Real Salt Lake Earns Point in 1-1 Road Draw at LA Galaxy

May 12, 2024 – Major League Soccer (MLS)
Real Salt Lake News Release

CARSON, Calif. – Real Salt Lake (6-2-4, 22 Pts, 1st West) came away with a single road point at the Galaxy, with a Chicho Arango first-half brace staking RSL to a 2-0 halftime lead. But home side goals early and late in the second half doomed the visitors. as a 94th minute equalizer from Los Angeles Galaxy squared the match. The draw extends RSL’s streak of MLS matches undefeated to eight – including six on the road without a loss – and re-establishes Captain Chicho atop the MLS Golden Boot race.

Watch / Listen to RSL Head Coach Pablo Mastroeni’s Commentary following 2-2 draw at LA Galaxy on Sat., May 11, 2024.

With both offenses patiently sizing each other up, it would take eight minutes until the first chance of the game. LA’s Riqui Puig streaked across the top of the RSL box, drawing the attention of the defense before laying it off to his right for a charging Joseph Paintsil. Face-to-face with Zac MacMath at point-blank range, it was only kept out by a heroic last-minute deflection by Alex Katranis.

Real Salt Lake’s first chance of the match would come five minutes later. Pressing high up the pitch, Andrés Gómez and Matt Crooks harassed an LA defender with the ball at his feet, managing to win possession just outside of the Galaxy box. With only one defender back, Crooks flicked it forward into the box for Gómez as Arango and Diego Luna charged in for support. Taking the centerback’s attention right in front of goal, Gómez attempted a clever pass to Arango for the finish but it narrowly went past the outstretched boot of his striker.

Even with the threatening moves by both sides, neither team tallied a shot on goal until the 13th minute. In a deja vu moment, the Galaxy’s next big chance was nearly a mirror image of the first. Puig controlled it around the box, finding Paintsil by way of Dejan Joveljić deep on the right side for another point-blank duel with MacMath, this time saved as the veteran keeper charged off his line.

Despite LA Galaxy’s domination of possession, shots and shots on target in the first 20 minutes, it would be RSL that broke through first for the early lead. As Real Salt Lake patiently probed for an opening while passing around the midfield, Braian Ojeda found Katranis with space out on the left wing. Controlling it with his head up, Katranis spotted Arango in the center of the box and whipped a perfectly weighted ball into the dangerous area. Even…