SANDY — Real Salt Lake has played three matches in seven days and have nine points to show for those three matches after beating Seattle 2-0 at Rio Tinto Stadium on Saturday night. RSL has won six straight games at home on the year and have now beaten Seattle seven consecutive times at the RioT.

It was a match that Real Salt Lake dominated from the start to finish, with very few lapses in between. The first goal and game winner came from Corey Baird, his third of the season. It was set up by a shot from Danny Acosta that was saved in front by Seattle keeper Stefan Frei, and Baird headed it home. The dagger goal came in stoppage time when Luis Silva, who subbed in for Baird in the 74th minute, found a open goal from 45 yards out, with Frei getting forward into the attack.

Real Salt Lake has clearly found a formula that is working on the pitch right now, and appears to have found the form they had over the final three months of the 2017 season, when they played "playoff quality" soccer.

Here are my "Hat Trick" of thoughts on Saturday Night from Rio Tinto Stadium...

Stability, thy name is the back four

Mike Petke's back line unit the last three matches of Acosta, Glad, Silva and Lennon has been, and is, his best and most consistent group this season. The biggest reason for RSL's two and a half months of inconsistent soccer was the inconsistency of their back line. Whether due to injury or poor play, the four in front of Rimando could not find a footing, until now. It goes without saying that Glad and Silva are Real Salt Lake's anchors in the middle, but the outside has been the biggest question.

After more than 10 matches at right back, Brooks Lennon looks comfortable running the right flank. His pace and ability to get forward and track back makes him ideal in Petke’s system. The interesting spot has been left back, where I assumed that Acosta, based on his play a year ago, would slide in from the jump. But a combination of injuries and not playing the "Petke way" early in the season kept him out of the lineup. Acosta was inserted a week ago and has played very well the last three matches, especially Saturday night where his offensive prowess set up the first goal and his defensive prowess was on full display at the other end of the field.

Petke pointed out in his postgame press conference that Acosta played like a "man" Saturday night and that he challenged him to "finsh the match strong." Itks fair to say he played his best match of the season; as a result, Real Salt Lake gets a cleansheet and a third straight win.

The youthful attack

The combination of Saucedo, Baird and Saverino is presenting problems for Real Salt Lake opponents right now. While Saucedo didn't start the match tonight, after beginning the last two, he came on late in the first half for an injured Joao Plata. As he did in the prior two matches, Saucedo put pressure on the Seattle back line with his runs, touch and creativity on the ball. He is only 21 years old.

Baird simply ran his tail off for 74 minutes. Scoring the first game-winning goal and nearly getting another, which would have been a Major League Soccer Goal of the Week Candidate. Baird puts pressure on an opposing defense differently than Saucedo. He uses angles and pace to his advantage. Baird was my Man of the Match for the night, and is only 22 years old.

Finally, Saverino won't show up in the box score tonight, but his work rate for 90 minutes might have been the best on the team against the Sounders. His pace and ability to put balls in dangerous spots, plus crafty touch are a handful for opposing defenders. Saverino is 21 years old. The only downside to tonight's match for Real Salt Lake and the attack was the first half injury, a non-contact injury, to Plata.

The Rusnak Riddle

What do you do with Albert Rusnak if you are Real Salt Lake? The talented 22-year-old Slovakian midfielder expressed a desire to be away from the club 11 days ago, then failed to backtrack on his comments two days later. Rusnak missed the last two matches away on National Team duty. In those two matches the RSL midfield — Beckerman, Sunny and Kreilach — looked very fluid, and Kreilach played some of his best soccer of the season, in a more attacking role with Rusnak gone.

Early on Saturday, following his match with the Slovakian National Team, Rusnak was interview by Fox Sports Television. In the interview, he hinted that his desire was to be back playing soccer in Europe. He'll return to Salt Lake City to train with his teammates this week in advance of both the Open Cup Match on Wednesday and next Saturday's match with the LA Galaxy. Rusnak said before his departure that he loves his teammates and will give 110 percent. His issues appear to contractual at this point, but there seems to be real desire, based on his interview with Fox Sports, to be back in Europe playing soccer sooner rather than later.

It will be very interesting to see how he acts upon his return and how Petke and the Real Salt Lake front office deal with the situation.

You can catch my next Real Salt Lake broadcast on Wednesday night on ESPN 700 at 8 p.m., as Sporting Kansas City visits Rio Tinto Stadium.

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