Real Salt Lake’s 15-game unbeaten streak ended in a painful manner on Saturday night, with star forward Chicho Arango getting knocked out of the game early with a bloody head wound in a 1-0 loss to the LA Galaxy.
Arango collided with the Galaxy’s Martín Cácere. Both players suffered head gashes and left the game in the 21st minute.
“You’re taking out the guy that’s been leading this group,” coach Pablo Mastroeni said. “So you’re not only missing a very important player from a results perspective but you’re also missing the leadership and the energy he brings to the game and the commitment.”
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Real Salt Lake forward Chicho Arango (9) splits his brow as he collides with Los Angeles Galaxy defender Martín Cáceres (22) both ending up with bloody head wounds during an MLS soccer match against LA Galaxy on Saturday, June 22, 2024, in Sandy Utah.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Real Salt Lake forward Chicho Arango (9) raises his bloody hand after colliding with Los Angeles Galaxy defender Martín Cáceres (22) during an MLS soccer match against LA Galaxy on Saturday, June 22, 2024, in Sandy Utah.
The star striker needed more than 15 stitches to close the V-shaped gash above his right eye, an RSL spokesperson said. An initial evaluation ruled out a concussion, RSL said, but Arango will continue to be evaluated over the next few days to monitor for any late-presenting symptoms.
“The gash was ridiculous on his head,” Mastroeni said after the match. “I’m sure he’s in a lot of pain.”
But even with Arango on the sideline, a shorthanded Salt Lake squad still had its chances. Then Galaxy forward Gabriel Pec scored in the 74th minute from the top of the box off a one-touch pass from Dejan Joveljic.
“I think tonight, we just weren’t sharp with the ball, in particular in that final third,” Mastroeni said. “It felt like a game where the team that made a play would get the result and they made a play. But it wasn’t for a lack of desire, or a lack of effort.”
In the 50th minute, RSL goalkeeper Zac MacMath and Galaxy goalkeeper John McCarthy made saves with their feet on back-to-back transition chances to keep the game scoreless. MacMath stopped a shot by Joseph Paintsil, and McCarthy deflected a shot by Andrés Gómez.
The loss dropped RSL into a tie with the Galaxy (10-3-7) for second place in Major League Soccer’s Western Conference, behind LAFC.
Real Salt Lake (10-3-7) will return to action on July 3 (7:30 p.m., Apple TV) against the Houston Dynamo at America First Field, and is scheduled to host Atlanta United on July 6.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Real Salt Lake midfielder Diego Luna (8) is pressured by Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder Tucker Lepley (21) during an MLS soccer match against LA Galaxy on Saturday, June 22, 2024, in Sandy Utah.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Real Salt Lake midfielder Anderson Julio (29) collides with Los Angeles Galaxy goalkeeper John McCarthy (77) on a drive during an MLS soccer match against LA Galaxy on Saturday, June 22, 2024, in Sandy Utah.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Real Salt Lake forward Carlos Andrés Gómez (11) goes between Los Angeles Galaxy defender John Nelson (14) and Los Angeles Galaxy defender Maya Yoshida (4) in game action during an MLS soccer match against LA Galaxy on Saturday, June 22, 2024, in Sandy Utah.
