Real Salt Lake: RSL reserves salvage tie against Chivas

CARSON, Calif. — The stakes were significantly less, but Real Salt Lake's reserves capped two weeks of frustration with a satisfying result Sunday afternoon.

The night after falling to Chivas USA at the Home Depot Center, RSL's reserves scored a goal in stoppage time to rally for a 1-1 draw against Chivas' reserves on one of the side fields at the HDC.

"It was good to get that last goal. It was kind of a tough game, everyone was getting tired there toward the end, but everyone was trying hard to get that goal and it was nice to get it," said Real midfielder Nate Sturgis.

For a team that narrowly missed scoring an equalizer in the final half hour Saturday, not to mention surrendering a late goal to Chicago in the opener, Matias Cordoba's tap-in goal in the 91st minute was extra sweet.

The tying goal came after Fabian Espindola made a great dribbling run between a pair of defenders at the right edge of the penalty area, freeing himself up to cross the ball toward the center of the box. Second-half substitute Brennan Tennelle was there to knock the shot past diving Chivas keeper Lance Parker, only to see it bounce off the left post. Fortunately for RSL, Cordoba was in great position to tap in the rebound just a few yards from goal.

"We'll take any goal right now," said RSL assistant coach Brian Johnson. "We keep talking about the team, and how players positions are going to be fought for week in and week out, so we keep stressing that in training sessions and the reserve games, this is your opportunity to stand out."

RSL came out in a 4-4-2 and controlled the flow of the game throughout most of the first half, but it still fell behind 1-0 in the 14th minute as Kraig Chiles hammered a powerful, low-driven shot through the hands of keeper Chris Seitz.

Yura Movsisyan and Espindola each had a shot roll inches wide of the post during the remainder of the first half. Chivas' Justin Braun, a graduate of Skyline High School in Salt Lake City, missed a breakaway shot in the 42nd minute that would've put the Goats ahead two heading into halftime.

Salt Lake continued to apply the pressure early in the second half with Espindola once again tapping a shot inches wide, and then being denied point blank by Chivas' keeper in the 50th minute.

Following the insertion of Kenny Cutler and Tino Nunez in the 60th minute for Dustin Kirby and Kevin Reiman, RSL's coaching staff adjusted the team's formation to a 4-3-3 to push forward for the equalizer. Even though it took a while to adjust to the tactics, it eventually paid off in the dying minutes.

"We didn't play as well as we would've liked," said Johnson. " I thought there were some guys that stood out a bit, but for us we played for 90-plus minutes and that was good."

Salvaging a point was a good way for RSL to open the reserve season. This year's reserve schedule is exclusively within a team's own conference, with RSL playing home-and-away games with the other six teams in the West.

ENDLINES: RSL's formation consisted of the following, Seitz (Kyle Reynish, 67), Tony Beltran, Jamison Olave, David Horst, Kirby (Cutler, 57), Sturgis, Alex Nimo (Tennelle, 72), Reiman (Nunez, 57), Cordoba, Espindola and Movsisyan.

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