Real Salt Lake won at home against the last-place team in the Eastern Conference.
That’s the clinical description, at least, of what transpired at Rio Tinto Stadium on Saturday night.
But after coach Jeff Cassar told media members his team had come “really, really close to a complete game that we keep striving for,” and while New York boss Jason Kreis lingered in the visitors locker room for what his handler called “sort of a team meeting,” it was natural to wonder if RSL’s 2-0 victory hadn’t sped up the divergence of the two coaches’ paths.
Real has now scored five goals in its past three games after going 509 minutes without one. Blindfolded for the first 49 minutes, a spectator might have thought it was RSL (4-3-5) that trailed 2-0 in the second half, impressed so by the urgency and relentlessness of the home team’s attack.
“It’s what we get paid to do, so it’s about time we figured it out,” said midfielder Luke Mulholland, whose cross from the right wing curled square onto the forehead of Alvaro Saborio for the second goal in the 49th minute. “It’s just another enjoyable game — we’ve only had two or three enjoyable games this season so far.”
They’d like to make it two or three enjoyable games this week. RSL will visit Los Angeles on Wednesday and third-place Vancouver on Saturday, and a few points on the road would provide significant momentum as they head into an eight-game league stretch in which they play six at home.
RSL fielded a diamond midfield formation again Saturday, when the stadium record crowd of 20,801 might have cheered loudest for two substitutions. Javier Morales relieved first-time goal scorer John Stertzer in the 62nd minute, returning after sustaining a debilitating concussion against San Jose, and Joao Plata came on in the 90th minute for a couple of spirited tussles that reminded fans and players alike what RSL’s offense — 4-3-3, diamond, whatever — had been missing since 2014’s leading scorer broke his foot on the first day of preseason training.
“It was great to see that little man running around,” Mulholland said. “Now the games are going to come thick and fast. We’re going to need to rotate players, and I think that having Morales back and Plata back is good timing.”
Forward Sebastian Jaime may also return to the fold soon after fracturing his right tibia against Toronto, and center back Chris Schuler is thought to be just weeks away from full health after a meniscus tear.
“I think you can see what we can do when we have a full arsenal of players,” said Cassar, who added that Plata’s subbing-on was a reward for his hard work, but that he still needs to improve his fitness.
Morales called it “a great day for soccer,” coming at a needed time — not only because of the spectacle of facing NYCFC, but because RSL was dismantled 4-1 the week prior by previously winless Montreal.
RSL’s ranks are likely to be depleted in coming weeks by international call-ups. Midfielder Jordan Allen missed Saturday’s contest, and it would probably be simpler to write who’s not on the global radar this summer. Nick Rimando, Kyle Beckerman, Alvaro Saborio, Elias Vasquez, Demar Phillpis, Abdoulie Mansally, Luis Gil, Boyd Okwuono, Justen Glad and Sebastian Saucedo might all leave the team for spells.
Those factors all made Saturday extra sweet — more port than claret — for RSL. Meanwhile, when Kreis finally emerged from the visitor’s locker room, he admitted it was “odd” to be at the south bench, trying to find a solution for his old players.
His somber tone, the way he closed his eyes for a solid second when he blinked, could be read to convey the weight of being winless in 10 games for a team owned by EPL heavyweights Manchester City, one that plays its home games at Yankee Stadium.
His track record suggests he’s capable of building from the ground up. Only on Saturday, he and 20,801 others were reminded that at RSL, a fairly sturdy foundation may still be in place.
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