Real Salt Lake looks to continue their impressive away form when they visit St. Louis City on Wednesday.
Salt Lake is unbeaten in its last five (3-0-2) road games, as part of an overall 4-3-2 record this season away from home. RSL have 14 away-game points, tied with Orlando City for the league lead.
Saturday’s 2-1 victory over D.C. United gave Real Salt Lake (6-7-5, 23 points) another road triumph, highlighted by a wondrous goal from Pablo Ruiz. Standing in RSL’s end of the field and over 68 yards away from the D.C. net, Ruiz launched a shot that sailed perfectly into the top corner.
“Pablo has a wand for a left foot,” Salt Lake coach Pablo Mastroeni said. “And it’s an amazing football play. … It was a masterclass of skill, execution, vision.”
Ruiz has scored three goals in his last five games, and RSL will need that scoring touch with some key attackers (Rubio Rubin, Anderson Julio, Braian Ojeda) still away on international duty.
For St. Louis (9-6-2, 29 points), Kyle Hiebert won’t play due to suspension after picking up a red card in St. Louis City’s 3-1 loss to Nashville on Saturday.
The red card in the 68th minute turned around what had been a 1-1 game. Nashville superstar Hany Mukhtar scored twice in the next seven minutes, including the go-ahead goal on the penalty kick awarded after Hiebert’s foul in the box.
“Small moments define games,” St. Louis coach Bradley Carnell said. “Unfortunately we get caught in a moment of transition … and we fell asleep and got too stretched for one moment of the game.”
St. Louis is 0-2-1 in its last three games, with the two losses coming on the road. St. Louis City have an impressive 6-2-1 record at home in their inaugural MLS campaign.
Nicholas Gioacchini is on a two-game scoring streak and leads St. Louis City with seven goals.
In the two teams’ first meeting of the season, St. Louis collected a lopsided 4-0 win in Utah on March 25.
–Field Level Media
