ST. PAUL, Minn. — Emeka Eneli managed to equalize for Real Salt Lake in the 75th minute, leading the match to a 1-1 draw in regulation time. However, Minnesota United’s Dayne St. Clair demonstrated exceptional skill during the penalty shootout, making two critical saves to secure a 3-1 victory and complete a sweep over Real Salt Lake on Saturday evening.
The sixth-seeded Minnesota United triumphed over the third-seed Real Salt Lake in a match that ended in a scoreless tie before proceeding to penalties in their best-of-three first-round series.
St. Clair successfully blocked penalty kicks from Diogo Gonçalves and Diego Luna, and one attempted by Matt Crooks went over the goal. For Minnesota, Kelvin Yeboah, Hassani Dotson, and Sang Bin Jeong converted their penalty attempts. Cristian “Chicho” Arango was the sole scorer for RSL during the shootout.
Eneli’s goal was significant; it marked his first in the postseason, coming in his fourth playoff match. Previously, he had managed just one goal in 54 regular-season games over the last two seasons with the team. Crooks provided the assist for Eneli’s goal, achieving his first postseason assist in his inaugural season, while Arango also recorded his first assist after making seven playoff appearances, with the last four representing RSL.
The game’s first goal was scored by Minnesota United’s Joseph Rosales in the 53rd minute. He capitalized on assists from both Yeboah and Robin Lod, marking Rosales’ first goal in the postseason and coming in his fourth career playoff appearance. Over the last four years, Rosales had scored just once in 78 regular-season games. Yeboah’s assist was his first in two playoff outings as a rookie, and Lod’s contribution marked his second assist in eight postseason matches.
Dayne St. Clair’s performance included one save for Minnesota United, marking his seventh career playoff start. In contrast, Real Salt Lake’s Zac MacMath made his sixth start in the playoffs, successfully saving four shots against him. He had two previous playoff appearances during the 2016 postseason while playing for the Colorado Rapids.
This matchup marked a shift for Real Salt Lake, who had previously participated in nine consecutive playoff matches as the away team prior to hosting this opening game.
Throughout their four encounters this season, both teams managed to score two goals each. Real Salt Lake entered the playoffs with a club-record 65 goals, surpassing their previous record from 2013 by eight.
Next, Minnesota United is set to face off against the second-seeded Los Angeles Galaxy, who secured a victory over the Colorado Rapids in their first-round series.
