Ageless Morales keeps RSL unbeaten in 2015


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SAN JOSE, Calif. — Javier Morales entered RSL’s fourth game of the season Sunday tied for the most assists in Major League Soccer.

He didn’t get a helper against the Quakes — but head coach Jeff Cassar will probably forgive him.

Morales scored the lone goal of the match Sunday as RSL (2-0-2) earned its first road win of 2015 with a 1-0 victory at San Jose in the first-ever match between the two sides at Avaya Stadium.

But Morales’ focus after the win wasn’t on his own performance.

“Today, in my opinion, was the best game that the group played together,” Morales said. “I think today, the most important thing for us was our commitment on the tackles, on getting second balls, on the fights.”

Morales may have unofficially assisted on his own game-winning goal, as well. The 35-year-old midfielder lined up a free kick in the waning moments of the first half and put the ball on frame — and right into the San Jose wall.

But Morales gathered his own deflection, and without wasting a second blasted a ball over the defense that swerved up and dipped just underneath the crossbar as time was running off the first-half clock.

Real Salt Lake's Jamison Olave, left, defends San Jose's Adam Jahn during the first half of an MLS soccer game Sunday, April 5, 2015, in San Jose, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Real Salt Lake's Jamison Olave, left, defends San Jose's Adam Jahn during the first half of an MLS soccer game Sunday, April 5, 2015, in San Jose, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

“I believe every time he shoots that he’s going to score or when he makes a final pass, I believe that it’s going to come off,” RSL captain Kyle Beckerman said of Morales. “He works really hard at his craft. He’s constantly working hard in practice and you’re seeing it in the games. We want to get him the ball as much as possible.”

The Argentine maestro has pulled the strings of RSL’s attack for several years, but 2015 is shaping up to be a remarkable season for Morales, who turned 35 in January. At an age where many professional soccer players are hitting a decline in their service, the health-conscious Morales seems to only be getting better with more clicks in his biological clock.

“He’s playing at an extremely high level right now and I think his confidence is very high and we’re going to talk a lot about that goal, but I’m going to think about the defensive play that he made in the second half,” Cassar said. “That was unbelievable. That’s what really holds dear to my heart because that’s the kind of thing that other people watch and see, and it rallies them.”

Midway through the second half, Morales prevented a fast-break opportunity with two sliding tackles that pried the ball loose from San Jose’s possession, keeping the home team off the board. His tenacity in midfield has shown as he produced the second goal of the season, the most of the team — on only three shots on goal.

Nick Rimando had a pair of saves to keep RSL’s first shutout in a winning effort of the season. The U.S. international also forced wide JJ Koval’s shot from inside the 6-yard box in the 58th minute to preserve the 71st clean sheet of his RSL career.

“I thought the effort and the commitment from the guys to defend was fantastic,” Rimando said. “On the road, that’s what you need to pull out results.

“I think our chances came from us being a good defensive, organized team today.”

Fatai Alashe had a chance on the final play of the match for San Jose (2-3) as the Earthquakes pushed for an equalizer. But his half-bicycle kick effort in the fourth minute of stoppage time skipped over the bar.

RSL’s new 4-3-3 formation has the team looking different than previous seasons. The Salt Lake side had only 47 percent of possession in Sunday’s win, and the wide players were just as likely to boot a deep ball into space as they were to connect a short pass right at the feet of a teammate.

But RSL’s first three-point outing on the road will only boost confidence, and Morales playing like his younger self has the team one-third of the way to its 6-0-6 start last season — the best early mark in franchise history.

“I think we had the most fun we’ve had in a game since the start of the season,” Beckerman said. “It was great to see.

“We know there are still things to work on. We’ll build on the good things and see if we can improve on things we didn’t do so well.”

NOTES — Sunday’s match was the first career start for RSL home-grown Jordan Allen. The Rochester, New York, native finished a 75-minute shift at forward coming off for Luis Gil, who was playing in his first game since a pair of friendlies with the U.S. U-23 men’s national team last week.

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