Victor Olatunji scored a first-half brace Saturday night and visiting Real Salt Lake managed to clinch the final playoff spot in the West by tying St. Louis City SC 2-2.
RSL (12-17-5, 41 points) emerged from a three-team tie with Colorado and San Jose on the basis of tiebreakers. Colorado could have earned the final playoff spot, but the Rapids coughed up a late lead at home and settled for a 2-2 draw with LAFC.
RSL got the point it needed, even though St. Louis (8-18-8, 32 points) kept it from getting the result as Joao Klauss equalized from point-blank range in the 88th minute. That point allows RSL entry into a wild-card game Wednesday night at 8th-seeded Portland, with the winner drawing top-seeded San Diego in the West quarterfinals.
Olatunji enabled RSL to extend its season for a few more days by cashing in two golden chances in a 15-minute span. Sent in via an exquisite touch from Zavier Gozo, Olatunji dribbled into the right side of the box and drilled a shot past diving goalie Roman Burki into the left corner.
Olatunji made it 2-0 in the 32nd minute through service from Diogo Goncalves. His pass led Olatunji into the middle, where he blew between defenders before beating Burki with a low shot into the left corner.
St. Louis pulled one back in the 42nd minute after a foul on Brayan Vera in the penalty box. It sent Eduard Lowen to the spot and he wired a righty shot into the top left corner by helpless goalie Rafael Cabral.
RSL held its one-goal margin most of the second half. Cabral kept it ahead by diving to his right to deny Lowen on a bending shot from the right side of the box in the 64th minute.
But St. Louis, which enjoyed sizable margins of 27-8 in total shots and 7-3 in shots on frame, was able to make it level off a long throw-in. Klauss took a pass from Fallou Fall and headed it into the right corner.
–Field Level Media
