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SANDY — The San Jose Earthquakes came into America First Field on Saturday as a top-four team in the West, while Real Salt Lake had lost four of its last five matches. But the home team found a way to overcome several setbacks to get its second consecutive win in Utah in convincing fashion.
The adversity started early for RSL after starters Anderson Julio and Brayan Vera were forced to leave the match due to injuries in the opening 30 minutes. Relative newcomer Danny Musovski was brought on for Julio, and the Las Vegas native found Jasper Loffelsend on a breakaway soon after taking the pitch to put RSL up 1-0 at the half.
"Having two guys go down to the first half is not something you ever planned for," head coach Pablo Mastroeni said. "As a group, we're doing a fantastic job creating a lot of great opportunities. The guys up front are committed to making it difficult for teams to play."
The scoreboard was reset just four minutes into the second half, however, when Cristian Espinoza's free kick tied the game at 1-1 in the 49th minute.
They all count the same. 🤷♂️https://t.co/D0Cujtv54e | #MLSSeasonPasspic.twitter.com/5YLssz04VU
— San Jose Earthquakes (@SJEarthquakes) April 23, 2023
Jefferson Savarino took matters into his own hands and found the back of the net for the third time in as many games to put RSL back up 2-1 in the 54th minute on a shot from the edge of the box.
San Jose dominated possession in the match and got three more shots on frame in the second half, but was unable to capitalize on the chances. Andres Gomez sealed the win for RSL in the 80th minute when he fired a shot off the side post and into the goal to make it 3-1.
The performance gave RSL its third win of the young season and moved the Claret and Cobalt into the final Western Conference playoff spot with 9 points on the season.
"I think through all the hardships that we've been going through, there's definitely a lot of silver linings," Mastroeni said. "I think it's good to put three very good performances back-to-back, so it feels good, and I think it validates all the work."
RSL's next game will be its U.S. Open Cup debut against the USL's Las Vegas Lights on Wednesday, April 26 at Cashman Field in Las Vegas. The match will be broadcast on the KSL+ app starting at 8 p.m. MDT.
The next MLS match will be at home next Saturday, April 29 against the Seattle Sounders at 7:30 p.m. MDT.
