SANDY, Utah (AP) — Jefferson Diaz scored the decisive goal in a 5-4 shootout after Minnesota and Real Salt Lake played to a scoreless draw in regulation, and United beat RSL in the first game of a best-of-three series on Tuesday night. It marked Minnesota’s first MLS Cup playoff win via a penalty kick shootout in club history. United can clinch a spot in the Western Conference semifinals with another victory over RSL on Saturday. Diaz sent RSL goalkeeper Zac MacMath the wrong way in the sixth round and then Braian Ojeda had a shot deflect off the crossbar. Minnesota goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair secured his eighth clean sheet of the season. MacMath dove to his left to deny Minnesota defender Michael Boxall in the third round of penalty kicks, but RSL defender Justen Glad followed with a shot that sailed the crossbar to keep it even at 2. MacMath guessed correctly in the fourth round, but Jeong Sang-Bin’s shot went under him into the back of the net. RSL’s last home playoff loss occurred in 2019 against Seattle. AP MLS: https://apnews.com/hub/major-league-soccer Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed

SANDY, Utah (AP) — Diego Luna scored a tying goal in the 73rd minute and Real Salt Lake added another on an own goal for a 2-1 victory over the Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday night to set a single-season club record for points. Real Salt Lake (16-7-11) secured the No. 3 spot in the Western Conference and will face Minnesota in the first round of the MLS playoffs. RSL reached 59 points this season, topping the 2012 team with 57. Vancouver (13-13-8) will play the Portland Timbers in a wild card game for a chance to play top-seeded LAFC. Luna settled a long cross from Braian Ojeda before taking four touches to slot home a shot inside the far post for his eighth goal of the season. RSL went ahead in the 83rd when Vancouver goalkeeper Isaac Boehmer misplayed a lofted ball that rolled into the back of the net. Vancouver midfielder Ryan Gauld opened the scoring in the 58th to become the first player in club history to produce multiple seasons with at least 10 goals and 10 assists. AP MLS: https://apnews.com/hub/major-league-soccer Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Diego Luna scored in the 78th minute Saturday night to help Real Salt Lake beat the San Jose Earthquakes 1-0 to extend its unbeaten streak to five consecutive games. Luna took a pass from Braian Ojeda about 10 yards outside the penalty area and, without much pressure from the Earthquakes defense, ripped a left-footed shot that bounced off the back post into the net to give Real Salt Lake (15-7-11) a 1-0 lead. RSL had 55% possession and outshot the Earthquakes 14-6, 6-1 on target. Daniel De Sousa Britto, known simply as “Daniel,” had five saves for San Jose (6-24-3). Real Salt Lake has 56 points, tied with the Seattle Sounders for third in the Western Conference, two behind second-place Los Angeles FC. The Earthquakes lost for the third time in four games and has just one win in their last seven. AP MLS: https://apnews.com/hub/major-league-soccer Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Source link

SANDY, Utah (AP) — Dayne St. Claire had four saves for Minnesota on Wednesday night is a 0-0 tie with Real Salt Lake. Minnesota United (13-12-7) are unbeaten in three consecutive games and have won four of their last six. Minnesota will clinch a berth in the 2024 MLS Cup playoffs with a FC Dallas tie or loss later Wednesday night against the San Jose Earthquakes. Salt Lake (14-7-11), which locked up its postseason place with 3-3 tie with the Portland Timbers on Sept. 21, is unbeaten in four consecutive games. Real Salt Lake’s Brayan Vera, who was shown a yellow card in the 32nd minute, was shown a red card in stoppage time. Zac MacMath had two saves for RSL. AP MLS: https://apnews.com/hub/major-league-soccer Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Source link

SANDY, Utah (AP) — Gavin Beavers became the youngest goalkeeper to notch an assist on a spectacular goal by Anderson Julio — one of his two on the night — and Real Salt Lake defeated FC Dallas 3-2 on Wednesday. Defender Brayan Vera scored on a penalty kick in the 11th minute to put Real Salt Lake (14-7-8) up 1-0. Vera’s PK came after Julio drew a foul on Dallas defender Sebastien Ibeagha. It was the second goal this season for Vera and the fifth of his two-year career. Julio made it 2-0 with an unbelievable goal in the 24th minute, scoring from near midfield. Beavers set the record for youngest keeper to be credited with an assist at 19 years, 142 days. Dallas (9-13-7) pulled within a goal at halftime when Jesús Ferreira scored off a free kick in the first minute of stoppage time. Ferreira’s fifth goal of the season came after Paul Arriola drew a foul on Real Salt Lake midfielder Matt Crooks. Real Salt Lake regained a two-goal lead in the 62nd minute when Julio used the first career assist by 20-year-old Dominik Marczuk to score for the ninth time this season. Marczuk made his first

SANDY, Utah (AP) — Anderson Julio scored during first-half stoppage time, defender Philip Quinton added a second-half goal and Real Salt Lake ended a four-match winless streak with a 2-0 victory over the New England Revolution on Saturday night. Real Salt Lake (13-6-8) had gone 0-3-1 since a 15-match unbeaten run. New England (8-15-2), which was making its first trip to Utah since 2018, was on the losing end of two of Real Salt Lake’s biggest victories at home — a 6-0 romp in 2009 and a 5-0 rout the following season. Julio scored unassisted three minutes into stoppage time to give Real Salt Lake a 1-0 lead this time around. Quinton scored in the 56th minute for a two-goal lead. It was Quinton’s second career goal and his first in eight starts and 12 appearances since coming over from the Columbus Crew. Braian Ojeda picked up his fourth assist of the season. Gavin Beavers finished with two saves to earn his third clean sheet in his eighth start in goal for Real Salt Lake. Aljaz Ivacic saved eight shots for the Revolution. Real Salt Lake played without Cristian “Chicho” Arango, who injured his hamstring in a 2-0 home loss

SANDY, Utah (AP) — Cristian Espinoza and Amahl Pellegrino scored first-half goals and the last-place San Jose Earthquakes knocked off Real Salt Lake and knocked out Cristian “Chicho” Arango with an injury in a 2-0 victory on Saturday night. Arango limped off the field with a right hamstring injury in the 41st minute for Real Salt Lake (12-6-8) after he was fouled by San Jose midfielder Carlos Gruezo with his team already down two goals. He was replaced by Anderson Julio. Arango and D.C. United’s Christian Benteke are tied for the league lead in the race for the Golden Boot with 17 goals this season. The Earthquakes (5-19-2), who entered play as the worst team in the league with just 14 points through three-quarters of the season, took a 1-0 lead in the 20th minute on Espinoza’s fourth goal of the campaign. Jackson Yueill notched his second assist on the score. San Jose grabbed a two-goal lead in the 33rd minute and took it into halftime when Amahl Pellegrino scored unassisted. Pellegrino has six goals in his first season in the league, covering 18 starts and 24 appearances. Daniel De Sousa Britto finished with four saves in goal for San

SANDY, Utah (AP) — Christian “Chicho” Arango scored his MLS-leading 17th goal of the season, Diego Luna added a goal and three assists and Real Salt Lake beat Atlanta United 5-2 Saturday night. Chicho’s header off a corner kick was blocked by defender Derrick Williams but Braian Ojeda was there for the putback, spinning as he whipped a volley into the net to give Real Salt Lake a 2-1 lead in the 59th minute. Chicho scored on a header, off a perfectly-placed free kick by Luna, in the 68th and Alexandros Katranis played a one-touch shot off a corner kick by Luna that found the net in the 78th minute and made it 4-1. Daniel Ríos answered moments later, heading home a cross by Brooks Lennon from the right side to the back post in the 80th before Luna capped the scoring in the 84th minute, when he scored from the center of the area. Atlanta (6-10-6), which had a four-game unbeaten streak snapped by a 2-1 to the New England Revolution last time out, has lost back-to-back games. Salt Lake (12-3-7) has just one loss in its last 18 games, dating to a 2-1 home loss to the Colorado