Saborio powers Real Salt Lake past Toronto FC 3-0
SANDY, Utah (AP) Alvaro Saborio scored in each half to lead Real Salt Lake to a 3-0 victory over Toronto FC on Saturday night.
Luis Gil had a first-half goal for Real Salt Lake (2-0-2) which won at home for the first time this season. Salt Lake also improved 6-1 at home against Toronto (2-1-0) in MLS regular-season matches.
Saborio converted a penalty kick following a foul by Doneil Henry in the 11th minute. He threaded the ball inside the right post for his 13th career goal off a penalty kick for RSL.
Gil scored in the 28th minute. A series of crisp passes ended with Chris Wingert settling the ball on the left flank. He crossed it back into Gil in the middle of the box. The pass was partially blocked, but Gil got to it and split a shot down the middle between two Toronto defenders.
''I felt like we came out pretty hot,'' Gil said. ''We were coming at them and we got those two early goals. I felt like we kind of kept that intensity throughout the game.''
The Reds struggled to get anything going on offense before halftime. Toronto created just four shots and only one was on frame. It improved a little bit in the second half, creating 11 more shots.
''There was a lot of chances for both teams but it didn't really feel that way in front of our goal,'' Toronto coach Ryan Nielsen said.
Toronto nearly scored in the second half when Michael Bradley bounced a shot off the left post in the 54th minute.
Saborio then netted his second goal in the 55th minute when he got a pass from Javier Morales and popped the ball over the left shoulder of Toronto goalkeeper Julio Cesar. The ball hooked inside the right post.
''It was one of those games where I was trying to think of substitutions that needed to be made and it was tough because I felt like everyone had the right energy,'' Salt Lake coach Jeff Cassar said.
Physical play defined the first half. The Reds had three different players - Henry, Jermain Defoe and Steven Caldwell - receive yellow cards in a span of six minutes. RSL and Toronto combined for a total of 16 fouls by halftime.
Salt Lake captain Kyle Beckerman made his 300th career start in MLS play, moving into sixth place on the league's list.
Defoe tweaked a hamstring in the first half. He was replaced by Dwayne De Rosario in the 62nd minute as a precautionary measure.