Man Of The Match: The chances came early and often for Bobby Wood, with his first shot coming within the first minute of play. He was a constant headache for the Houston defense, with five shots, three on goal, and had more touches in the box than any other player.
Real Salt Lake’s attack was strong for the entire match, with Sergio Córdova scored his third goal of the season at the 57th minute, while Justen Glad scored his third of the season at the 92nd minute. Plus, Maikel Chang got his second assist in as many games, and he leads the team this season with five.
Telling Stat: This is only the third time this season RSL had the lead at halftime, but the Club has never lost while leading at the break. Plus, the Claret-and-Cobalt has had a stranglehold over Houston in the past 10 matches, winning five, drawing five and losing none since 2017.
Real Salt Lake heats up within the first minutes of the second half. So far this season, the Club has netted six goals in the first 15 minutes of the second half, trailing only Portland and Montréal.
What You Missed: At long last, Jefferson Savarino made his return to the pitch at Rio Tinto Stadum in the 70th minute and made an immediate impact, adding a lot of pressure on Houston’s back line and attempting his first shot with seven minutes of taking the pitch.
With this win, RSL improves to 5-0-1 at home this season, tying the Club’s best home record to start a season, matching 2010 and 2016. This victory also ties the Club’s fastest rise to 25 points in a season, matching the record set in 2014.
And, for the sixth consecutive match, Rio Tinto Stadium was sold out.
What’s Next?: Real Salt Lake travels to Vancouver, B.C., to take on the Whitecaps on Saturday June 4, with first-touch coming at 5:00 p.m. MT. Following the Vancouver match, the Club will host back-to-back games at the RioT. The homestand begins with a special match honoring Juneteenth against San Jose on Saturday, June 18, 7:30 p.m. MT. Then, the Club will celebrate Pride Night at Rio Tinto Stadium as the Claret-and-Cobalt take on the Columbus Crew Saturday, June 25, at 8:00 p.m. MT.
