Kansas City, Kan. • When Real Salt Lake was down 1-0 at halftime, it was faced with a question it hadn’t been asked this postseason yet. The “belief” that had got it to that point was now under fire. Could the belief keep them alive even when facing defeat, in a building that holds multiple postseason heartbreaks for them?
Question answered.
Anderson Julio and Bobby Wood came off the bench to pull off the smash and grab against Sporting Kansas City, sending Real Salt Lake to the Western Conference finals.
A first-half penalty had RSL trailing for the first time in 144 minutes of postseason play. Sporting midfielder Gadi Kinda earned a penalty kick after a clumsy challenge from Aaron Herrera. Kinda cut to the end line and while the ball was likely going out of play, Herrera whiffed on the ball and kicked Kinda’s shins, resulting in head referee Kevin Stott pointing to the spot. Sporting captain Johnny Russell slammed the ball to David Ochoa’s left while Ochoa dove to his right.
From then on Real Salt Lake was faced with the question of whether or not it could take the game to someone else. Forty-eight minutes later RSL responded. An initial clearance from the Sporting defense saw the ball land at the feet of Andrew Brody, whose teasing ball over the top of the backline was headed home by substitute Anderson Julio.
Real Salt Lake was able to get back to its game, frustrating Sporting KC by putting numbers behind the ball, taking its time, and milking the clock for every last second. It worked, as the game looked destined for extra time. After heartbreak in 2013 and 2017 at the hands of Sporting KC at Children’s Mercy Park, Real Salt Lake vanquished its demons in that building with a stunning knock-out punch to yet another Western Conference giant
Real Salt Lake won the ball at midfield as the clock struck 90 minutes. Justin Meram ran through the Sporting KC defense and played a ball on the ground into the box finding the outstretched foot of Bobby Wood for the perfect flick into the far post, past a sprawling Tim Melia.
Sporting KC had no time to mount a serious response, and Kevin Stott eventually blew for full-time. Immediately RSL players tore across the field to the corner of the stadium to celebrate with their contingent of traveling fans, celebrating the exorcism of some of the most disappointing moments in their club’s history in that building.
from The Salt Lake Tribune https://ift.tt/3CVf9Ju
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