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SANDY — Coming off a big road win, Real Salt Lake knew it needed three points at home against arguably one of the most talented starting 11 ever fielded in the MLS to stay in the hunt for the sixth playoff spot.
And the Claret and Cobalt didn't waste any time, taking control in the fifth minute.
Javier Morales looped a ball into the box and found the head of Aaron Maund, who knocked it into space near the back post where Devon Sandoval waited and drilled the ball off the opposite post and in.
"Playing with Juan (Martinez), Javi, Joao (Plata) makes my job really simple, and I can focus on what I need to focus on," said Sandoval, who was coming off 80-plus-minute performances against Houston a week ago and Santa Tecla Thursday.
In the 27th minute, Real Salt Lake added another after an impressive move into the box by Martinez. The Argentine went past Galaxy right back A.J. DeLaGarza and then touched the ball past a sliding Juninho, who took Martinez out, and referee Kevin Stott immediately pointed to the spot.
Morales used his stutter step to get Los Angeles goalie Donovan Ricketts to dive to his left, and Morales confidently slotted the ball into the right corner of the net.
The Galaxy had plenty of star power going forward, employing the likes of Steven Gerrard, Giovani Dos Santos and Robbie Keane, but they were unable to beat Nick Rimando despite testing him on numerous occasions.
"L.A. threw the kitchen sink at us in the second half," RSL coach Jeff Cassar said. "We dealt with it then we were good with the ball on the other end, so it was a good night for us."
The majority of the Galaxy's four shots on target were well within the reach of Rimando, but the close distance from which the came made them all the more difficult to stop.
And yet, if Cassar and Rimando knew prior to the game that Los Angeles would only muster four shots on frame, they'd surely have gone out of their way to praise the back line.
Tony Beltran started on the left side of the defense and 20-year-old Jordan Allen held down the right. They kept the Galaxy in check all night, limiting crosses and clearing the area in pivotal moments, easing the burden on Jamison Olave and Aaron Maund in the center.
"Part of L.A.'s attack is they're pretty dynamic in their runs," Beltran said. "Keane does a fantastic job of dipping in and creating space for everyone else, and they're able to find the ball in dangerous positions. It was huge for us to communicate in the back line, put guys in front of us in good spots and those guys in front of us were working extremely hard."
Once the home side took a 2-0 lead into the locker rooms at the break, the players sensed they had Los Angeles frustrated.
"At halftime we just said, don't let them gain momentum, just keep it going early in the (second) half and if we put another one away they're going to crack," he said.
Sandoval and Martinez were obliged to do just that.
Excellent play from Martinez with the ball at his feet allowed him to get past two defenders as his shirt was tugged by Leonardo, and he cut the ball back and hit a sublime cross onto the head of Sandoval, who buried it for the brace and a 3-0 Real Salt Lake advantage.
Two separate "El Burrito" chants rang out in appreciation of Martinez's efforts from a Rio Tinto record crowd of 21,004 before he exited to a standing ovation.
The Claret and Cobalt now sit three points behind sixth-place Portland, which is home against NYCFC Sunday evening.
Kyle Spencer is a freelance journalist residing in Orem. You can find him on Twitter @kyledspencer or reach him by email at kspence04@gmail.com.
