Real Salt Lake Suffers Disappointing Result At Hands Of Dynamo In Houston

HOUSTON – Real Salt Lake fought hard but still came up short in a 4-1 loss to the Houston Dynamo FC on the MLS’s matchday 32.

Real hadn’t played in two weeks and it showed in the road loss. They were a step slow against a Houston team that has had their number over the last year.

To add insult to injury, RSL’s only goal wasn’t scored by someone in the claret and cobalt. An own goal just after halftime made the scoreline seem less drastic.

final#HOUvRSL | @SelectHealth pic.twitter.com/DjrzCeD26K

— Real Salt Lake (@realsaltlake) September 15, 2024

RSL Drops Potentially Critical Match In Houston

The action started early as the Dynamo hosted Real Salt Lake at Shell Energy Stadium on Saturday.

Diogo Gonçalves took the first shot of the match and put it on target off a pass from Lachlan Brook. The two midseason additions nearly put RSL up in the second minute but Houston goalkeeper Steve Clark made the save in the bottom left corner.

On the other end, Houston also forced a save in the center of the goal. 19-year-old goalkeeper Gavin Beavers answered the call to keep the score at 0-0.

The next 15 minutes of game time were relatively quiet. Chicho Arango and Diego Luna both had looks on goal but missed the mark.

In the 20th minute, Arango was up again. Defender Justen Glad set him up and RSL’s star striker booted it from outside the box but Clark was able to make his second save.

Bending and not breaking worked out for Houston but Real couldn’t say the same. Off of a few RSL deflections, Amine Bassi loaded up from the top left corner of the box and snuck his shot past Beavers in the 27th minute.

Amine Bassi puts the @HoustonDynamo ahead early!

📺 #MLSSeasonPass: https://t.co/hKCcGRdXrs pic.twitter.com/yvgN9b68G3

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) September 15, 2024

Things only continued to go downhill for RSL from there.

Less than five minutes later, Arango was shown a yellow card for a bad foul.

Brook got his first scoring opportunity as the end of the first half approached but Clark remained a wall in goal and made his third save. Seven minutes of stoppage time were added following the save.

Just a few minutes into the extra time, Houston doubled its lead. Héctor Herrera set up Griffin Dorsey for a slotted shot in the bottom-left.

Griffin Dorsey doubles the advantage for @HoustonDynamo! pic.twitter.com/mKU3X527Hm

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) September 15, 2024

Before the first half came to an end, Brook got another quality look but couldn’t break through. Real went into the locker room trailing 2-0 through the first 45′.

Forced to fight from behind, RSL either needed a major comeback or a lucky break. Just after halftime, they got just that.

While chasing a lead pass into the box, Houston’s Erik Sviatchenko and Arango got tied up which resulted in a Dynamo own goal. Just like that, it was only a one-goal lead.

Chicho Arango’s extra effort gets one in the back of the net for @realsaltlake. 😤

GAME ON! pic.twitter.com/PF5Gk08tf6

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) September 15, 2024

Even though Real technically pulled one back, the momentum didn’t really sway at all.

The next five shot attempts in the match all came from Houston. It took nearly 15 minutes for Real to put another shot on goal. Clark saved shot attempts from Brook and Gonçalves in the 62nd and 70th minutes.

In the 75th minute, Houston scored what felt like the dagger. But, just in case that wasn’t enough, Ezequiel Ponce finished off a highlight play for a fourth goal just five minutes later.

From back to front in a FLASH. ⚡@HoustonDynamo put together a beautiful team goal! pic.twitter.com/jkmWSpXYZO

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) September 15, 2024

Six minutes of stoppage time was added but RSL was unable to find the back of the net.

Real will have a chance to get back in the win column later this week. They return home to host Dallas on Wednesday, September 18.

How To Watch Real Salt Lake

All Major League Soccer games are broadcasted on Apple TV with MLS Season Pass.

All Real Salt Lake English-language radio coverage for the 2024 season and beyond will be carried on various KSL radio signals. KSL Sports Zone (97.5 FM/1280 AM) and KSL Newsradio (102.7 FM / 1160 AM) are both stations under the Bonneville International umbrella.

Chandler Holt is a co-host of the Jazz Notes podcast, a Locals In The NFL Insider, and Digital Sports Producer for KSLSports.com. Follow Chandler on X for Utah Jazz and Locals In The NFL updates.

Take us with you, wherever you go.

Download the new & improved KSL Sports app from Utah’s sports leader. You can stream live radio, video and stay up to date on all of your favorite teams.

Follow @CHoltSports