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SANDY — Sebastian Saucedo has been dreaming of playing for Real Salt Lake his entire life.
A day after signing a professional contract as the club's eighth Homegrown Player, the midfielder/forward from Park City made the most of his first formal start as a professional.
Saucedo scored a goal in the ninth minute of his professional career, but the third-division Pittsburgh Riverhounds handed the RSL Reserves their first loss of the year, 5-2, in front of 11,202 fans Friday at Rio Tinto Stadium. RSL fell to 1-1-3 in MLS Reserve League play.
“I’ve dreamed of becoming a professional soccer player my entire life, and the opportunity to do that with Real Salt Lake is a dream come true,” Saucedo said in a statement. “After moving to Utah as a young kid and attending RSL games at Rice-Eccles Stadium, and then joining the RSL Academy, I can’t wait to jumpstart my professional career in my home state.
"The chance to play at Rio Tinto Stadium — one of the best soccer stadiums in the league — and the prospect of learning alongside some of the best players and coaches in MLS, especially those with World Cup experience, is just a dream come true.”
I've dreamed of becoming a professional soccer player my entire life, and the opportunity to do that with Real Salt Lake is a dream come true. After moving to Utah as a young kid and attending RSL games at Rice-Eccles Stadium, and then joining the RSL Academy, I can't wait to jumpstart my professional career in my home state.
–Sebastian Saucedo, new RSL signing
RSL was done in by defender Aaron Maund's red card barely four minutes into the match, and Jose Angulo converted the ensuing penalty kick for his first of three first-half PK goals of the match.
Devon Sandoval briefly gave Salt Lake a lead in the 28th minute, banging in a header after a pinpoint cross from the right side by the John Stertzer. But Angulo's challenge-ridden goals gave the USL Pro side a 3-2 halftime lead, and the visitors added two more in the final 45 minutes.
Kwame Watson-Siriboe was called for a push in the box in the 36th minute for Pittsburgh's second PK, and the Riverhounds drew the third just before halftime on an odd collision involving multiple players from both teams.
Sandoval nearly tipped in the 3-3 equalizer from Abdoulie Mansally in the 79th minute, but the assistant referee ruled the goal out. Pittsburgh sprinted downfield a minute later, and Rob Vincent ripped a goal to put the visitors up 4-2.
Justin Johnson capped off the scoring for the Riverhounds in the 82nd minute.
Saucedo signed the first-ever Homegrown contract by a player from Utah in RSL history on Thursday, hours before being presented at halftime of the host's 3-1 win over Montreal on Pioneer Day. The youngster led the RSL-Arizona Academy U-16 squad to the U.S. Soccer Development Academies' national championship in 2013 and the finals of the 2013-14 Generation Adidas Cup, where he won the Golden Ball as the tournament's best player.
The 5-foot-7 midfielder was born near San Fernando, California, but moved to Utah at a young age before spending the past three years in Arizona. He also featured in two RSL Reserve matches this season, a 1-1 draw with Chivas USA and a 0-0 draw with Seattle.
Terms of the contract were not released.
