Jose Hernandez scores first MLS goal in 2-1 loss to San Jose

Real Salt Lake may have lost their match against San Jose Earthquakes on the road by a 2-1 scoreline, but at least one positive thing came of it: Jose Hernandez, with under 200 minutes played in MLS, scored his first top-tier goal.

It’s a good finish by the rookie, who picked up Sebastian Saucedo’s pass with ease, shifted left, and finished past San Jose goalkeeper David Bingham at his near post.

It’s not Hernandez’s first professional goal, though — in fact, he’s already scored twice for Real Monarchs in 2017 — and he’s only played in two matches.

Hernandez, 21, is a graduate of the Real Salt Lake Academy, and he played two years at UCLA, where he was named the 2016 Pac-12 Co-Player of the Year.

His goal may have been at the end of stoppage time, but the fleet-footed midfielder provided likely the only real ray of hope from RSL’s loss.

Hernandez isn’t the only RSL Academy graduate to have scored his first RSL goal: In a loss to Sacramento Republic in the US Open Cup, Ricardo Velazco scored a consolation goal for his first, too.