In a tightly contested match held at America First Field for Week 20 of MLS, Real Salt Lake triumphed over Houston with a scoreline of 1-0. The decisive moment arrived in the 41st minute of the first half when William Agada found the back of the net, ensuring the victory for the home side.
Agada showcased his skills with a brilliant left-sided solo run before unleashing a shot that beat the opposing goalkeeper to secure the only goal of the match.
William Agada stood out as the man of the match, contributing a goal and attempting four shots on target throughout the game.
Defensively, Samuel Junqua also delivered an impressive performance, clearing six balls from the danger zone to help maintain a clean sheet.
Real Salt Lake’s head coach, Pablo Mastroeni, arranged his team in a 4-5-1 formation, featuring Rafael Cabral in goal; Noel Caliskan, Justen Glad, Samuel Junqua, and Alexandros Katranis on defense; Braian Ojeda, Pablo Enrique Ruiz, Diogo Gonçalves, Zavier Gozo, and Diego Luna in midfield; and William Agada leading the attack.
Meanwhile, Benjamin Olsen’s side, Houston, adopted a 4-3-3 setup with Jonathan Bond guarding the net; Felipe Andrade, Pablo Ortiz, Ethan Bartlow, and Franco Escobar in defense; Brooklyn Raines, Artur de Lima, and Jack McGlynn in midfield; and a forward trio consisting of Amine Bassi, Ezequiel Ponce, and Lawrence Ennali.
The game was officiated by referee Christopher Penso.
Looking ahead, Real Salt Lake will host Los Angeles FC in their next fixture, while Houston is set to entertain Vancouver Whitecaps FC at Shell Energy Stadium.
Substitutions for Real Salt Lake
67’ 2T – Braian Ojeda for Bode Hidalgo, Alexandros Katranis for Brayan Vera, and Zavier Gozo for Ariath Piol
87’ 2T – William Agada for Philip Quinton
91’ 2T – Noel Caliskan for Emeka Eneli
Yellow Cards for Real Salt Lake:
12’ 2T Braian Ojeda (Unsporting behavior), 23’ 2T Noel Caliskan (Unsporting behavior), and 27’ 2T William Agada (Unsporting behavior)
Substitutions for Houston:
69’ 2T – Felipe Andrade for Griffin Dorsey and Amine Bassi for Sebastian Kowalczyk
70’ 2T – Lawrence Ennali for Ondrej Lingr
83’ 2T – Artur de Lima for Duane Holmes
89’ 2T – Brooklyn Raines for Gabriel Segal
Yellow Cards for Houston:
35’ 1T Felipe Andrade (Unsporting behavior) and 39’ 1T Artur de Lima (Unsporting behavior)