Olmes Garcia lifts RSL late to 3-1 win over LA Galaxy

Olmes Garcia was the inevitable star of the show after breaking a late deadlock against LA Galaxy, with Real Salt Lake quashing a Landon Donovan-led surge.

Garcia's goals — both assisted by RSL playmaker Javier Morales — sealed the win for RSL, a proposition made difficult by a strong strike from Galaxy standout Landon Donovan.

The first goal of the match, though, came from RSL's Khari Stephenson, who hit a low, skipping shot that LA Galaxy goalkeeper Brian Rowe — playing only his second match, with the first also against Real Salt Lake — got a hand on but failed to stop.

Landon Donovan scored right at the edge of the first half, capitalizing on a rare mistake by Nat Borchers and finishing with ease. It came only two minutes after the Stephenson strike, and there was a real danger that the wind could have been rather taken out of RSL's sails.

The second half trailed along, and it was only once Garcia came on that things started looking up. In the 84th minute, Javier Morales sent a ball into the box that Garcia fought his way toward, with the ball either being directed in by the back of Garcia's head or perhaps his back and looping over Rowe.

In stoppage time, Garcia sealed it with a darting run to the right on the break found by Javier Morales; his pass played the Colombian perfectly into space, and the low finish when one-on-one with Rowe left nothing in the match to chance.

Real Salt Lake plays Wednesday against Charleston Battery in the US Open Cup.