RSL finds footing in decisive win over Vancouver, 4-0

Real Salt Lake took a difficult string of matches and turned their fortunes wholly on their head, winning 4-0 in a match that featured an extremely early goal and an extremely late goal.

The match started with an early goal, and by early, I mean just 42 seconds into the match, with Aaron Herrera providing a penetrating pass that Damir Kreilach picked up in the box before executing a deft chip over Vancouver goalkeeper Thomas Hasal.

Reports indicate it was Real Salt Lake’s fourth-fastest goal of all-time, and by reports, I mean, it’s Trey Fitz-Gerald, the club’s former VP of Communications providing the information, as usual.

Damir Kreilach followed that by scoring his seventh goal of the season in trademark fashion: A header from a cross aimed at the center of the box, which he tucked neatly away at the far post.

A third goal followed for RSL: a penalty midway through the second half, when Justin Meram was brought down on the edge of the box. Meram took a knee to the head on the play, too, adding some delay before the penalty was taken and heightening the anticipation for a potential Kreilach hat trick.

It wasn’t to be, with Albert Rusnak conferring with Kreilach ahead of the penalty. Rusnak took the penalty neatly, and one can readily imagine that Kreilach, irrepressibly humble, gave the penalty to Rusnak as a bit of a birthday gift rather than take the glory for himself. (I, personally, would have loved to have seen a Kreilach hat trick, but the penalty was very well taken.)

The match was capped in exciting fashion, with Anderson Julio scoring a last-gasp goal to put RSL up 4-0. It was the perfect end to an excellent match, and while it will go down as a win in the away column, it was a performance at home that the team absolutely needed.