Union salvage tie vs. Real with late goal

Maurice Edu retrieved the ball from the net. Before his 90th-minute goal could even be announced, he was already sprinting back toward the center circle.

There was little time left in the Union's 2-2 draw with Real Salt Lake at PPL Park in Chester on Saturday, and the Union midfielder could not pause for much celebration.

There was not much celebration after the game, either. Edu's header on a corner from Cristian Maidana salvaged a point against an unbeaten opponent, but the sense in the Union locker room was that a better result had been available.

In six previous tries, the Union had never beaten Real. But there were reasons to believe this meeting would be different.

Salt Lake (2-0-4) was missing a few key players, including U.S. national team goalkeeper Nick Rimando. Real's starting lineup was its sixth different one in as many games.

"Coming back against a team like [that] is a big boost for us. They're one of the best teams in the league," Union goalkeeper Zac MacMath said. "But . . . we're all disappointed because we thought we were a better team than them today. We're giving up late goals and doing things we shouldn't be doing in the last 10 minutes."

For the fourth time in six games, the Union (1-1-4) conceded a goal after the 80th minute. Kyle Beckerman's 84th-minute tally put Salt Lake ahead, 2-1.

Andrew Wenger had scored in the 55th minute of his Union debut to tie it at 1. Wenger corralled a through ball from Vincent Nogueira and beat goalkeeper Jeff Attinella to end Real's 291-minute shutout streak.

"I think there's pressure to score every game when you wear the No. 9 on your back," Wenger said. "That's the job."

The Union trailed, 1-0, in the fifth minute. Austin Berry's foul at the fringe of the box led to a Real penalty kick. MacMath made the initial save on Alvaro Saborio, but Luke Mulholland deposited the rebound.

In the game's waning moments, Mulholland collided with Leo Fernandes in the penalty area. This time, the whistle stayed silent, and the Union settled for their third straight tie.