Real Salt Lake tied 0-0 with D.C. United on Saturday, Sep. 10, at America First Field in Sandy, Utah. RSL now finds itself in seventh place in the Western Conference standings at 11-9-10 on the season with 43 points.
Despite outshooting D.C. 16 to eight (eight to three on goal) and dominating possession 55.2% to 44.8%, RSL could not cash in on opportunities to score. D.C. goalkeeper David Ochoa contributed to D.C.’s defense by making seven saves against the RSL offense. RSL goalkeeper Zach MacMath was also key for RSL, clocking in three saves.
The First Half
D.C. came into the match swinging first with forward Christian Benteke barely missing a shot to the right in the first minute. RSL forward Jefferson Savarino responded a minute later with an attempt of his own, taking a shot from inside the box but barely missing the top left corner.Â
D.C. almost scored in the 17th minute as forward Ola Kamara took a direct shot at the top of the goal; however, MacMath made the save for RSL.
After the save by MacMath, RSL’s Pablo Ruiz, Justin Meram, Marcelo Silva, and Sergio Córdova combined for six good shots to end the half, four of which were saved by Ochoa.
The Second Half
Savarino came furiously into the second half, drilling a shot towards the center of the goal in the 50th minute that was saved and firing another shot a few minutes later that missed high.
Ruiz had another great look in the 62nd for RSL, almost connecting towards the bottom right corner but Ochoa made the diving save.
D.C. tried to get shots of their own by firing three shots in the following 14 minutes but the first shot missed and MacMath saved the other two.Â
In the 80th minute, RSL forward Anderson Julio had a good look from inside the box with a header directed towards the top center of the goal but Ochoa made another save. Silva attempted a header of his own a minute later but missed left. Julio attempted the final shot for RSL in the 86th with a volley kick from outside the box but missed high to the left.
The rest of the match went uneventful as neither team was able to score, leaving the game finished with a score of 0-0.
RSL now hits the road to take on Austin FC on Wednesday, Sep. 14, at Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas at 7:15 p.m. MT. The match can be streamed on ESPN+ or locally on KMYU. The game can also be streamed on KSLSports.com.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.