Real Salt Lake, unlike many of their recent games, came out energized and ready to put the Sounders on their heels. They knocked on the door and even rang the bell but the Sounders wouldn't open up and let them in. Chances were there after plenty of great passing but the finishMing came up short a couple times. In the 41st, Yura Movsisyan drew a penalty and after some soft arguing, Joao Plata stepped up to take it and powered it in to put RSL up at the half, 1-0.
Fibe minutes out of the tunnel, there was a miscommunication between Jeff Attinella and Justen Glad with a ball just outside the box that left Attinella out of position, Glad on the ground, and Nelson Valdez with an equalizer.