SANDY, Utah (ABC4 Sports) – Real Salt Lake continues to show why it is the highest scoring team in the Western Conference.

Diego Luna had a goal and three assists, while five different players scored in a 5-2 blowout victory over Atlanta United in front of a fifth consecutive sold-out crowd at America First Field of 20,396. The 48 goals Real Salt Lake has scored is the most in the conference and only three behind Inter Miami for the MLS lead.

“When we’re at our best, we’re playing as a team,” said head coach Pablo Mastroeni. “What you saw in the second half, the ball is moving. People are making selfless runs beyond that to pull the team back. The tempo is different.”

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This marks just the fourth time in Real Salt Lake’s 636-game MLS history that an RSL player has set up three goals, and the second time this season Diego Luna has accomplished the feat.

Matt Crooks got the party started with a goal in the very first minute. Diego Luna sent a crossing pass into the box, which Crooks buried just 43 seconds into the match for his second goal of the season, and the third fastest goal to start a game in RSL franchise history.

Atlanta tied the match in the 31st minute when Saba Lobjanidze rocketed in a blast from just inside the box past an outstretched Gavin Beavers to level the match at one.

The vaunted RSL offense then exploded for four goals in a 25-minute span to blow the match open.

In the 59th minute, Alexander Katranis’ corner kick found Chicho Arango, but his header was stopped by an Atlanta defender near the goal. However, the rebound fell right to Braian Ojeda, who whipped around and scored his second goal in two games to give RSL a 2-1 lead. Ojeda hadn’t scored in his first 66 matches with Real Salt Lake, and now has two goals in four days.

Then the leading goal scorer in MLS snapped a four-game scoreless streak, as Arango headed in a free kick from Luna in the 68th minute to make it a 3-1 lead. For Chicho, who caught the Atlanta defense completely off guard with a sprint towards the goal, that was his 17th goal of the season, and he now trails Alvaro Saborio by just one goal for the all-time single-season franchise record.

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Real Salt Lake added to its lead in the 78th minute when Mikael Chang’s corner kick went directly to Katranis, who went unmarked just inside the box and buried his third goal of the season, his first since April 27th, to give the home team a three-goal lead.

After Atlanta got one back in the 80th minute on a goal from Daniel Rios, RSL hit the five-goal mark for the third time this season when Luna capped his incredible night, fielded a pass from Chang with his chest, and after a bounce on the turf, Luna buried his fifth MLS goal, and second in two games, to give RSL the 5-2 win.

“We’ve got to put a stamp on this game,” Mastroeni said. “Go out with the right mentality, move the ball quick, have better reactions when we turn the ball over and defend like we want to win the ball.”

Real Salt Lake was actually outshot by Atlanta, 14-12, but RSL put six shots on frame, converting five of them.

With the win, RSL (12-3-7) is now tied atop the Western Conference with 43 points with LAFC. Real Salt Lake next plays at Portland July 13th.

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