RSL storms back at FC Dallas to keep unbeaten streak alive
FRISCO, Tex. (ABC4 Sports) – The unbeaten streak is still alive, but just barely.
Nelson Palacio scored eight minutes into second-half stoppage time to lift visiting Real Salt Lake to a wild, come-from-behind 3-3 draw with FC Dallas on Saturday in a Western Conference clash in Frisco, Texas.
Palacio’s dramatic goal — his first in MLS — was assisted by Chicho Arango and allowed RSL (8-2-5, 29 points) to split the points and extend their unbeaten streak to 11 games. Real Salt Lake have not lost since March 9, and continues its best start to a season in franchise history.
The tying tally was the third over the final 40 minutes of the game for RSL after homestand Dallas built a 3-0 lead. Asier Illarramendi, Patrickson Delgado and Paul Arriola scored for Dallas (3-6-4, 13 points), the latter two coming in a two-minute stretch early in the second half, but the visitors roared back.
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A shot from just inside the box by Dallas’ Petar Musa in the 22nd minute threatened to break the scoreless deadlock, as did another attempt by Musa in the 28th minute and a try by RSL’s Diego Luna a minute hence.
Delgado, Illarramendi and Arriola placed shots on target in the 41st, 42nd, and three minutes into first half stoppage time, respectively, as Dallas kept on the offensive.
Illarramendi finally broke through four minutes into first-half stoppage time when he turned around a pass from Delgado with a right-footed blast from the left wing that went through the hands of RSL goalkeeper Zac MacMath.
Real Salt Lake’s Andres Gomez and Luna produced shots on goal in the 48th and 52nd minute, respectively. Gomez then ripped a blast off the crossbar in the 55th minute as the visitors couldn’t buy a break.
The floodgates opened in the 57th minute as Delgado had an easy, nearly uncontested goal when MacMath came off his line to nearly midfield to try to stop Dallas’ breakaway and failed to control the ball. Arriola made it 3-0 in the 59th minute with a nifty shot after a pass from Illarramendi.
“The way you cover for moments when keepers make mistakes is mentality and fighting back for him,” said head coach Pablo Mastroeni. “Because that’s the only way as a group we can make that up. And tonight the guys do that for Zac.”
Real Salt Lake answered almost immediately as Luna cut the deficit to 3-1 with a goal in the 61st minute on assists by Gomez and Matt Crooks.
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Anderson Julio ripped a shot from distance into the top left corner of the net in the 73rd minute to bring RSL to within 3-2, with Maikel Chang credited with the assist. That set the stage for Palacio’s stunning goal on essentially the game’s final kick.
“I just want to give thanks and congratulations to the team who worked tirelessly today and really pulled me up and found a way to grind out a point in the game that we should have easily had three points, said MacMath.”
“Those moments are going to happen to everyone,” Mastroeni said. “The most important thing is that we have a group of guys that that believe in one another, that work hard for one another. Today they find a way to get a great result.”
With the draw, Real Salt Lake maintains its 4-point lead over Minnesota in the Western Conference standings. RSL next plays at Seattle Wednesday night at 8:30 p.m.
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