At Real Salt Lake’s first game this season in front of the home crowd at Rio Tinto Stadium and against an opponent from the United Soccer Leagues 1st Division, one would expect a favorable result.
And one would be correct in their assessment, although it took RSL almost the entire game to set the score in their favor, defeating the Austin Aztex of the USL 1st Division 3-1 on two late goals from Yura Movsisyan and Javier Morales after getting ahead early on a Jamison Olave header.
RSL head coach Jason Kreis wasn’t too pleased with the fact RSL missed a lot of scoring chances (26 total, 10 shots on goal) but he added the team knows now where it needs to improve.
“I think the next step for this team is pretty clear to everybody, and that is how clinical we will be in front of the net. Because if we are clinical, I don’t think that game (today) was ever close.”
But it was--and actually, in the last third of the match--with about 20 minutes to go, Austin threw a real scare into RSL when a corner kick got past several defenders and found its way onto the foot of Aztex defender Kieron Bernard, who was waiting at the far post for a toe-poke goal to level the match at 1-1.
“They made it hard for us [by tying the game]. Our two guys sort of ran into each other and we gave away a sloppy goal,” said RSL midfielder Will Johnson. “Maybe it’s a little bit of a lesson that it happened now so that it won’t happen in the season.”
In minute 82, though, RSL would at least get the result it desired, on a game-winner from Yura Movsisyan heading home a Will Johnson cross to make it 2-1.
“’Hit the back of the net,’ that’s all I thought,” said Movsisyan. “It was an unbelievable ball by Will Johnson, and I just tried to get it off right.”
And RSL would add insult to injury to the overmatched Aztex in injury time, converting on a Javier Morales goal from a Nick Rimando throw on a 45-yard rope to make the final score 3-1.
RSL head coach Jason Kreis admitted that while his team didn’t have the best game in terms of converting scoring chances, they did finish the season 7-1-1, scoring 25 and only allowing five, so the prognosis for RSL is good in attack and defense.
“It’s early, days before our first game of the year, and we had some moments that were fantastic and we had some moments that weren’t so good. But all in all we have to feel pretty confident in where we are at right now. I feel very good about the team, on both sides of the ball really.”
Next up for RSL is their season opener at red-hot Seattle Sounders FC, the expansion team starring high-flying forward Fredy Montero, who lit up the New York Red Bulls for two goals in Seattle’s 3-0 MLS debut.
The game will be televised on KUTV Channel 2 starting at 8:30 p.m., with the pre-game show beginning at 8 p.m. MDT.
Following next weekend’s season opener in Seattle, RSL will return to Sandy for its ‘09 home opener on Thursday, April 2, at 7:00 p.m. MT, when the Utah side will take on defending MLS Cup champion Columbus Crew, live on ESPN2 from Rio Tinto Stadium.
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