Real Salt Lake x LA Galaxy

Twenty-seven hundred and twelve people saw Real Salt Lake beat LA Galaxy 3-2 at home in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup thanks to a first-half brace from Captain Damir Kreilach and a second-half goal from Jefferson Savarino.

In the opening half an hour, Real Salt Lake was the more active team, controlling the bulk of possession and generating a flurry of opportunities as they looked to reach their first US Open Cup semifinal since 2015. In the nineteenth minute, the team's relentless pursuit of a breakthrough paid off when homegrown defender Justen Glad won possession and drove the ball upfield through a swarm of defenders to find Savarino. The Venezuelan international received the ball and quickly played it to Rubin, who made his way to the byline before crossing the ball to an approaching Kreilach. The goal was completely open for the captain's shot, and he took the 1-0 lead easily.

With a penalty kick given in first-half stoppage time for a foul inside the area on Rubin, Real Salt Lake grabbed a 2-0 lead into halftime, reversing their luck from last Wednesday against the Galaxy. Kreilach took the subsequent penalty kick and buried his effort into the top left corner, giving his team a 2-0 lead and giving himself a brace. RSL's top scorer in 2023 brushed off his defender and snuck a shot past the diving keeper's arms a few minutes later to make it 3-0.

Gaston Brugman scored a penalty kick for the Galaxy in the 82nd minute after they were given it for a controversial infraction. Douglas Costa's long-range strike put the Galaxy within a goal, and they scored again only two minutes later. Despite scoring twice, the Galaxy were unable to find the equalizer, and RSL came away with a 3-2 triumph.

[Photography by Abram Iman]