Saturday’s matchup between Real Salt Lake and Vancouver Whitecaps FC will likely feature a clash of the Morales’. RSL’s own Javier Morales will go up against Vancouver’s new addition, 28-year-old Pedro Morales. Acquired in the offseason, Pedro Morales spent the last two seasons with Spain’s La Liga side Malaga CF, starting 13 of his 22 appearances and notching four goals for the Spanish club.
Javier and Pedro have a lot more in common than just their last names. The two both hail from neighboring countries in South America – Javier from Argentina and Pedro from Chile. But don’t let their proximity fool you; Argentina and Chile aren’t known to have the best relations which include a deep futbol rivalry between the nations. On the pitch, both Javier and Pedro play a similar role for their respective clubs, both serve as the attacking playmaker on the field – positions associated with the famed number 10.
Javier has been with RSL for his entire MLS career and is now in his eighth season with the Claret-and-Cobalt, so comparing the two overall is a bit premature, but both Morales’ stats in 2014 seem to show how similar the two players might really be.
Javier has started six of RSL’s first seven matches for a total of 527 minutes of playing time. The Argentine has notched two assists and recorded a total of seven shots with two shots on goal. Pedro has similarly been an influence for Vancouver, scoring one goal and notching two assists in seven appearances – five of which were starts – in 472 minutes played. The Chilean seems to pull the trigger more often though, registering a total of 19 shots with eight on goal.
Here are some comparable stats between the two:
<div>
STATS</div> |
<div>
Javier Morales (RSL) 527 min.</div> |
<div>
Pedro Morales (VAN) 472 min.</div> |
<div>
Chances created (incl. assists)</div> |
<div>
15</div> |
<div>
16</div> |
<div>
Chances created from open play</div> |
<div>
12</div> |
<div>
14</div> |
<div>
Chances created from set play</div> |
<div>
3</div> |
<div>
2</div> |
<div>
Passing Accuracy</div> |
<div>
79.02</div> |
<div>
79.23</div> |
<div>
Passing accuracy in opp. half</div> |
<div>
76.69</div> |
<div>
75.82</div> |
<div>
Passing accuracy in final third</div> |
<div>
66.43</div> |
<div>
65.15</div> |
<div>
Passes into final third</div> |
<div>
60</div> |
<div>
75</div> |
<div>
Successful crosses/corners</div> |
<div>
8</div> |
<div>
12</div> |
As you can see from the above table, the two playmakers have similar starts to the 2014 season. Passing accuracy between the two is almost even across the board. Only one overall chance created stands between the two with Pedro edging out the RSL veteran with two more chances created from open play. The biggest difference between the two is the number of passes into the final third, with Pedro recording 15 more than Javier.
Saturday’s matchup looks to be an entertaining one with both Morales’ playing key roles and wielding their influence on their respective clubs. Only time will tell which Morales comes out on top.
