Real Salt Lake conquers Galaxy

Galaxy vs. Real boxscore

SANDY — The discussion about who the best team in Major League Soccer is came to an emphatic end Saturday night.

Let's just say, David Beckham now knows what all the fuss is about at Rio Tinto Stadium.

In arguably the most impressive performance in team history, Real Salt Lake put a whopping on the mighty L.A. Galaxy 4-1 in front of a sell-out crowd of 20,507 — a new stadium record for an MLS match.

The onslaught began in the second minute and lasted the entire match.

"This is special for us because we know they're one of the best teams in this league, and to beat them here, home, 4-1 and playing good soccer. It's good for us," said RSL midfielder Javier Morales, who finished with two goals and an assist.

Coach Jason Kreis was particularly pleased about the first half.

"That's probably 45 minutes of the best soccer I've seen in this stadium and from this team. It was a shear delight to watch that," said Kreis.

The victory extended RSL's unbeaten streak at home over all competitions to 36 straight, and in league play RSL is unbeaten in 16 matches dating back to last July.

Off to its first 2-0 start in team history, RSL will now turn its attention to the second leg of its CONCACAF Champions League semifinal series at Saprissa on April 5.

Well before several thousand fans had even found their seats Saturday, Real Salt Lake had already seized momentum with the second fastest goal in team history.

Just 1:24 into the match, Paulo Jr. slipped a cross through the box to Andy Williams who slotted it home through traffic for the 1-0 lead.

Last year RSL needed 80 minutes to break down L.A.'s compact defense in a 1-0 victory at Rio Tinto Stadium. It scored four goals in that same span in Saturday's much-hyped match between who many believe are the two best teams in MLS.

"We just wanted to get on them early like we do any team here. It always helps when you get that early goal. Once we got that we kept rolling," said RSL captain Kyle Beckerman.

Beckham nearly equalized for the Galaxy in the fourth minute, but his long-range free kick caromed off the left post.

The goal would've surely settled L.A. down, but instead the home team continued to press the issue.