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SANDY - Real Salt Lake returned to Rio Tinto Stadium Saturday night to host MLS Eastern Conference opponent Sporting Kansas City after pulling a road win the previous weekend in Seattle.
RSL added a 1-0 win and extended their winning streak to four off a header by defender Nat Borchers in the 54th minute and the standing-room-only crowd of 19,888 erupted as the final whistle was blown. The goal was Borchers' third of season.
"It was kind of funny," Borchers told the media following the match. "It was almost like Kyle and I drew it up like a play in basketball. I just made sure I curled my run, he hit the perfect ball, and Jimmy Nielson's in no-man's land. It's a pretty easy goal. Usually Javier has taken those in the past and has been fantastic, and now with Kyle, he's putting in excellent balls, so those are easy to finish. We work on them in training every now and again, which helps."
The match was full of physical contact, but RSL fought hard and played right through to the final whistle and Head Coach Jason Kreis was pleased with his rosters fight.
"I believe that this team can win in multiple ways," Kreis said in the post-game press conference. "I think it sends a message to the rest of the league that if a brawl is going to break out and it's going to be a wrestling match, well, we can win that way too."
With the win, RSL (14-7-6) bumped one spot up into third in the MLS Western Conference with 48 points on the season and sit just three points behind the Seattle Sounders and two points ahead of FC Dallas.
With only seven regular season matches left, RSL will hit the road next week for a double-match week.
First on Wednesday, Sept. 21, traveling to the Empire State to face the New York Red Bulls and then will remain on the road next weekend to face D.C. United, Sept. 24, at RFK Stadium before returning to their fortress to host the Chicago Fire on Sept. 28.
Due to a yellow card issued to RSL midfielder Kyle Beckerman in the 69th minute, RSL will be without their captain on the field Wednesday as they face New York, but Beckerman told the media he was okay with it falling on Wednesday's game.
"I knew (I was on warning), but it was going to happen," Beckerman told the media. "I could use a rest, so I'll take a rest next game and be ready (for D.C. United). It's not much of a rest, so I'll just be ready for Saturday."
October will see RSL on the road for three games before finishing off the regular season at home on October 22 against the Portland Timbers.
