SANDY — The last time Kyle Beckerman didn’t start an MLS match for Real Salt Lake was Aug. 18, 2012, a streak of 152 appearances in the club’s first-choice XI — mostly wearing the captain’s armband.

Naturally, then, he wasn’t enthusiastic about coming off the bench Wednesday night.

But with Real Salt Lake playing its second of four matches in an 11-day span against Houston, a reserve role from “the captain” was just what the team needed, and head coach Mike Petke went ahead with it.

“He told me he was going to rest me, and I fought back a little bit,” Beckerman said. “But he’s the coach, and so you respect it — then do whatever you can to help the team.

“I just went out and played, and tried to win the game.”

The plan worked well.

Luis Silva scored a first-half goal, Beckerman scored the game-winner off the bench, and a shuffled Real Salt Lake squad held off visiting Houston 2-1 in front of 16,613 fans Wednesday night at Rio Tinto Stadium.

Sebastian Saucedo had two assists for Real Salt Lake (6-6-1), seizing his new role as the team’s sparkplug in the absence of Slovakian international Albert Rusnak. But it was Beckerman’s second-half sub that ultimately made the difference.

“Kyle wasn’t the easiest guy to talk to and tell my plan,” Petke said. “But this was the plan all along.

“For him to come on in that situation and not only hold down the fort but also get the winning goal was amazing. Kyle’s our engine. Kyle’s our leader. The work that he does makes him far-and-above the hardest worker on the team. I just needed to force a rest for him.”

Nick Rimando made five saves to earn the win, including stonewalling a point-blank shot from Tomas Martinez in the 42nd minute to preserve a 1-0 halftime lead.

With the win and shuffled lineup for Saturday’s 1-0 win over the Seattle Sounders, RSL won back-to-back games for the first time in 2018.

“I thought everyone stepped up and played really well,” RSL defender Justen Glad said. “It was a good team effort, and we ended up with the three points.

“When you come on and aren’t getting as much time, these are the games to make your mark and show the coach that you deserve to be on the field. Those guys all played well tonight, whether they are a normal starter or not. Everyone contributed.”

Silva gave RSL the lead with a glancing header in the 34th minute. The eighth-year professional scored his second goal of the year when Saucedo’s right-footed ball over the defense soared past Houston goalkeeper Joe Willis for the 1-0 advantage.

Alberth Elis equalized for Houston (5-4-3) in the 75th minute, rising up and heading home his eighth goal of the season off a lob pass from Romell Quioto to tie the match at 1-1.

But the draw lasted less than 10 minutes, when Beckerman finished off Saucedo’s corner kick in the 83rd minute — striking a ball from the end line inside the far post to give Salt Lake the 2-1 advantage and the full three points.

Saucedo, who scored the game-winner in Real Salt Lake’s 1-0 win at Seattle on Saturday, seized game's opening moments. The 21-year-old RSL Academy product from Park City had three dangerous chances in the first 30 minutes of the match, including a right-footed shot in the 22nd minute that Willis’ left glove punched aside to maintain a scoreless tie.

Without the necessary aplomb of a goal-scorer, Saucedo then made a veteran move and assisted on the game’s opening goal.

“I had to get whatever I can for the team to win, and I think it’s most important to get a team win than anything else,” Saucedo said. “Most important was the fight, and we got at the end a result. Three points.”

A clinical Real Salt Lake out-shot the Dynamo 12-7, and put three of its first six shots on target en route to the 1-0 halftime lead.

So when Elis pulled one back and equalized 15 minutes left, there was no panic. There was just a resolve to make something out of nothing.

Saucedo’s corner kick in the 83rd minute sailed into the 6-yard box, and Damir Kreilach soared into the air as if trying to head it home.

But at the last minute, the former Union Berlin midfielder chested the ball to the turf and called for Beckerman to run on to it before the usual captain slotted a left-footed shot from the end line into the far post.

“I don’t think anybody panicked,” Beckerman said. “We were creating quite a bit of chances, and everybody felt like we would get another chance or two.

“We just felt like ‘let’s go.’ Let’s step it up, and we were able to turn it back in our favor.”

Next up:

Real Salt Lake stays home to host Seattle Sounders FC at 7:30 p.m. MDT Saturday. The match will be streamed on KSL.com and the KSL TV app.

Houston travels to Montreal for a 5:30 p.m. MDT kickoff Saturday.

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