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SANDY — The bar was low for Real Salt Lake heading into Saturday's match against the Portland Timbers: just don't give up six goals like last week.
RSL "kept the zero," as head coach Pablo Mastroeni has stressed all season, and came away with a 0-0 draw on the road.
"I think what exemplifies a team is the way you defend. We did a good job of working hard for each other, and I think we created the best chances of the game," head coach Pablo Mastroeni said. "When they're bought in, when they're all in, you get performances like tonight."
RSL earned its fourth draw of the season and maintained its sixth-place spot in the Western Conference standings — two spots clear of the playoff line.
From a shots and possession standpoint, Portland dominated Salt Lake from start to finish. Christian Paredes had the best chance for either team with five minutes until the half when he struck a volley from outside the box that RSL goalkeeper Zach MacMath was forced to punch over the crossbar.
Oh my, Paredes. What a take. #RCTIDpic.twitter.com/qc1WAKRrCx
— Portland Timbers (@TimbersFC) April 24, 2022
Portland went into the break with a 61-39% advantage in possession and 6-1 lead in shots. Despite the disparity in play, RSL was able to hold the Timbers scoreless and give itself a shot in the final 45 minutes.
"That was first and foremost: Get to the half with the zero," Andrew Brody said of holding Portland scoreless. "Now it's all about the second half and trying to get a goal. It's about communication, staying organized and then stepping up."
Midfielder Pablo Ruiz stepped up in the 66th minute with a shot in the box, but the ball struck the goal post and he couldn't get the rebound on frame. The miss from Ruiz shot RSL up to a .5-.4 lead in expected goals, according to MLSSoccer.com, after trailing the Timbers in the advanced metric for most of the match.
Another chance inside the box from Maikel Chang in the 76th minute was, once again, foiled but gave the Claret and Cobalt momentum heading into the final 10 minutes. Despite finishing scoreless for the second-straight week, RSL created the chances it needed in the second half and led .8-.4 in expected goals after 90 minutes.
MacMath got his third shutout of the year with four saves on four Portland shots on goal. The RSL defense, as a whole, stepped up and won 11 tackles to nine for Portland and cleared the ball 27 times to 15 for the Timbers. Portland was held scoreless despite 13 total shots, to just four for RSL.
Veteran defenders Aaron Herrera and Justen Glad started their first game of the season together on the back line against Portland, assisting McMath in the shutout.
"You saw how disciplined we were. We lost our voices because we were talking and shifting," midfielder Justin Meram said. "We knew we had to be better for our fans after what happened last week. It's good when you have one of your best defenders back in Justen Glad."
The Claret and Cobalt now return home for eight of their next 12 matches after playing six on the road in the first nine of 2022. LA Galaxy visits Sandy next in a 1:30 p.m. MDT meeting at Rio Tinto Stadium on April 30.
