CARSON, Calif., March 11 (UPI) -- Fabian Espindola scored in the 85th minute Saturday to finish off a wild second half that resulted in a 3-1 victory for Real Salt Lake over Los Angeles.
The defending MLS champion Galaxy did not lose a home game all of last season and they seemed on their way to a victory in their season opener when Edson Buddle scored on a header in the 71st minute.
Los Angeles then collapsed down the stretch, beginning when the Galaxy's Sean Franklin put the ball into his own net to create a 1-1 tie.
Salt Lake then pounced on the stunned Galaxy to score twice in 5 minutes.
Javier Morales drove the ball into the bottom left corner from the center of the box and Espindola beat goaltender Josh Saunders with a left-footed shot off a feed from Alvaro Saborio.
The Galaxy went 12-0-5 at home last season. Real Salt Lake finished third in the Western Conference behind Los Angeles and Seattle.
