There was a familiar sight that returned to Rio Tinto Stadium on Saturday night when Real Salt Lake toppled the Houston Dynamo 2-0.
Javier Morales was tremendous in creating scoring chances throughout the match, but that wasn’t new to this season. In just 15 matches, he has four goals and seven assists this year.
RSL held distinct advantages on possession and shooting, a hallmark of the team that holds the MLS record with the longest streak of consecutive playoff seasons at seven. And while it hasn’t been as much of a benchmark this season, it still is a trend within a match that has happened on occasion.
The missing element resurfaced in the 65th minute when Olmes Garcia joined Joao Plata in a choreographed dance after Plata netted his first goal of the season after tallying 13 goals to lead the team in 2014. Plata missed the first 11 matches of the season after suffering a fractured fifth metatarsal in his right foot on the first day of preseason training camp in January.
“I think it is going to be great for his confidence,” RSL Head Coach Jeff Cassar said after the match. “He’s been doing a lot of the right things. He’s been getting into a lot of good positions. Today was great. He came from an out-wide position, took somebody on and had a fantastic finish. I’m really happy for him and hopefully there is a lot more to come.”
Morales, who assisted on the goal, has seen Plata’s goal-scoring prowess percolating in recent weeks and even made extra effort to get him into goal-dangerous situations. Seeing him convert brought a smile to the face of RSL’s playmaker, but not just for the feeling that RSL was one step closer to a victory.
It wasn’t long ago that Morales was the one coming back from a long-term injury, so he knows the frustration Plata was feeling in recent weeks when he was doing all the work, but not making an impact with goals.
“I’m happy, because I think Plata the last two games worked hard. He played great and tonight he deserved a goal,” Morales said. “I told him right when he was coming back, and I told him, I said the injury I had in the past … it’s tough. It’s tough to come back. It’s not going to be like the first game or second game, it’s going to take a while. I think right now he’s back.”
The goal not only came at a time when RSL was riding high in a home match against a Western Conference opponent, but also served as a reminder of what Head Coach Jeff Cassar had been talking about during the preseason when the club switched to a 4-3-3 formation. Now with Plata healthy and contributing on the score sheet, the shape of the team could look much more like Cassar envisioned it.
