Real Salt Lake returned from the World Cup break hoping to prove they could win on the road.
After a 3-1 loss Wednesday at Los Angeles FC, they’ll get another chance Saturday night at Portland.
RSL (8-5-2, 26 points) is just 1-4-2 in away matches, the lone win coming 3-2 at Atlanta United on March 7.
“I don’t think it’s a secret,” RSL coach Pablo Mastroeni said. “Obviously there’s a huge advantage to playing at home in this league and it’s very difficult to win on the road. Given that we’re going to have a lot of road games coming up, it’ll really stress us in that department, challenge us.”
After Saturday’s stop, RSL will wrap up a three-game trip next Saturday in St. Louis.
“Three games away in a row is a good chance for us to turn a narrative around,” said 19-year-old midfielder Zavier Gozo, whose six goals are tied with Sergi Solans for the team lead. “We struggle to win away, so I think it’s a good opportunity to show we can win away.”
Gozo scored in the previous meeting with Portland this season, May 2 in Sandy, Utah. He and Diego Luna scored first-half goals, Juan Manuel Sanabria had a pair of assists and goalkeeper Rafael Cabral kept a clean sheet with two saves. The hosts outshot Portland 25-11, with a 15-2 edge in attempts on target. Timbers goalie James Pantemis made a franchise-record 13 saves.
The Timbers (5-8-3, 18 points) are coming off a 2-2 draw with visiting FC Dallas on Wednesday, as Felipe Mora scored the equalizer in second-half stoppage time. Kevin Kelsy also tallied for Portland, his team-high eighth of the season.
“I think when you have this many games in tight in a week … you just focus on the next game,” said Timbers interim coach Jack Cassidy, who is 1-0-1 — including a 5-1 victory at Seattle — as the club waits for new coach Marti Cifuentes to sort out his visa.
–Field Level Media
