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SANDY — Javier Morales accepted a framed version of his iconic No. 11 jersey from RSL owner Dell Loy Hansen and Kyle Beckerman, who wore street clothes because of a calf injury, prior to kickoff.
Then he he retreated into the locker room — not the one he entered hundreds of times over a 10-year career on the Wasatch Front, the one that sits off to the right-hand side when entering the bottom level of Rio Tinto Stadium from the pitch.
Instead, Morales turned left — into the visiting locker room. He returned to the field a few minutes later, clad in the red and blue uniform of his new club: FC Dallas, which defeated Salt Lake 3-0 to move to an unbeaten 5-0-3 in 2017.
The moment was as emotional as Morales thought it might be.
“When I went out the first time for the warmup, that was tough,” said Morales, who did not play Saturday night. “I have a lot of people here, and it was nice. I knew before that it could be emotional, and it was.”
Morales began the night on the bench, but began warming up as his new team took a 1-0 lead into the second half. At 37 years old, he was easy to pick out among the throng of youthful subs running sprints, doing cone drills and otherwise being ready for the moment.
One of the most popular players in Real Salt Lake history, Morales’ 10-year career included a franchise-best 81 assists in 240 appearances, as well as 49 goals. Fans showed their appreciation by chanting his name in the south end, and verbally pleading with Pareja to give Morales a few minutes on the pitch.
FC Dallas is the last unbeaten team in Major League Soccer, and Matt Hedges’ goal in the 66th minute to go up 2-0 seem to assure the Frisco, Texas-based squad’s accumulation of three points on the road.
But the moment of Morales’ return to the pitch where he dedicated a decade of his life never came. Salt Lake City holds a special place in Morales’ heart, as well as that of his family — he helped bring the 2009 MLS Cup title to the fans in Sandy, and his son, Santi, was a regular at practices, for example.
Yet, Pareja reached for his substitute card and eventually pulled out three names: Carlos Gruezo, Cristian Colman and Atiba Harris. Morales took a seat back on the bench, along with three of his teammates who included former RSL goalkeeper Chris Seitz.
“You know what, it was in our plays, not just because I wanted to make an emotional moment for Javi,” Pareja told reporters after the match. “I want to bring him into the game because the only reason is he is going to help us. And that is the way I respect Javi, we all respect Javi.
“He gets in the field for a purpose and he understands that; he is a very mature player.”
Morales never got off the bench, and never even removed the green penny that sat over the red FC Dallas warmup he wore all night.
Hear what head coach Oscar Pareja thought about his team's performance. Plus, why didn't he play Javi Morales at Rio Tinto Stadium? pic.twitter.com/xVNhb1H8YD
— FC Dallas (@FCDallas) May 7, 2017
He admitted after the game that Saturday night might be the last time he appears at Rio Tinto Stadium; RSL travels to FC Dallas on June 3.
But being “home,” even if it didn’t match the color of his new kit, was special.
“Truthfully, I felt very good because the fans received me very well,” Morales said in Spanish while surrounded by a throng of media underneath Rio Tinto Stadium. “They showed me so much love, but like I said before, I wanted to play. I didn’t have the opportunity and it’s a little strange. But these things happen.”
The reasons behind Morales’ departure are still vague; he claimed to KSL Sports that he was never offered a chance to stay with Real Salt Lake after the club’s loss to Los Angeles in the opening round of the 2016 MLS Cup playoffs.
“They didn’t offer me another contract or different contract,” Morales said after the club declined to pick up an option on his contract.
RSL, of course, disputes the nature of the conversations that led to the two sides parting ways. General manager Craig Waibel said Morales’ departure was “very mature” and “fantastic” in conversation.
“I think Javi felt at the end of the day that he may have an opportunity to contribute on the field more than possibly he interpreted the conversation we had,” Waibel told league website mlssoccer.com.
For its part, the team welcomed Morales back to Sandy with open arms. Prior to the game, team owner Hansen and injured captain Beckerman met Morales at midfield and gave him a framed copy of his iconic No. 11 jersey.
The maestro through the years. pic.twitter.com/fEQ0oxmnAh
— Real Salt Lake (@RealSaltLake) May 7, 2017
The gift also included photos and mementos of his time at RSL, and came shortly after he was received by players young and old, from Bofo Saucedo to Joao Plata to Nick Rimando, with hugs, smiles and brotherly love during pregame warmups.
“That was nice to see them,” Morales said. “Bofo, Kyle, Plata, everyone; I have good relationships with all the guys, and I’m happy to come here and to play against them, even though I didn’t play. But I was happy to see them.”
The only thing missing was a chance to play during the 90-minute Dallas win.
“I don’t know what was the plan. But this could be my last game at Rio Tinto, so maybe I could’ve had the opportunity to play,” he said, adding a shrug. “The coach decided not to play me, and I understand; this is for the team, not just one player, and I have to move on.”
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