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COMMERCE CITY, Colo. — Real Salt Lake goalkeeper Nick Rimando tied the all-time record for shutouts in Major League Soccer history in a 1-0 win over the archrival Rapids on Saturday night.
You’d never know it from his reaction, though.
“A shutout is a shutout for me,” Rimando said after the match. “The effort from in front of me was fantastic.”
In Rimando’s defense, his teammates on the back line probably deserve a fair share of the credit for the shutout.
After RSL went down to 10 men, following defender Aaron Maund’s red card in the 46th minute, substitute Carlos Salcedo, fellow center back Nat Borchers and fullbacks Tony Beltran and Chris Wingert locked down a dangerous Colorado side to win back the Rocky Mountain Cup after a one-year absence.
Rimando’s teammates looked motivated — as if seeking the relief for Rimando’s 112th career shutout — and the squad’s first clean sheet since a scoreless draw with FC Dallas on May 24. Rimando tied former FC Dallas goalkeeper Kevin Hartman for MLS’s best.
“It was awesome. We've been trying to get it for Nick for a long time,” RSL captain Kyle Beckerman said. “He deserves it. We feel like he's been the best goalkeeper in the league for years. I'm just so happy for him to tie it tonight. Nick is a huge player for us, and I think now he's getting more recognition because of the national team. It's great because Nick's a good guy and we all like to see when the good guys do well.”
The win didn’t come without a steep cost. Apart from Maund’s straight red, Wingert and Beltran will both miss RSL’s home date with D.C. United on Saturday for yellow card accumulation. Real Salt Lake will be down to central defenders Borchers, Chris Schuler and the versatile Salcedo, as well as young players Kwame Watson-Siriboe, Abdoulie Mansally and Justen Glad when East No. 2 United pays a visit.
RSL coach Jeff Cassar didn’t seem too worried after the way he saw his team play on the road in adverse circumstances Saturday, all while being outshot 22-6.
“We didn't plan to play short. We had our roster set up, and if we had any issues, we were able to deal with them,” Cassar said. “Our subs were fantastic tonight. Carlos (Salcedo) was a beast on the back line when he came in. Cole (Grossman) really solidified the midfield. John (Stertzer) really made a couple nice plays even though he was in for seven minutes.”
And RSL will still count on the services of leading scorer Joao Plata, captain Beckerman and midfield maestro Javier Morales, who scored his sixth goal of the season at Colorado.
“Mainly, it was just our confidence, sharpness and organization,” Beckerman said.
