Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
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Opening the season at the defending champion LA Galaxy is not exactly the way to ease into a season that saw 9 players leave the Salt Lake roster. Add to the new faces the lingering injuries to regular starters Nat Borchers (quad strain), Will Johnson (groin strain), Alvaro Saborio (knee strain), and Javier Morales (knee strain), more than a few were nervous for the match-up.
LA came out swinging but couldn't capitalize on multiple chances. Edson Buddle finally broke through with a header in the second half to break the deadlock. Undeterred, rookie midfielder Sebastian Velasquez pushed a cross in front of the LA goal that was tipped into goal by Galaxy defender Sean Franklin. Let the comeback begin.
RSL dominated the next 20 minutes, scoring 2 more goals with Javier Morales and Alvaro Saborio coming off the bench in the 67th minute. Real Salt Lake left Los Angeles with a well deserved yet unexpected 3 points.
Fast forward to St. Patrick's Day. RSL hoped to continue its momentum by taking care of the New York Red Bulls in the Rio Tinto Stadium opener. With the same starting lineup of mixed reserves and starters that began the game in Los Angeles, Fabian Espindola and Luis Gil scored on each side of halftime to dismiss the Red Bulls with their second straight loss.
Real Salt Lake looks to be a scary-good team this season. Playing rookie and reserve players against arguably the two most stacked rosters in MLS shouldn't normally result in 3-1 and 2-0 wins, but that is exactly what Jason Kreis and Co. have accomplished. With regular starters not feeling rushed to get healthy quickly and the understudy getting significant playing time, how can you not be excited for the rest of the season!
Now let's not get ahead of ourselves. RSL is 2-0-0 after 2 games of a 34 game Major League Soccer regular season. There's still a lot of soccer to be played. Add to those 32 remaining games additional competitions such as CONCACAF Champions League and the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup and any additional friendlies. A schedule like that could result in some tired legs come the MLS Playoffs. But you have to be excited about the depth that this team has shown over the preseason and first part of the season. With backup players like Chris Schuler, Sebastion Velasquez, Paulo Jr., and Luis Gil, who are currently starting, as well as SuperDraft first round selection Enzo Martinez, off-season acquisitions Jonny Steele, Leone Cruz, and Terukazu Tanaka, and stellar backups from last season Kyle Reynish and Yordany Alvarez, among others, you can't help but smile a little at the prospect of another deep playoff run.
Real Salt Lake has given the league a team to chase. LA has the firepower to make some noise. Seattle has the pieces to do some damage. Multiple other teams have made significant changes during the off-season to attempt to join the elite of the league. Injuries occur when least expected. International team call-ups, though planned for, can put a kink in the schedule. We'll see how it all pans out.
But at this point, you can't help but join the chant:
If you believe then just stand up on your feet
And shout it loud Real!
Here at the Riot the battle hymn's begun
We're here for RSL!
