who took one touch and loaded up for a thunderous right-footed strike at the goalkeeper’s near post. Gómez’s technique was so powerful that Blake could only get a piece of the shot, deflecting it upwards before falling across the line for an RSL goal. Both teams finished the half within one point of each other in possession, passing accuracy, shots on target, corners and fouls.

The RSL lead wouldn’t last for long coming out of the half, as Philadelphia equalized in the 50th minute. After winning the ball in the RSL half, Philadelphia counterpressed with…