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SALT LAKE CITY — Real Salt Lake's unbeaten start to the season is no more.
Johnny Russell scored the only goal of the match in the 81st minute, and Sporting Kansas City handed RSL its first loss of the season with a 1-0 win Saturday at Children's Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas.
It's the ninth goal in the last eight regular-season matches for Russell, who has 41 goals in five seasons in Major League Soccer. Tim Melia made two saves to earn the shutout for Kansas City (2-3, 6 points).
"I thought it was a well-played game. I think we had a couple opportunities to get one," RSL manager Pablo Mastroeni said. "I think it came down to one play where we do a pretty decent job defending, but then it bounces against us, and they capitalize on it. I credit this group, who has overcome a ton, including warm-ups and at half time. I am just grateful this game is only 90 minutes because if it went any longer we might have lost half the team."
A win over Sporting would've given Salt Lake (3-1-1, 10 points) its best start to a season in club history, topping the 6-0-6 mark set in 2014. And the visitors who were tied for the Western Conference lead came out with an edge, outshooting Kansas City 6-4 in the first half with two shots on goal to the host's one. With a lineup that featured Joni Menendez, Sergio Cordova and Jasper Loeffelsend making their first starts of the year, the visitors were on the front foot early, but nothing to show for it.
The bench that traveled just six players on the roster got shorter at halftime when Jaziel Orozco replaced Erik Holt out of the locker room with the former struggling with plantar fasciitis. The 17-year-old center back filled in well enough in his debut for the 25-year-old fellow homegrown product, but RSL had nothing to show for it through the late stages of the match.
Johnny Russell finds the laaate go-ahead goal for @SportingKC! pic.twitter.com/q0q7ee1X1p
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) March 27, 2022
With 10 minutes left in regulation, that's when Russell slalomed into the area, picking up a deflected pass off the back line before burying the opening goal in the left corner to give Kansas City a 1-0 lead. The goal came in the 81st minute, just moments before the Scottish international was replaced, and given a swell of applause from the home fans for giving Sporting the advantage.
RSL owned a 3-1-1 record against Sporting in the previous four seasons, including a pair of stoppage-time goals in 2021 that included a 2-1 win in the Western Conference semifinals.
Real Salt Lake next travels to Commerce City to face Rocky Mountain rivals Colorado Rapids on April 2. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. MT on KMYU.
