Zavier Gozo and Diego Luna scored in the first half as Real Salt Lake snapped a two-game losing streak with a stress-free 2-0 victory over the Portland Timbers Saturday in Sandy, Utah.
Juan Manuel Sanabria assisted on both goals for RSL (6-3-1, 19 points) who are off to their best start since 2014 when they opened without a loss in their first 12 MLS matches.
Rafael Cabral had two saves for Salt Lake, which avenged a 3-1 season-ending defeat last October at Portland in the wild-card round of the MLS playoffs.
James Pantemis had 13 saves for the Timbers (3-6-1, 10 points) as he kept RSL from turning the match into a rout.
Real Salt Lake dominated from the start as they uncorked seven shots before the Timbers took their first attempt in the 26th minute.
After scoring one goal in the previous 225 minutes entering the game, Salt Lake repeatedly found transition opportunities with through passes against Portland’s careless back line.
Sanabria set up the first goal with a long feed through the Portland defense that found Sergi Solans in stride down the middle of the pitch.
Streaking down the right wing, Gozo ran onto a laid-off pass and fired a right-footed shot from inside the box. Pantemis got a hand on the ball inside the near post but couldn’t stop it as Gozo tallied his third goal of the season.
Real Salt Lake continued their assault as Morgan Guilavogui took three promising shots in a span of seven high-paced minutes.
Pantemis made a save on a Guilavogui breakaway attempt and the RSL forward banged a shot off the crossbar and was wide right on another right-footed blast in the sequence.
Salt Lake broke through in the 28th minute on a one-two on the left side of the box, as Luna took a return pass from Sanabria and scored with a left-footed shot inside the far post for his third goal of the season and a 2-0 lead.
Luna’s goal came immediately after Portland’s lone shots on goal, one minute apart. Cabral stopped a header by Kevin Kelsy, then denied a low-percentage try by Antony Alves Santos.
In the second half, Real Salt Lake slowed the pace, happy to play in a defensive shell, which prevented the Timbers from taking a shot on goal.
–Field Level Media
