Everything was clicking for Real Salt Lake on Saturday in a 2-0 win over Seattle Sounders FC. The team controlled possession, executed the game plan defensively and when opportunities arose, RSL capitalized. The result was one of the more complete performances the club has put forward this year.
It was only fractions better than the team’s match the previous week against the Portland Timbers, though those miniscule differences were the difference between a convincing 2-0 victory and a heart-wrenching 1-0 defeat.
“Sometimes it’s one of those nights. I thought the performance was there against Portland as well,” RSL Head Coach Jeff Cassar said in his weekly interview on ESPN 700 with The Bill & OC Show. “I thought on Saturday night against Seattle it was a good, complete performance. We did the right things and we punished them with the opportunities that we got. … It was nice for the guys to be rewarded for their good play and I couldn’t be more proud of them.”
While the win over Seattle was a big step for RSL in reaching the end goal of climbing into the playoffs, it is just the first step and with eight matches left on the schedule, the chase for the six playoff berths in the Western Conference is heating up.
That makes each match critical, with little margin for error. While Cassar knows that his team is aware of the importance of each match, it isn’t something that he puts extra emphasis on in training.
“The guys know where we’re at and what we need. I definitely don’t need to add the pressure to them,” Cassar said. “I just want to make sure we’re doing the right things in practice and preparing them for a really tough match. They know what’s on the table here. Every point is important right now.”
RSL takes on FC Dallas from Toyota Stadium on Saturday. The match will be televised on tape-delay on KMYU, but will streamed live on KUTV.com and at Real Salt Lake’s official viewing party at the Gallivan Center.
To hear the full interview with Cassar, click here.
