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One. Big. Jump.
That's all it took, and now Real Salt Lake trails just St. Louis in the Western Conference standings with three games to go.
Chicho Arango rose up in the 72nd minute and headed home a sure-fire shot into the corner of the goal to end a five-match losing streak at LAFC and to give RSL its first win on the road against the reigning champs since the 2018 playoffs.
The header came on the receiving end of a first-time cross from Rubio Rubin, who entered the match just two minutes earlier. The defense held the Los Angeles powerhouse scoreless on the evening and RSL set a new franchise record with its seventh road win of the season.
CHICHO RISES UP LIKE A SALMON!!!!! pic.twitter.com/0U30O086Zl
— Real Salt Lake (@realsaltlake) October 2, 2023
To add insult to injury, LAFC let Arango go after last season's MLS Cup campaign and ended up on the wrong end of a revenge game for the new RSL MVP.
"You couldn't have scripted it any better," head coach Pablo Mastroeni said of the Arango game-winner over his former team. "It's a fantastic story for Chicho. He's really important (for) his leadership and his drive in this group."
Mastroeni said Arango was adamant in leading the group and wearing the captain's armband for the first time in his RSL career on Sunday.
The odds did not favor RSL heading into the match, with the money line at +450 for the Claret and Cobalt after a long streak of losses at BMO Stadium. The win moves RSL 2 points clear of fifth-place Houston as the team tries to finish in the top four and guarantee a home playoff game.
"It's a big win for the group given how much is at stake at this point in the season," Mastroeni said. "There's three things that we really wanted to focus on today: discipline as a group with and without the ball, concentration and communication. For me, in this phase of the season, it's all about guys working extremely hard for one another."
Next up for RSL is the regular season home finale against Kansas City on Saturday, Oct. 7 at 7:30 p.m. MDT.
