Rusnak, Rimando help 'snow team' Real Salt Lake hold off Red Bulls in downpour


5 photos
Save Story
Leer en español

Estimated read time: 5-6 minutes

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

SANDY — Albert Rusnak had a clear idea Real Salt Lake would collect its first win of the 2018 season well before the 90th minute Saturday night.

All he had to do was look out at the snow falling over the Salt Lake Valley in the early afternoon.

“We’re a snow team,” Rusnak said. “As soon as I saw snow outside this afternoon, I had a feeling it would be us. We had a big win last year in a snow game, and we got one this year again.

“To be fair, today was probably good for us that it snowed.”

Rusnak gave the home side a 1-0 advantage just four minutes into the match, and Nick Rimando made it stand up in leading Salt Lake to a win over the visiting New York Red Bulls, 1-0 at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy.

"I didn’t care how this game looked, as far as beautiful or pretty," RSL coach Mike Petke said. "This was about getting back to everybody working together, committing themselves to get back, defensive transition, and it didn’t matter how it looked at the end of the day.

"It's a great three points. It’s a great response from our guys. And I’m proud of them."

Head official Ted Unkel originally signalled for a free kick just outside of the penalty box after a New York foul in the third minute. But after consultation from video-assistant referee Drew Fischer, Unkel pointed to the penalty spot and awarded the kick to Rusnak.

The 23-year-old Slovak calmly stepped to the spot and converted a panenka-style goal down the middle, right past Red Bulls goalkeeper Luis Robles to give RSL a 1-0 lead in the fourth minute.

“Before I took it, in my head, I was thinking I wanted the PK, no matter what,” Rusnak said. “I was pretty sure that I wanted to go down the middle. I had a second thought when I grabbed the ball, and I decided to go down the middle.”

Rimando made four saves to preserve the shutout — and the first win of the season — for Salt Lake (1-1-1).

"Tonight was just another Nick Rimando performance. It's incredible," said former RSL defender Chris Wingert, who was honored at halftime after his decade-long career in Salt Lake. "I guess he’s turning 39 this year, but does it matter? He’s still playing lights out."

Jefferson Savarino had a chance against the run of play late in the first half for Salt Lake. But the Venezuelan winger’s shot through three defenders of traffic was saved by Robles in the 41st minute.

The Red Bulls controlled the half with 65 percent of possession. But Rimando made three first-half saves, including back-to-back acrobatics in the 27th minute, to keep the hosts in front at the break.

"Their biggest playmaker is their defensive playmaker — numbers around the ball and counter-pressing," Petke said of New York. "We didn't want to get ourselves in a situation tonight.

"In the first half, we were in a solid shape and not pressing high up the field … It was about turning things around and getting three points."

Savarino finished off a counter attack with a ball in the back of the net in the 90th minute, but his attempt was waived offside after a setup that involved reserve midfielder Sunny Stephen and Damir Kreilach.

RSL drew four yellow cards on the night, including two for time wasting or dissent in the final third of the match. But unlike a week ago, when Salt Lake allowed five goals in a 5-1 loss to Los Angeles FC, the club didn’t fold.

"We were all smiling at training since Tuesday, and I think you could see that out there today," Rusnak said. "It's important sometimes to have a short-term memory, especially after a game like LAFC. We said there are still 32 games to play, and today was a chance to get things right for the fans."

Real Salt Lake forward Corey Baird (27) runs for the ball as New York Red Bulls defender Tim Parker (26) and defender Kyle Duncan (6) close in during Real Salt Lake's 1-0 win against the New York Red Bulls at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy on Saturday, March 17, 2018. (Photo: Jacob Wiegand, Deseret News)
Real Salt Lake forward Corey Baird (27) runs for the ball as New York Red Bulls defender Tim Parker (26) and defender Kyle Duncan (6) close in during Real Salt Lake's 1-0 win against the New York Red Bulls at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy on Saturday, March 17, 2018. (Photo: Jacob Wiegand, Deseret News)

Brooks in the Back

Brooks Lennon made his Salt Lake debut at right back, lining up on the RSL back line alongside Demar Phillips, Justen Glad and David Horst.

Marcelo Silva, Salt Lake’s starting center back for the first two games of the season, was listed as questionable on the injury report and was not available for selection. Petke played with two defenders on his bench — fullback Adam Henley and RSL Academy product Danny Acosta.

"Our two legitimate right backs on the team are both hurt; Adam Henley is coming back, but he hasn’t played 90 minutes, and Shawn Berry is hurt," Petke said. "We've talked about playing Brooks at right back since I got here.

"The concern I had with Brooks was his defensive responsibility for 90 minutes — and I thought he did very well this week. Do not start writing about Brooks Lennon being the next right back. He’s got a long way to go; he had a very solid game tonight."

Home sweet homegrown

RSL homegrown Corey Baird, who signed with the club over the winter break after four years at Stanford, made his pro debut Thursday night. The 22-year-old forward replaced fellow academy-grown Bofo Saucedo in the 64th minute, becoming the 146th capped played in RSL history.

Baird nearly bagged his first career MLS goal, but his shot against a charging Robles in the 74th minute sailed just over the crossbar and landed atop the goalmouth.

Photos

Most recent Utah stories

Related topics

SportsReal Salt LakeUtah
KSL.com BYU and college sports reporter

STAY IN THE KNOW

Get informative articles and interesting stories delivered to your inbox weekly. Subscribe to the KSL.com Trending 5.
By subscribing, you acknowledge and agree to KSL.com's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

KSL Weather Forecast