Real Salt Lake scored three unanswered goals on its way to defeating the L.A. Galaxy 3-1 in the first game of the Mobile Mini Sun Cup doubleheader Saturday at the Kino North Stadium.
It was the first matchup against another Major League Soccer opponent for both teams this preseason.
For a majority of the game Real Salt Lake was the aggressor and had numerous scoring opportunities without anything to show for it. Joao Plata missed two shots from within 30 feet, one ricocheting off the right post failing to snap a scoreless game.
Shots by Sebastian Saucedo, Nick Besler and Corey Baird all turned the tide following a header from defenseman Michael Ciani, which gave Los Angeles an early 1-0 lead.
“The first 30 minutes, (LA) put out a very strong lineup, very good players there,” said Real Salt Lake head coach Mike Petke. “I thought we did very well. We had certain objectives today and a majority of them were defensively … not all of them were met, but a large majority were met and that’s huge for us.”
The Galaxy, who finished 8-18-8 a season ago, struggled to find themselves in positions to score throughout the game, though they only played its starting lineup for the first 30 minutes. Despite the loss, Ciani was optimistic about the prospects of the team this upcoming season.
“We had three turnovers and it wasn’t easy, it was a bad score,” Ciani said. “But we’re still working. We need to show everyone that we can do much better, last year it was a big mistake for everyone.”
The atmosphere at Kino Stadium was quite different for the two teams weather-wise due to the dry weather in Tucson. Petke believes this led to several players being fatigued as the game drew on into the later moments.
Overall the weather and the environment were key attributes into the MLS coming here on behalf of FC Tucson.
“It’s been great, it’s a bit different for me playing in this weather,” Real Salt Lake defender Adam Henley said. “I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. It was a great showing from the fans today. It is good for preseason games like that.”
The match was the first of several between MLS teams which run through Feb. 24. The Seattle Sounders, Portland Timbers, San Jose Earthquakes, Colorado Rapids, FC Dallas, New York Red Bulls, New England Revolution, Houston Dynamo and Sporting Kansas City will also make appearances.
