Former Pitt midfielder Javi Perez made his MLS debut with LAFC over the weekend, as he took the field at Banc of California Stadium in the 78th minute of his team’s 2-1 win over Real Salt Lake on Saturday.
At that point, the game was tied 1-1, but the situation tipped in LAFC’s favor about six minutes later, when Real Salt Lake midfielder Justin Portillo was shown a red card for a foul on LAFC forward Diego Rossi. With Real Salt Lake down a man, LAFC defender Walker Zimmerman was able to slot a shot into the top right corner of the RSL goal to give his team a 2-1 advantage that it would not relinquish.