Zavier Gozo had a goal and an assist on Saturday afternoon to help Real Salt Lake earn a 3-1 victory over visiting Sporting Kansas City.
Diego Luna and Sergi Solans also scored for Salt Lake (4-1-1, 13 points), which extended its unbeaten streak to five games. Noel Caliskan tallied two assists for Salt Lake, which improved to 3-0 at home. Salt Lake had 22 shot attempts to Kansas City’s five.
Dejan Joveljic scored his team-leading fourth goal of the season for Kansas City (1-4-1, four points), which remains in last place in the Western Conference standings. SKC goalkeeper John Pulskamp made four saves but allowed three goals for the club, which owns the Western Conference’s worst goal differential (minus-8).
After going ahead 1-0 in the opening half, Salt Lake doubled its lead at the 55-minute mark, when Gozo assisted Solans on a right-footed goal in the box. Kansas City answered just four minutes later though, as Joveljic’s fourth goal of the season cut the deficit in half. Justin Reynolds assisted on the shot from the center of the box.
After Kansas City threatened to tie the score on Manu Garcia’s attempt, Salt Lake pushed its cushion back to two on Gozo’s goal in the 82nd minute. Caliskan found Gozo, who fired in a laser from the right of the box.
Salt Lake struck first just four minutes into the match, as Caliskan found Luna, who dribbled to the top of the box and fired in a left-footed shot past the outstretched Pulskamp.
Salt Lake continued to live in Kansas City’s territory, threatening to double its lead with nine shot attempts across the game’s first 25 minutes.
In total, Real Salt Lake tallied 12 first-half shot attempts to Kansas City’s two. Pulskamp made three saves in the first 45-plus minutes.
–Field Level Media
