Jose Cifuentes scored the game-winner in the second half to lift LAFC to a 1-0 victory over Real Salt Lake at Rio Tinto Stadium on Saturday. Both teams had chances throughout the night, but the game remained scoreless until the 69th minute when Cifuentes scored the game's lone goal with a rocket shot off a feed from Eddie Segura.

Carlos Vela won and took a free-kick for LAFC early in the first half, giving them the greatest chance of the game. The star Mexican international came close to scoring the game's first goal with a magnificent dead-ball effort from just beyond the box, but his bending shot was blocked by the woodwork. Just before the half-hour mark, Pablo Ruiz had perhaps RSL's greatest chance at a first-half opener, blasting a knuckling shot from a distance that forced LAFC goalkeeper Tomas Romero to layout to his left to make the save, guaranteeing the first half would conclude scoreless.

RSL had two fantastic chances to start the second half, the first coming quickly after the restart on the back end of a move that culminated with Albert Rusnak's scorching effort. But Romero was up to the task once more, making a last-ditch save to keep the score at 0-0. In the 63rd minute, Rusnak found a wide-open Maikel Chang for a good opportunity with a cross inside the box, but Chang's shot on goal was again saved by Romero.

On 69 minutes, Romero's heroics would pay off, as LAFC ultimately scored the game-winning goal. After a nice backheel set up from Vela, Cifuentes pounced on a cross from Segura, allowing the Ecuadorians to sneak home the ball beyond RSL goalkeeper David Ochoa. In a battle where both teams could have used the three points to stay in contention in the Western Conference, it was LAFC who came out on top with their first road win of the season. Bob Bradley's team has yet to reclaim the dominant form of the previous two seasons, but this victory, along with an encouragingly active shift from the recently returned Vela, is undoubtedly a start in the right direction.

[Photography by ICONIC photographer Abram Iman]