What's behind the 'blossoming' of RSL's attack, identity?

SANDY — A poem by Erin Hanson reads: "There is freedom waiting for you, on the breezes of the sky, and you ask 'What if I fall?' Oh but my darling, what if you fly?"

Real Salt Lake head coach Pablo Mastroeni postures that the difference in success and failure, between brilliance and complacency, lies in the leap of faith.

"It's really a lack of fear that allows you to be spontaneous and think about what's going to go right versus what's gonna go wrong," Mastroeni said when asked about how he teaches attacking creativity to his team, a question that is particularly relevant following RSL's best offensive performance of the season in a 3-0 win over Houston at Rio Tinto Stadium last week.

"I think in the game against Houston you saw the blossoming of our attacking ability and our identity as a team," goalkeeper Zac MacMath said.

It was the first time RSL has held a multiple-goal lead over an opponent at any point this season, and marked the team's fourth win in five weeks.

The Claret and Cobalt are flying, blossoming before the eyes of the fans as the spring breeze and showers give way to the warmth and sunshine of summer: a summer stretch when RSL can truly soar.

Mastroeni's squad is tied for the third-best record in MLS following the win against Houston and will play five of seven matches at home following a trip to Vancouver this weekend.

The month of June presents an especially vital opportunity, with just three matches, all against teams below the playoff line, including two of the four worst records in MLS with Vancouver and San Jose. That leaves plenty of time for rest, recuperation and development — three things high on the priority list for a young RSL team dealing with more than its fair share of injuries.

Mastroeni revealed on Tuesday that team captain Damir Kreilach, who has not played since April 17 in New York, will be out for "the next few weeks and potentially getting some more opinions on his back."

Apart from Kreilach, however, the team is as close to complete as its been all year. Houston was the first match that Mastroeni has had a full roster of 20 players available for a match in 2022 and said forwards Jonathan Menendez and Anderson Julio should be re-joining the team in the coming weeks from injury.

The other element to Mastroeni's explanation of what goes into a successful, creative offense is having "structure and technical players." The absence of RSL's lone MLS All-Star in Kreilach was more than apparent as the team's offensive woes were laid bare over a stretch with just one goal in four matches from April 17-May 8.

Contrast that with seven goals in three matches since then, and the "blossoming" that MacMath spoke of is more than apparent. A return to Rio Tinto and the energy of sold-out crowds have certainly helped, along with the long-awaited breakout of real goal-scoring threats up front in Bobby Wood and Sergio Cordova.

The structure that lost one of its most talented and technical players in Kreilach took some time to adjust, but with Mastroeni as its sculptor, the stone has found its shape.

"Our strength is that we're all going in the same direction," interim team captain Marcelo Silva said. "It's important that it's not just one person leading the team but the whole team lifting the group up."

Silva is not trying to replace Kreilach as captain, nor is Cordova trying to replace him as a striker. The beauty of blossoming flowers is newness, and the spice of life is variety.

Defender Justen Glad is tied with Cordova and Wood for the most goals on the team this season with three, something that Silva says is by design and not happenstance. The team practices the center backs joining the attack, with Silva also scoring a goal this season — the team's lone score during the rough four-match stretch from mid-April to mid-May.

Every time the two center defenders leave RSL's side of the field to join the attack, Mastroeni and MacMath trust that the risk will be worth it and that the structure in place will stand strong to not leave their goal vulnerable.

"We're comfortable in how we attack, if it's set pieces, or if they go up for a random run," MacMath said. "(Andrew) Brody and Aaron (Herrera), they've got to sit back and one of the pivots (defensive midfielders) have to sit back, and I think we've got a really good understanding of organizing that."

Despite the structure and trust that are in place, a technical player of Kreilach's caliber missing from the equation can't be ignored forever, which is where recent returnee Jefferson Savarino comes in.

If this were a true flight analogy, Savarino might be the pilot, pushing the throttle forward when needed and steering the plane in the right direction to score. The Venezuelan designated player entered the Houston match for the final 20 minutes, pushed the pace and launched the team toward the goal every chance he got.

He didn't score, but his speed and direction resulted in multiple chances that are surely signs of goals to come for RSL. Savarino elected to pass on an opportunity to join the Venezeulan National Team this week and will instead stay in the cockpit, leading the team forward as it sets its sights on the skies ahead.

Next up: a meeting with the Whitecaps in Vancouver on Saturday at 5 p.m. MDT, which Savarino will likely be available to start in.

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