Alvaro Saborio played 90 minutes and scored for RSL (Deseret News)
The last two US Open Cup outings, though wins, have been a bit of an adventure for Real Salt Lake. This was nowhere near the case last night as the Claret and Cobalt put the hurt on the NASL leading Carolina RailHawks to advance to the semifinals. The full time result was 3-0, but in reality it wasn't that close, as RSL pretty much dominated a very lackluster Carolina side.
Speaking of lackluster, that's exactly the word that Jason Kreis used to describe the effort in the first thirty minutes from RSL. Bunker? Yeah the RailHawks did that. They sat behind the ball and unlike the Charleston Battery, never really tried to press. As for RSL's part, they worked the ball around quite a bit, patiently probing for an opening. It was all a bit too patient though, as it lulled pretty much everyone watching to sleep. However, given what had happened defensively in the last Open Cup match, I guess as a fan you can't really blame them for the conservative start.
So, who you gonna call when you need a bunker buster? Your fullbacks of course. In the 35th minute Tony Beltran drove a gorgeous shot on goal that slipped by the 'keeper and in to make it 1-0 for RSL.. Shortly before the end of the half Beltran launched another gorgeous strike that was destined for the top corner, but the 'keeper made a fantastic save to keep the scoreline at 1-0 going into the half.
Carolina didn't open up all that much to start the second half either, but again an RSL fullback made them pay. In the 50th minute Chris Wingert hit a shot to the near post. The Railhawk 'keeper got a hand to it, but couldn't keep it out and it was 2-0 to RSL. Late on in the match the Claret and Cobalt switched formations into a rather interesting 4-5-1 look, with Olmes Garcia and Joao Plata on the wings and Sabo up top by himself. This looked pretty good as Garcia found Sabo with a cross in the 86th minute that the Costa Rican promptly back headed into the net to make the final tally 3-0.
There was some hay made after the match about Carolina and the way they approached the game. On Tuesday a RailHawks player commented that their league match on Saturday was more important than this match. If you watch Kreis's postgame presser, you'll see that he bristles at this suggestion. Now, this might very well be true, but in a quarterfinal match against one of the best clubs in the country, it reeks of excuse making, both before and after. Play to win, or go home. Put whatever eleven out on the pitch that you want, but show up. The RailHawks didn't, and in my mind embarrassed the NASL with their poor showing. I gained a lot of respect for the Charleston Battery when they came here to play, but the Railhawks were disappointing. Oh well, that's on their manager. We're moving on to host the Portland Timbers on August 7th, just two wins away from a trophy and CCL.
So here are the Puddle's Three Stars for the match:
THIRD STAR--Alvaro Saborio, F, RSL.
Sabo is back and he is fit. Now, hopefully he doesn't get injured playing in the Gold Cup for Costa Rica. He played 90 minutes for the second time in a week, and while he didn't have his best night, still scored a goal and provided that critical holdup play that let RSL have possession in the Railhawk's half.
SECOND STAR--Chris Wingert, FB, RSL.
The thing about Wingert is that the dude always shows up and gives 100% every match even when he's not playing particularly well. He's part of the bedrock for this club. Last night he scored a goal and provided better service than he has been to really contribute to the win.
FIRST STAR--Tony Beltran, FB, RSL.
It was honestly the best match I've seen from Tony in a long time, on both ends of the pitch. Yeah the goal was good, but his service was also improved and he really helped quash any lame attempt by the Railhawks to get forward. Now I just hope he can stay consistent and put up these performances in MLS.
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