The last-place San Jose Earthquakes scored twice in the first 33 minutes to stun Real Salt Lake with a 2-0 win on Saturday in Salt Lake City.
The Earthquakes (5-19-2, 14 points) earned their second win in their past 12 matches (2-9-1). Both have been shutouts and have come under interim coach Ian Russell.
Real Salt Lake (12-6-8, 44 points), who lost Cristian Arango late in the first half due to injury, is 0-3-1 in its past four matches.
The visitors capitalized on a turnover to take a 1-0 lead in the 20th minute. Jackson Yueill intercepted the ball at midfield and carried it into the attacking third before dishing it off to Cristian Espinoza, who fired it from the top edge of the box past goalkeeper Zac MacMath.
The tally was Espinoza’s 100th goal contribution with the Earthquakes, third-most in club history.
Amahl Pellegrino, who missed on a chance in front in the 29th minute, doubled the lead in the 33rd off a free kick. Espinoza put the ball into the box. MacMath got a piece of it, but his clearing attempt hit the right post and bounced to the far side, where Pellegrino was quick to tap it in at the goal line.
Real Salt Lake started to push in the second half after struggling to generate much of an attack in the first.
Newcomer Diogo Goncalves, in his Real Salt Lake debut, came within inches of getting the hosts on the board with a right-footed attempt in the 54th minute that just missed past the left post. In the next minute, goalkeeper Daniel snared a shot from Matt Crooks at the top of the box off a feed from Goncalves.
Daniel denied Real Salt Lake again in the 63rd minute when he got his hand on a shot from the right side outside the area to deflect it away. In the 71st minute, he swatted away Nelson Palacio’s attempt from the edge of the box to steer it wide.
–Field Level Media