Crew Falls to Real Salt Lake 2-0 Saturday at Rio Tinto Stadium

SANDY, UT - August 14, 2010 - Javier Morales scored both goals as Real Salt Lake defeated the Eastern Conference-leading Columbus Crew, 2-0, Saturday at Rio Tinto Stadium in a match between the past two MLS champions.

RSL struck just 11 minutes in as Fabian Espindola found fellow Argentine Morales with space to work on a short corner kick. Morales appeared to move in to float a cross to his fellow attackers, but instead he blasted the ball off the far post and in. The Crew nearly scored late in the first half when Steven Lenhart received a cross into the box and managed to get a head on the ball that forced RSL keeper Nick Rimando into a fine diving save at the far post.

Columbus came out with much more attacking fight in the second half, creating a couple of good chances early on. In the 54th minute, Adam Moffat challenged Rimando with a left-footed strike that forced the RSL keeper to once again come up with an acrobatic diving save. However, Morales capitalized on a free kick from just outside the area in the 59th minute, drilling a low shot that went through the wall and bounded past Hesmer to give RSL a 2-0 advantage.

Columbus was left playing catch-up and kept pressing hard. Its best chance of the night came in the 87th minute off a chip by substitute forward Leandre Griffit, who caught Rimando off his line. But the RSL 'keeper made a last minute leap that preserved the clean sheet.

More News

The View from Our Crew Home