COMMERCE CITY, Colo. – Colorado Rapids and Real Salt Lake in each team’s first game of the resumed MLS regular season. It was a typical Rocky Mountain Cup with Maikel Chang winning the day.
Maikel Chang Opens Account to win RMC Game in Colorado
The first half was exciting with the teams battling in the midfield, looking to win the ball then get it forward to attackers in space. RSL regularly played through Albert Rusnak and direct to Damir Kreilach who was playing up top. Colorado meanwhile, tried to find Jonathan Lewis on the wing and Diego Rubio in space.
RSL’s game plan had to be adjusted when Douglas Martinez was subbed off 15 minutes in after in apparent head injury. Their best chance came in the 18th minute. Kreilach found a shooting lane at the top of the box. Goalkeeper William Yarbrough was able to make the save.
Colorado had the better of the play in the first half, leading 1-0 at the break. Diego Rubio got the ball in the run in space in the 38th minute. He dribbled around Justin Glad and passed across goal. The late arriving Aaron Herrera deflected it past goalkeeper Andrew Putna and into the net.
Damir Kreilach tied the game 1-1 in the 57th minute as RSL started the second half much better. The visitors got numbers forward with Colorado’s liked compressed into the penalty area. Justin Meram found Kreilach making a late run and he uncorked a shot past Yarbrough.
RSL kept momentum with a substitute scoring the winner in the 76th minute. Meram played the ball through to Rusnak. Yarbrough came off his line to beat him to the ball. He wasn’t able to collect it, playing the ball right into the path of Maikel Chang who threaded it past several Rapids to score.
Corey Baird made it 3-1 in the 85th minute set up by Chang. The match ended with that score line.
76' – Chang picks up the pieces
2-1 pic.twitter.com/TNp1hy3oQV
— Real Salt Lake (@realsaltlake) August 23, 2020
Three Takeaways:
Keep fighting then stop: All week the Rapids talked about fight and focus going into this game. They fought hard to get the lead but didn’t after the game was tied.
Croatian Talisman: Damir Kreilach has been a match winner his entire time in MLS. He continues to score big goals and amazing goals for RSL to get results and produce highlights.
Maikel Chang plays hero: Chang recorded a goal and an assist. RSL were inevitable in this game. They just needed someone to make a play to get the second goal.
