Galaxy 0 - 0 Real Salt Lake
Final
  for this game

Galaxy, RSL tangle in West semis at Rio Tinto

Oct 31, 2014 - 8:38 PM Sandy, UT (SportsNetwork.com) - Two of Major League Soccer's top sides will clash on Saturday in the first leg of the Western Conference semifinals at Rio Tinto Stadium.

Real Salt Lake finished the regular season with 56 points, good for third place in the West and its seventh consecutive playoff appearance. Head coach Jeff Cassar will make his postseason debut after seven years as assistant coach to Jason Kreis, who left to take the head coaching job with New York City FC.

Cassar's club will enter the postseason with some momentum after finishing the regular season on a three-match unbeaten streak, including a 2-0 win over Chivas USA in the season finale.

Against the Goats, RSL broke the deadlock in the 36th minute as Alvaro Saborio was pulled down in the box by Bobby Burling, resulting in a penalty kick which the Costa Rica international buried into the bottom left corner with ease.

Things became more difficult for Chivas in the 56th minute thanks to a moment of madness from midfielder Marvin Chavez, who was shown a straight red card for hitting the assistant referee with an errant clearance.

Real Salt Lake then added the insurance goal in the 74th minute as Joao Plata worked his way to the top of the box and spotted Beckerman free on his left. Plata slid the ball into the path of Beckerman and the American international fired it between the legs of Goats' goalkeeper Dan Kennedy for his third goal of the season.

Cassar said he would be appropriately prepared for the challenge of facing the Galaxy.

"I'll definitely be in front of the TV. Scouting, preparing," Cassar said. " It's definitely not time to sit on the couch and relax. I'll be taking notes and preparing. I'm just going to prepare my team the best that I can."

Los Angeles, meanwhile, is coming off a 2-0 loss to Seattle last time out which saw the club fall short to Seattle in the race for the Supporters' Shield, but Bruce Arena's side will begin its quest for a fifth MLS Cup title.

The Galaxy finished the regular campaign in second place in the West with 61 points and an impressive plus-32 goal difference, which is the second-highest in MLS history, trailing only the 1998 Galaxy that recorded a differential of plus-41.

Against the Sounders, Los Angeles succumbed to two late goals from Marco Pappa in the 85th and 90th minutes, handing the Sounders their first-ever Supporters' Shield.

"I thought it was a good game. We were a little unlucky and we at least should have come out with a point," said Arena.

This will mark the second consecutive season the teams have met in the postseason. Last season, RSL claimed a 2-1 aggregate win.






Related News