Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
SANDY — The last time Real Salt Lake scored a goal at America First Field was on April 22.
The scoreless streak was extended on Wednesday in a 0-0 draw against the Portland Timbers after a delayed start of almost two hours due to lightning in the area. The fans who stuck it out through rain, wind and thunder were unfortunately not rewarded with much of a show.
Despite getting off 17 shots on the night, RSL was, once again, held scoreless in front of its home fans. The three-match goal drought includes two 0-0 draws and a 3-0 loss to LAFC last week. Extended to road games, RSL is scoreless in its last four MLS matches.
"The longer you go without getting a goal it's just ominous," head coach Pablo Mastroeni said. "But I've been in this game for quite some time and it seems to come in bunches."
I asked Pablo what he saw from #RSL tonight and he gave a pretty comprehensive 2+ minute response pic.twitter.com/Rt3twVwfvC
— Caleb Turner (@calebturner23) May 18, 2023
The home team was the aggressor all night, owning more than 60% of the possession in the match. Mastroeni debuted a new attack featuring dynamic playmaker Jefferson Savarino as a striker instead of his usual wing role. Anderson Julio joined Savarino up top with Maikel Chang and talented youngster Andres Gomez on the flanks.
Savarino and Gomez had seven shots between the two of them, but Julio came up blank in front of goal and Chang struggled on the side opposite from where he typically plays.
While two shutouts in the last three home games is certainly a point of pride for the RSL defense, the sparse and inconsistent scoring continues to frustrate any hopes of sustainable success. The problem becomes even more baffling given the team's four-goal outburst against the Timbers just seven days earlier in U.S. Open Cup play.
RSL hits the road to take on rival Colorado Rapids twice in the next week: once in MLS play on May 20 and then in Open Cup play on May 24.
