RSL knew it was going to be a challenge to get past the expansion Montreal Impact and they were right. Salt Lake earned a 1-0 victory but the team did not come out 100% healthy. the injury bug reared itself again for the home team as Ned Grabavoy suffered a dislocated left rib, while Javier Morales suffered a hamstring injury that forced him to exit the field in the 90th minute. Real (4-0-1) increased it’s hold over the top of the Western Conference standings with this win and will hope that the team’s new members can pick up the slack for their injured teammates.
RSL Head Coach Jason Kreis knows how tough it will be to replace his stars.
“We had a very set plan on who was going to start Saturday night, and now it looks like a couple of those guys were injured,” said RSL coach Jason Kreis after Wednesday’s match.
Against Montreal, Morales and Grabavoy entered the match simultaneously for Luis Gil and Jonny Steele in the 63rd minute. Now, however, it looks like Gil and Steele might have to start again this weekend. Gil is one of six RSL players who has started all five matches this season. The need to juggle lineups intensified last year when Morales went down with a broken ankle and numerous players were called in for national team duty throughout the season.
Kreis was not happy with the overall performance of his team even though they got the win and knows they cannot play this way against Colorado today.
“I think it would be hypocritical for me to come in here and say that I’m way pleased, because I’m not. We lost a game a few weeks ago (against Chivas USA), and I was pleased with the performance and displeased with the result; tonight I’m just displeased with the performance. It’s the first game this year that I can say that honestly. In the second half we came out and did a much better job. We probably should have scored a goal in the first 15 minutes (of the second half), but unfortunately we didn’t. Lots of things to be displeased about and only one to be pleased with, which is the three points.”
Real Salt Lake will next take on their league rival in the Colorado Rapids at Rio Tinto tonight at 9pm.
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