Real Salt Lake took advantage of mistakes and a depleted Revolution team on Saturday night to capture a 3-0 victory in Sandy, Utah — snapping New England’s three-game win streak and its own franchise record 13-match MLS winless skid.
Teenager Aiden Hezarkhani put RSL ahead inside of two minutes, with striker Sergi Solans — twice denied on golden chances by Matt Turner — finally breaking through in the 62nd and 80th.
New England (14-9-4, 46 points) lacked for scoring opportunities despite having the vast majority of possession against Salt Lake (9-13-5, 32 points), extending its winless run in Utah to 10 matches. The Revolution are 0-8-2 at RSL since last winning there in 2007.
“We couldn’t find the right solutions to create better options to finish those attacks,” Revolution coach Marko Mitrovic said. “I felt that we were too deep defensively and [were not] winning those first and second balls, which is in general our strength. Today, we kind of exposed ourselves in the big spaces, and [Real Salt Lake] have very quick players higher on the field who, once you give them space, can use it.
“Listen, at 1-0 and 2-0, they had a strong desire to defend the result, and we couldn’t find a way to threaten more.”
MLS played a full slate of games this weekend despite senior international duty calling away 117 players (according to the league’s participation report) across 27 of its 30 teams. That included four Revolution starters: Americans Peyton Miller and Brooklyn Raines (who made their US debuts in the 4-1 friendly victory against Peru earlier Saturday), and Israelis Dor Turgeman and Ilay Feingold.
That quartet has 16 of New England’s 45 goals this season.
Also missing the injured Jack Harrison (six assists in six matches) and Alhassan Yusuf (five goals), plus US youth national teamer Judah Siqueira, Mitrovic pieced together a unique lineup. Former Benfica player Josh Wynder made his first MLS start at center back and produced two of New England’s best chances — a 30-yard rocket in the opening minutes that just missed wide, and a 65th-minute header which forced a save.
Ethan Kohler bumped up to midfield — he last appeared there in April — and Wilson Harris (first Revolution start) and Luca Langoni (first start since May) joined Dániel Gazdag up front. It was a misstep by a regular, however, that helped Real Salt Lake score its first goal in four matches.
Mamadou Fofana slipped at the edge of the 6-yard box trying to clear a cross from Dominik Marczuk, the ball dribbling toward the post. Hezarkhani raced to it and slammed it off the underside of the crossbar for his third MLS goal.
The Revolution had five first-half corners as they pressed, possessed, and sought an equalizer, but were largely kept at a distance. The hosts played physical with Carles Gil, to the point his repeated dissent earned him a yellow card from referee Ricardo Fierro while the two walked off the field at the half.
(Gil was fouled for the third and final time 30 seconds into the second half, Salt Lake’s Morgan Guilavogui earning his own yellow.)
The Revolution again looked at their most threatening in the opening 15 minutes of the second half, but were unable to really challenge keeper Rafael Cabral (four saves). Just five of their 14 shots came inside the penalty area.
Solans, denied on a straight breakaway in the first half and by a diving Turner earlier in the second, doubled the lead off a buildup. Breaking up the middle through a three-man back line, he battled through Wynder and broke a personal five-match scoreless streak in league. Solans’s second came via a strong combination play, as he raced behind Kohler and slid to meet a Guilavogui cross in the goalmouth.
Javaun Mussenden, a callup from Revolution II to fill out Saturday’s roster, made his MLS debut as a substitute for Wynder in the 68th minute.
New England remains second in the Eastern Conference on a tiebreaker with Inter Miami, though the Herons play Sunday night. The Revolution are off next weekend, then host Seattle on Oct. 10.
Jon Couture can be reached at jonathan.couture@globe.com.