May 4, 2024 – National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL)
Utah Royals FC News Release
SANDY, Utah – Real Salt Lake (6-2-3, 21 points, 1st West) enjoyed a crucial late winner courtesy of its Captain Chicho Arango to secure an important 1-0 victory against Sporting Kansas City (2-4-5, 11 points, 10th West) in a thrilling Major League Soccer encounter at America First Field on Saturday, May 4th, 2024. The win extends the Claret-and-Cobalt’s active unbeaten run to a league-high seven games and places the team clear now at the top of the MLS Western Conference standings, pending Sunday’s LA Galaxy result.
Watch / Listen to RSL Head Coach Pablo Mastroeni, Chicho Arango and Zac MacMath Post-Game Commentary following 1-o win against Sporting Kansas City on Sat., May 4, 2024
RSL opened the game with two near-miss chances in the first 10 minutes, first when a Justen Glad header off an Alex Katranis corner kick sailed just wide of the post. Minutes later, fleet-footed winger Andrés Gómez found himself in alone but shot just wide of the right post. The final 35 minutes of the half were mostly even, with neither team able to establish its dominance and truly impose itself on the match.
RSL’s new innovative and exciting tactical approach this season was on display throughout the encounter for all to see. The principle of the approach saw the team set up and start out in a 4-2-3-1 structure before morphing into a 3-2-4-1 formation in possession, with Alex Katranis logding up higher-up on the left wing and having the freedom of the entire left flank allowing Fidel Barajas to tuck inside as a second attacking midfielder, and Andrew Brody moving more central from right full-back to form a back three alongside Justen Glad and Brayan Vera.
The system allowed the Claret-and-Cobalt to dominate possession for the entirety of the contest, with the team accounting for over 60 percent of possession by halftime. However, despite its monopoly of possession, the team seemed to lack a crucial penetrative edge, struggling to breakdown a resolute Kansas City defense that looked content to mainly sit back and try to hit the hosts on the counter attack through its skillfull and powerful attackers.
RSL’s next best chance of the first half came in the 43rd minute when Andrés Gómez, receiving a through pass from Chicho Arango, cut inside from the byline before unleashing a fierce left footed effort which was only narrowly tipped over the bar by KC keeper John Pulskamp.
Sporting Kansas City’s best…