SANDY, Utah — Real Salt Lake picked up a crucial win Saturday night in the Leagues Cup, beating Atlante 4-0. RSL now has a win and a penalty-kick loss, giving the team a total of four points in two Leagues Cup matches, with one more to play in Phase One of the tournament that features teams from Major League Soccer and Liga MX.
“This type of performance obviously lends itself to belief that we can go through to the next round, and we will control what we can,” Coach Pablo Mastroeni said.
Versatility was on full display as the four goals came from four different players.
“We needed this victory," said RSL forward Sergi Solans, who scored the first goal. "We needed to win for our confidence, for the confidence of the fans, too. And I think we showed the fans, we showed everyone that we have different ways to score goals. That’s what makes us very dangerous.”
“Tonight was a perfect win for the team," added midfielder Zach Booth. "4-0, clean sheet, I think it’s definitely what the team needed after a tough start after the World Cup break."
It was Booth’s first goal at America First Field. The Utah native, from the small town of Eden, explained just how special the moment was for him.
“I think that was the energy that came out after the goal, just pure excitement. I had friends sitting in the stands there, so I did the backflip for them,” Booth said. “It means everything to play in front of friends and family and the Utah people. I’m super proud and super happy."
Lukas Engel and Pablo Ruiz also scored for RSL.
The dominant win for the Claret and Cobalt came in a chippy fashion as both teams went back and forth all match.
“One of the things that I always said as a player is like, my engine’s revving at like 8 or 9,000 RPMs," Mastroeni said. "It is going, and then something happens, and for me to act like a monk is impossible. But to understand that what I do in these moments can affect the team, and I think that’s what the guys did a good job of. They met it. They didn’t back down from it, but they also didn’t let it affect their performance or the result.”
WATCH: Real Salt Lake coach Pablo Mastroeni looks back on World Cup career
Real Salt Lake will face Juárez on Tuesday to close group-stage play, and eventually the Claret and Cobalt hope they move on to the knockout round.
