Minnesota United FC beat Real Salt Lake 5-4 on penalties Tuesday in their 2024 Audi MLS Cup Playoff opener.

After 90 scoreless minutes and a total of of seven minutes of stoppage time, neither team could score. The game immediately went into a penalty shootout.

It began with a stalemate as the first two players for each team successfully made theirs. Then Real Salt Lake goalkeeper Zac MacMath gave his team a chance to take the lead after saving Michael Boxall’s kick, but Justen Glad failed to capitalize on the save, sailing his shot over the net.

The teams stayed even until Braian Ojeda missed Real Salt Lake’s final kick.

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First half of Real Salt Lake vs. Minnesota United FC

Neither Real Salt Lake or Minnesota could find the back of the net in the first half. But each team had multiple chances.

Real Salt Lake controlled much of the first half with 60.4% of possession, and its 287 passes dwarfed Minnesota’s 151. But Minnesota was more effective with its time of possession, taking three shots compared to Real Salt Lake’s lone shot from Diego Luna.

In the 6th minute, Cristian Arango won Real Salt Lake’s first free kick of the match after being fouled by Minnesota’s Jefferson Diaz. Arango was down for several minutes, and Diaz earned a yellow card for the foul. Nelson Palacio took the kick but Minnesota cleared it.

Real Salt Lake had another chance in the 13th minute. Luna took a shot from the center of the box. But it was saved by Dayne St. Clair.

In the 18th minute, Minnesota began launching its own attack when Joseph Rosales took Minnesota’s first shot of the night, but it was an easy save for MacMath.

Minnesota’s attacking ramped up in the final third of the first half, but Real Salt Lake’s defense and MacMath kept the match scoreless in the first half.

Second half of Real Salt Lake vs. Minnesota United FC

Minnesota had the first chance in the second half with two shots on goal in the first four minutes of the half: one in the 47th minute from Kelvin Yeboah — his second of the night — and one from Carlos Harvey in the 49th.

In the 52nd minute, Real Salt Lake’s first goal was in sight when Luna broke away following a free quick, but he got tripped up trying to pass St. Clair, who then blocked Arango’s rebound.

Two minutes later, Arango tried again but his shot went far left. His shot in the 60th minute was also unsuccessful as it went right to St. Clair.

Minnesota’s two substitutes, Jeong Sang-Bin and Tanitoluwa Oluwaseyi, got to work quickly with both attempting a shot in their first three minutes on the pitch. In the 71st minute, MacMath blocked Oluwaseyi′s shot, and the second chance by Sang-Bin sailed over the net.

Real Salt Lake manager Pablo Mastroeni made three substitutions in the second half. In the 55th minute, Andrew Brody replaced Palacio, and in the 70th minute Diogo Gonçalves and Anderson Julio replaced Luna and Matt Crooks, respectively.

Arango could have scored the gamewinner in stoppage time but his shot was saved by St. Clair.

He was Real Salt Lake’s most active player offensively of the match. The captain was responsible for five of the club’s nine shots and half of the six on goal.

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But the true MVP of the second half was MacMath, who made multiple saves throughout the game but came up clutch with two consecutive saves in the 83rd minute, including one with his chest. Fortunately for MacMath, the third shot went wide of the goal.

He finished regulation with seven saves before conceding five goals in the shootout.

What’s next for Real Salt Lake?

Real Salt Lake will travel to Minnesota for the second game of the series on Saturday at 7 p.m. MT.

There, it will look to extend the best of three series with a win and punch its ticket to the conference semifinals, where Real Salt Lake will face either the Los Angeles Galaxy or Colorado Rapids.

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