Another week, another win.
Real Salt Lake earned its second consecutive 1-0 win at home, this time over the Vancouver Whitecaps, to preserve its 2016 unbeaten streak. The victory was remarkably similar to last week’s 1-0 win over Colorado, from the scoreline to the slow start to the individual efforts that preserved the clean sheet for RSL.
With injuries still forcing Jeff Cassar’s hand in the midfield, Real started out with what boiled down to a 4-3-2-1 instead of a true 4-3-3.
John Stertzer got a rare start alongside Kyle Beckerman and Luke Mulholland, leaving the midfield with a more defensive orientation, meaning that Burrito Martinez and Joao Plata dropped deeper than usual to pick up some of the playmaking duties. Yura Movsisyan played up high, providing a point for the others to play off of and create combinations.
The Whitecaps, who have performed below expectations in 2016 while trying to weather a spate of injuries to key players, came to Rio Tinto Stadium looking to turn their season around. Vancouver tried to press the tempo, forcing RSL to turn the ball over and then attack on the counter, and it worked well early in the match.
Carl Robinson’s staff had clearly done their homework, looking to exploit Real’s center backs by hitting long balls over to the top and looking for Octavio Rivero. Aaron Maund and Nick Rimando repeated some of their exploits from last week, keeping the score level.
On the attacking end, things were pretty slow-going for RSL early on as the Whitecaps disrupted Real’s rhythm and forced RSL to defend more than they would have liked. However, in the second half, Martinez more or less stole the show, turning out some Vine-worthy bits of individual skill and eventually scoring the game-winner.
The momentum generated by Burrito’s play spread throughout the team — Movsisyan could have had multiple goals, hitting the woodwork at one point, and missing out on a few other chances. Plata also had some good looks as Real started to combine more effectively. Ultimately, RSL would go on to win the match, but probably should have done so by a greater margin.
With only one more home match before June 18 due to the field replacement at Rio Tinto Stadium, RSL is looking at a long, long stretch of road games. Obviously, one can’t complain too much when the team has yet to lose a match, but looking ahead to the next two months, there are some issues that Cassar and his staff need to address in training.
Most importantly, Real’s finishing needs to improve. In the last two matches at home, there have been plenty of chances generated but only one goal scored in each of them (and one of those was an own goal). Although Plata, Martinez, and Movsisyan are combining very well, they are struggling to capitalize on those chances — either the final balls in the penalty area or the actual shots taken are just a little off.
Relying on a single goal is a dangerous long-term pattern — as all fans know, a well-taken free kick or a single referee’s decision can change a match in an instant. Although the RSL back four is playing well right now, the center backs — Justen Glad and Aaron Maund — are young and relatively inexperienced, and there are bound to be growing pains from time to time.
Plus, Real’s next match is away at Los Angeles. And everyone in MLS knows what can happen when you play the Galaxy at the StubHub Center.
So RSL will start packing its bags for one of its biggest tests to date, with its unbeaten streak on the line once again. They’ll be looking to draw on the recent shutouts, improve goal productivity, and re-integrate players recovering from injury as a tough set of fixtures awaits.
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