Recap: Real Salt Lake vs. Toronto FC
By Sports Network
Salt Lake City, UT (Sports Network) - Real Salt Lake improved to 6-0-5 at Rice-Eccles Stadium this season with a 2-1 win over Toronto FC in a rare Monday night Major League Soccer fixture.
Robbie Findley scored the game-winner three minutes from time, his team- leading fifth goal of the season, to propel RSL to victory.
With the win, RSL takes a four point lead on the Los Angeles Galaxy atop the Western Conference table. Toronto FC, on the other hand, is now in a four-way tie at the bottom of the Eastern Conference table with just 22 points thanks to a 1-7-0 road record.
The teams went scoreless in the first half, but not for the lack of chances.
Real Salt Lake had the first legitimate opportunity in the eighth minute when Dema Kovalenko played a ball into the box to forward Yura Movsisyan, who one- timed a shot from 10 yards out. TFC goalkeeper Greg Sutton was up to the task, however, and deflected the ball out-of-bounds to keep the game scoreless.
Findley hit post from point blank in 28th minute on a chance that would be a goal nine times out of ten. After receiving a long cross on the left side of the box, he took a touch around a defender and slammed the shot off the post from five yards out.
Toronto's only real chance of the first half came seconds before the break. Rohan Ricketts drove in on right side, fought off three defenders at the end line and fired a cross to Laurent Robert, who's header went off the crossbar.
Jamison Olave finally got the opening goal in the 63rd minute when he headed home an Andy Williams cross from the top of the six-yard box. The Toronto defense cleared the free kick, but when the ball was played back in by Williams, the tall central defender was left unmarked as he headed in his first MLS goal.
That was how the game looked like it would end until Toronto finally got on the board with the equalizer six minutes from time on Amado Guevara's third goal of the season. The Honduran veteran played a perfect direct free-kick from the top of the box around the RSL defensive wall and into the near post side netting, just past the fingertips of diminutive RSL goalkeeper Nick Rimando.
Less than three minutes later Findley put the dagger in the hearts of the TFC bench when he fired home a Kyle Beckerman rebound to make it 2-1, which is how the game ended.
RSL (7-6-6) has a couple weeks to savor the victory, with its next league fixture being Aug. 16 at Houston, while TFC (6-7-4) hosts FC Dallas on Sunday.
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