Joao Plata was instrumental in RSL's attack on Saturday (Salt Lake Tribune)
I think I speak for a lot of Claret and Cobalt fans when I say "That's more like it!" Even without talisman Alvaro Saborio, Real Salt Lake was able to step up and get great performances from a couple of different guys to pull out a 2-0 win over the Vancouver Whitecaps (or as section 35 put it the Flopcouver Divecaps) last Saturday night at Rio Tinto Stadium.
It's always a great feeling to walk away from Rio Tinto after three points have been earned, but this last week's match was critical, coach Jason Kreis said so himself. I missed the team's lackluster match against L.A. home with strep throat, but after watching the match on replay, it was easy to see that RSL really needed to bounce back from that, especially in the first 15 minutes of the match. Also on RSL's mind was the result from Vancouver a couple of weeks back when a questionable handball call on Nat Borchers cost them a potential three points on the road.
Of course Saturday night was not the all inclusive total 90 minute performance that coach Kreis has been looking for either. While they did manage to keep Vancouver off the scoreboard, the first half was less than spectacular. Few players in the Claret and Cobalt exhibited any decent touch on the ball, as even the midfielders seemed to come down with a case of the stone feet. The passes were also uncharacteristically off. The link up between the midfield and the forwards seemed to be especially off kilter. A lot of the balls failed to connect, and when they did, neither Joao Plata nor Devon Sandoval seemed to be able to hold on to them. This is somewhat understandable though. Plata and Sandoval can't have spent a lot of time playing together or connecting with the starting guys in the midfield. For Devon, it was also set to be his first 90 minute performance of his pro career. As good as he's been this year, sometimes we forget that he is a rookie.
RSL cranked it up a notch during the second half though, and it was some of the best play I've seen from the team this year, especially on the counter attack. Vancouver had shown their intention to come into Rio Tinto and play all night, and RSL took advantage right away in the second half. In the 47th minute Nick Rimando triggered a counter with a goal kick, hitting Plata way up in the Vancouver half of the pitch. Plata played a ball into the Vancouver box from the RSL right, where Luis Gil met it with his head to slot home and give RSL the 1-0 lead. The goal is up for MLS goal of the week.
RSL caught Vancouver sleeping again in the 71st minute when sub Sebastian Velasquez used some of his nifty footwork to free himself from the defense. He dropped of the ball to Plata. who again played the ball in from the right, this time to an onrushing Javier Morales, who dropped the ball into the near post corner to make it 2-0. It was very impressive. Somewhat less impressive was Vancouver's Gershon Koffie, who was supposedly marking Morales on the play. He simply jogged back after the RSL man without a care in the world and rendered himself totally helpless once Morales had the pass at his feet.
Vancouver tried to make it interesting late on, but the RSL defense held firm, which brings us to our first ratings. I thought the defense was pretty solid all the way around. Beltran was active, and Borchers and Schuler always seemed to be where they needed to be to fend off a Vancouver attack. Borchers' goal line clearance of a Vancouver shot was one of the plays of the night. I spent a lot of time watching Schuler in the second half, as he was stationed right in front of me in section 30. I thought his positioning was impeccable, and he rarely, if ever, looked flustered. He also did a great job of hanging onto Vancouver's speedy Darren Mattocks when he came into the match in the second half. Plus, how awesome was it to see Chris Wingert back in the side? He really firmed up the defense on the left side. My one mark down was that there were too many dangerous balls coming in from the Vancouver flanks. I give the defense a B+.
The midfield really stepped up. I thought Beckerman looked more involved than he has been of late, and Nedinho his just Nedinho, steady. I know a lot of the fans would like to see the more flashy Velasquez start, but Ned brings that veteran presence and leadership that I think we need right now. Of course, Gil and Morales stepped up to score the goals, which was huge with Sabo out. The touch and link up play could have been better, so I'll give the midfield an A-.
Finally, the forwards. In truth, it wasn't the best display, but both Plata and Sandoval improved over the course of the match. Plata was the assist man, and he's been so instrumental in so many of our goals this year. Sandoval really did well in the second half. His touch improved light years from the first, and his holdup play was outstanding late on, giving RSL more of a shot at possession and chances. Solid effort from both of those guys, so I'll say the forwards get a B.
So now I present to you the 3 stars for the Claret and Cobalt for Saturday, May 4 vs Vancouver.
3rd Star--Javier Morales. Still the dynamo driving the RSL engine.
2nd Star--Nat Borchers. His clearance off the line prevented a potentially game changing goal.
1st Star--Joao Plata. His runs gave the 'Caps fits all night. He assisted on both goals, making him the MLS assist leader going into Sunday morning.
