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Played
May 7, 2011 4:05 PM EDT
Rio Tinto Stadium — Sandy, Utah
Referee: P. Ward
Attendance: 14365
May 7, 2011 4:05 PM EDT
Rio Tinto Stadium — Sandy, Utah
Referee: P. Ward
Attendance: 14365
87′
Will Johnson
Real Salt Lake 1-0 Chivas USA: Javier Morales goes down with broken ankle
Salt Lake rides two-man advantage to the win but loses Javier Morales with a broken ankle which he suffered in the 38th minute
By Jeremy Horton
Javier Morales, Real Salt Lake (Chris Nicoll/Carbon Imagery)
SANDY, Utah -- Chivas USA’s Andrew Boyens was sent off in the 25th minute and Marcos Mondaini was sent off 10 minutes later when he viciously snapped Javier Morales’ ankle, and Real Salt Lake dominated the rest of the match while eeking out a 1-0 win in front of 14,313 at Rio Tinto Stadium. Will Johnson scored the winner and celebrated by flashing the No. 11 with his fingers in honor of his fallen teammate.
First Half
The opening minutes of the match were evenly contested, and both teams had a good chance in the early going. In the ninth minute, Nat Borchers got his head on a corner kick with a diving effort, but he couldn’t get low enough and sent his header over the crossbar on a bounce. Just minutes later, Nick LaBrocca got a header from close range but sent it wide.
Things got more interesting in the 15th minute when a ball over the top found Alvaro Saborio with only the goalkeeper to beat. Andrew Boyens pulled Saborio down from behind just outside the box, but inexplicably only got a yellow card from referee Paul Ward despite being the last man back. Morales hit the ensuing free kick into the wall, then nearly scored as he shot his own rebound, but Dan Kennedy made a nice save on the deflected shot.
But Boyens’ good fortune didn’t last long. Just 10 minutes later, he pulled Saborio down again and got shown his second yellow, putting Chivas down a man with over an hour of soccer left to play.
The rough play continued from Chivas, and in the 38th minute Mondaini made a horrible challenge from behind on Morales, snapping Morales’ leg and earning Mondaini a straight red card. His ejection put Chivas down two men going into halftime.
Second Half
With the two-man advantage, the game belonged to Real, and time after time it found itself with chances but was unable to capitalize. Borchers had a diving header ruled offside, and in the 59th minute Chris Wingert’s volley from 25 yards was well saved by Kennedy.
In the 62nd minute, Arturo Alvarez had a free volley from the left side of the penalty area, but he sent it just over the crossbar as RSL continued its onslaught.
As the minutes drew on, Chivas parked the bus in front of its own goal and Salt Lake kept threatening. But its recent offensive woes remained in effect and it had trouble getting the final touch that would have earned it the victory. Several promising crosses were within inches of being goals, but either a fingertip by Kennedy or the ball being just out of reach of an RSL player.
RSL finally got the goal it deserved in the 87th minute. Collen Warner volleyed in a cross from the left flank that was redirected by Borchers, but it was still going to go wide of the far post. Fortunately for Salt Lake, Johnson was crashing the far post and stuck it in to give Real the full three points.
Next weekend Chivas USA stays on the road as it heads to New York to take on the Red Bulls. Meanwhile, Real Salt Lake continue its homestand when it will host the Houston Dynamo.
For the latest insider info on all things RSL, follow Jeremy on Twitter @RSL_Jeremy
First Half
The opening minutes of the match were evenly contested, and both teams had a good chance in the early going. In the ninth minute, Nat Borchers got his head on a corner kick with a diving effort, but he couldn’t get low enough and sent his header over the crossbar on a bounce. Just minutes later, Nick LaBrocca got a header from close range but sent it wide.
Things got more interesting in the 15th minute when a ball over the top found Alvaro Saborio with only the goalkeeper to beat. Andrew Boyens pulled Saborio down from behind just outside the box, but inexplicably only got a yellow card from referee Paul Ward despite being the last man back. Morales hit the ensuing free kick into the wall, then nearly scored as he shot his own rebound, but Dan Kennedy made a nice save on the deflected shot.
But Boyens’ good fortune didn’t last long. Just 10 minutes later, he pulled Saborio down again and got shown his second yellow, putting Chivas down a man with over an hour of soccer left to play.
The rough play continued from Chivas, and in the 38th minute Mondaini made a horrible challenge from behind on Morales, snapping Morales’ leg and earning Mondaini a straight red card. His ejection put Chivas down two men going into halftime.
Second Half
With the two-man advantage, the game belonged to Real, and time after time it found itself with chances but was unable to capitalize. Borchers had a diving header ruled offside, and in the 59th minute Chris Wingert’s volley from 25 yards was well saved by Kennedy.
In the 62nd minute, Arturo Alvarez had a free volley from the left side of the penalty area, but he sent it just over the crossbar as RSL continued its onslaught.
As the minutes drew on, Chivas parked the bus in front of its own goal and Salt Lake kept threatening. But its recent offensive woes remained in effect and it had trouble getting the final touch that would have earned it the victory. Several promising crosses were within inches of being goals, but either a fingertip by Kennedy or the ball being just out of reach of an RSL player.
RSL finally got the goal it deserved in the 87th minute. Collen Warner volleyed in a cross from the left flank that was redirected by Borchers, but it was still going to go wide of the far post. Fortunately for Salt Lake, Johnson was crashing the far post and stuck it in to give Real the full three points.
Next weekend Chivas USA stays on the road as it heads to New York to take on the Red Bulls. Meanwhile, Real Salt Lake continue its homestand when it will host the Houston Dynamo.
For the latest insider info on all things RSL, follow Jeremy on Twitter @RSL_Jeremy
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Goal
Own Goal
Penalty
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Yellow Card
Assist
Penalty Save
Penalty Shootout Goal
Penalty Shootout Miss
Yellow Card / Red Card
Red Card
Substitution IN
Substitution OUT
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Results
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Match News
Top Scorers
| Player | Goals | Penalties | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Kenny Cooper
Striker NY Red Bulls |
11 | 2 |
|
Chris Wondolowski
Striker San Jose Earthquakes |
11 | 1 |
|
Thierry Henry
Striker NY Red Bulls |
9 | 0 |
|
Saer Sene
Striker New England |
7 | 1 |
|
Maicon Santos
Striker D.C. United |
7 | 0 |