Seattle » Real Salt Lake's Javier Morales has never really had a Freddy Montero moment, that transcendent flash of skill and spectacle so sudden and unexpected to catapult him almost magically, in an instant, into the spotlight of Major League Soccer.

His ascent has been far more gradual.

So gradual, in fact, that it seems many people may have missed it.

Team officials were dismayed that their star midfielder was neither a midseason all-star nor a member of the league's postseason "Best XI" last year, and could be forgiven for appearing to make a special effort to assure him more attention this season. General manager Garth Lagerwey joked that he planned to do his best to mention Morales in every interview he grants this year, and midfielder Kyle Beckerman unequivocally called Morales the "best player in the league right now."

Tonight, he gets a chance to show it, when RSL takes on Montero and the expansion Seattle Sounders at Qwest Field. RSL is seeking to win a season opener for the first time in its history, just a week after Montero burst onto the scene by scoring twice and adding an assist in a 3-0 inaugural victory over New York in front of a roaring sellout crowd.

"If you put him where he was at last year," goalkeeper Nick Rimando said of Morales, "we're going to be a great team."

It's not hard to see why he feels that way.

In his first full season with RSL, the 29-year-old Morales blossomed into a master choreographer last year, blessed with spectacular vision and tremendous on-the-ball skills that allowed the native Argentine to involve many of his teammates.

Among his six goals and team-leading 15 assists -- about half of that in the final third of the season, as he grew more comfortable with his teammates -- was a spectacular free kick in a must-win game down the stretch at San Jose, as well as an impossible cross from near the endline that allowed striker Yura Movsisyan to score a game-winning goal in the 90th minute of the first playoff game in team history.

Even before all of that, RSL signed Morales to a long-term contract extension that made him the highest-paid player on the team, with a $200,000 salary.

"We're all really appreciative, and we're all his biggest fans," coach Jason Kreis said, "but I don't really think there's a conscious effort" to make people more aware of his star player. "I'd prefer that they don't, actually. I'd love him to be a mystery right now."

Alas, however much Morales strained to draw the kind of sparkling popular attention that Montero has attracted already this season, he and his teammates agreed that opposing defenses, at least, have grown far more aware of his talents.

"I have to play better this year," Morales said in his improving English, "because everybody knows me and this year I think will be harder for me because maybe more people are marking me. ... I need to work more this year."

But RSL feels as confident as ever, having kept most of its core group of players together after finishing 10-10-10 last season and making its unexpected playoff run. Morales is a huge part of that, and his performance is sure to play a big role in determining whether the team can improve on last year.

"I don't think we need him to do more, but I do think that he can do more," Kreis said.

"He's already shown through the preseason his ability to do that, some of the very small things that you don't notice -- his communication and his leadership ability. He's a guy who's a central figure for us, with where he plays, but also with the veteran leadership he provides."

For his part, Morales insisted he doesn't feel underappreciated.

"I work a lot for improve my soccer," he said, "but I don't feel that. I improve every day, every year, but I don't feel that. I feel good."