Aiden Hezarkhani Scores First Professional Goal as Real Salt Lake Edge Seattle Sounders 2-1

Real Salt Lake's injury list was long and its lineup was young enough to need a hall pass. Neither mattered. Aiden Hezarkhani, 18, scored the first professional goal of his career, Ariath Piol added another two minutes into the second half, and RSL held off a late Seattle Sounders surge for a 2-1 win in its home opener on Saturday night.

Cristian Roldan's header pulled one back for Seattle in the 62nd minute, but Rafael Cabral made six saves and the Sounders' curse in Sandy lives on. Per Seattle, this was the club's 16th consecutive visit to RSL in all competitions without a win, a drought dating to 2011. A crowd of 20,660 at America First Field saw the hosts hang on.

The Teenagers Take the Stage

According to MLS, head coach Pablo Mastroeni started three players aged 18 or younger, with several regulars injured. Juan Manuel Sanabria made his RSL and MLS debut, Lukas Engel made his first start for the club and Philip Quinton made his first start of 2026.

Seattle had the early pressure. In the 8th minute Yeimar Gómez met a Jackson Ragen headed pass and Cabral dived to keep it out in the top right corner. Albert Rusnák forced another save with a header in the 20th, and Gómez headed wide off a corner a minute later.

Then RSL struck, against the run of play by Seattle's reckoning. According to RSL, 17-year-old Luca Moisa won a loose ball at the top of the box, Sanabria whipped in a cross from the left, and Hezarkhani hit it first time with his left foot into the roof of the net in the 23rd minute. It was Sanabria's first MLS assist, and RSL says Hezarkhani, at 18 years and 245 days, became the ninth-youngest player in club history to score.

"He's had an unbelievable preseason with us," Mastroeni said. "He's gonna be a top, top player in this league."

Piol Doubles It, Roldan Answers

RSL came out of the locker room flying. In the 47th minute Quinton launched a long ball down the right channel for Zavier Gozo, another 18-year-old, who squared it for Piol to finish from close range. The club said it was Piol's second career MLS goal, his first since March 8, 2025, and his first match-winner.

Seattle coach Brian Schmetzer responded with a triple change in the 58th minute: Danny Musovski, Snyder Brunell and Kalani Kossa-Rienzi came on for Osaze De Rosario, Jesús Ferreira and Gómez. Rusnák forced Cabral into a save from a tight angle in the 61st, and from a corner a minute later he picked out Roldan, who headed in from close range at the back post. The captain's goal was his 38th in MLS, per the Sounders.

The last half-hour was frantic. Paul Rothrock tested Cabral in the 74th, Sergi Solans dragged a shot just wide for RSL in the 75th and Pablo Ruiz forced Andy Thomas into a save in the 76th. Seattle thought it had equalized in the 77th when Musovski volleyed home from six yards, but the Sounders said the goal was wiped out after Rothrock was ruled offside in the buildup.

Piol went off injured in the 82nd minute. Musovski had another clear look in the 84th, but Cabral saved again. At the other end, Thomas denied new signing Morgan Guilavogui in the 87th, and RSL fired off three more attempts in the 88th alone. The fourth official added eight minutes. Gozo curled one just wide in the 97th minute, and in the 99th minute Brunell's shot from the middle of the box went right at Cabral.

The Faces of the Night

Aiden Hezarkhani scored on one of his two shots and was replaced by Guilavogui in the 72nd minute.

Zavier Gozo had the assist and a team-high five shots, and picked up a yellow card in the 60th minute.

Rafael Cabral made six saves and wore the captain's armband.

Cristian Roldan scored and created Musovski's 84th-minute chance. Albert Rusnák, a former RSL Designated Player per Seattle, assisted the goal and put both of his shots on target.

Guilavogui, the Designated Player who arrived from RC Lens earlier this month according to MLS, made his RSL and MLS debut off the bench. For Seattle, Nikola Petkovic made his club debut as a late substitute, on loan from Charlotte FC.

The Turning Point

Piol's goal in the 47th minute. Seattle had 61.1 percent of the ball and ten corners, and Roldan's header showed what a one-goal game would have looked like. That second RSL goal, just two minutes after the restart, gave the young hosts a cushion to absorb everything that came after.

Stats That Matter

• Shots on target: Seattle 7, RSL 5.
• Saves: Cabral 6, Thomas 3.
• Possession: Seattle 61.1 percent, RSL 38.9 percent.
• Corners: Seattle 10, RSL 5.
• Clearances: RSL 48, Seattle 10.

What It Means

RSL moves to 1-0-1 with 3 points after opening with a 1-0 loss at Vancouver, and the club says it has now won 11 home openers, drawn nine and lost two across its 22 years. A road trip to Atlanta United comes next, on Saturday, March 7. Mastroeni sounded like a man who believes in the group he has.

"We got, you know, a couple of teenagers out there, and you look across the field and you have probably one of the most experienced, most quality groups in the league," he said. "It's really easy to make excuses as to why you don't win games."

Seattle falls to 1-0-1 with 3 points after a 2-0 home win over Colorado on opening weekend. This was the first of six straight matches away from Lumen Field in all competitions, per the club, and the Sounders do not return home until April 12. Fittingly, that one is against RSL. Next up is St. Louis CITY SC next Saturday.

Closing Take

For Seattle, Sandy has become the boss level it cannot clear, a save file stuck on the same screen since 2011. For RSL, this felt like the opening credits of something. The teenagers scored, the veteran goalkeeper bailed them out, and Mastroeni got the kind of night that makes trusting teenagers look like genius.

"Results like tonight really validate the process," he said.

Stats from ESPN's match data. Postgame quotes as reported by MLS (mlssoccer.com); club notes from Real Salt Lake (rsl.com) and Seattle Sounders FC (soundersfc.com).