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SANDY — It’s been written about, talked about, discussed and digested so much over the first four months of the MLS season that it’s become cliche.
Real Salt Lake has a lot of new faces in a new system and formation and may take some time to jell together.
Those new aspects came together Sunday night in RSL’s 2-1 win over contemporary rival Sporting Kansas City at Rio Tinto Stadium.
Sebastian Jaime opened up his MLS scoring account for RSL (5-5-6), and Olmes Garcia bagged the game-winner off a deflection from Kansas City defender Kevin Ellis — though both goals were set up by “the gold guard” himself in midfielder Javier Morales.
The win was a swirling mass of RSL’s new mixing with RSL’s old and converging into the type of direct system that RSL head coach Jeff Cassar has been preaching since early in the preseason.
“There’s a lot of truth to that,” Cassar acknowledged before adding, “we still aren’t where we want to be. But there are flashes of it, and we need to just do that consistently.”
Jaime’s goal in particular seemed to lift a monstrous weight off the Argentine forward’s shoulders. The former Union Espanola striker who scored 39 goals in the Chilean first division, took 626 minutes to open his account in MLS.
But now that the cork has been popped, RSL players hope Jaime’s Sunday night strike was only the beginning for a team that left Monday morning for Wednesday's match at New York that spans a stretch of six games in two weeks.
“I think … it was pretty big and very important to set the tone tonight for the next two weeks,” RSL veteran defender Tony Beltran said. “We had to get off on the right foot and get a win. It’s going to be a grueling six games, and having to travel across the country (Monday). We’ll put these points in our pocket, and go.”
The Salt Lake side also scored two goals in a single match in league play for the first time since a 2-0 victory over New York City FC on May 23. The club registered 16 corner kicks on the night — among the most set pieces from the end line in a single match in MLS history.
But more than goals, stats or wins, the victory over Sporting KC (6-3-6) gave the home team something more vital, Morales said.
“It’s not about the formation, but it’s about everyone having to believe and being on the same page,” the Argentine said. “I think tonight, we were on the same page and working hard. We had good fitness from everyone, and that goes from the back until we got the goal in the last minute.”
The biggest thing, though, were the three points to put RSL just two points beneath the playoff line, according to team captain Kyle Beckerman, who will miss Wednesday’s match at Red Bull Arena on yellow card accumulation.
“I think this game, right now, was so important. A tie would’ve done us no good,” he said. “To be able to get the win was big, and hopefully it pushes us in the right direction for the rest of the season.”
