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FOXBORO, Mass. - The Real Salt Lake locker room was closed for 30 minutes following the team's 3-1 win over the New England Revolution on Friday night. Owner Dave Checketts addressed the franchise's future in the Salt Lake City area following the crushing defeat of a stadium plan earlier this week.

"That stuff is for ownership, but we play soccer," said goalie Scott Garlick, when asked about the message Checketts delivered to the team. "It just validated that we have the best owner in Major League Soccer."

RSL players can't control the team's fate off the field, but they can on it, and RSL took a big step toward turning things around Friday, picking up its first MLS victory since June 3 and only its second road win in franchise history before 11,089 fans at Gillette Stadium.

Jeff Cunningham led the charge for RSL (4-9-4), registering a goal and an assist, and Chris Klein and Jason Kreis also tallied, as RSL built a 3-0 lead in the first 55 minutes. The three goals were one more than RSL had scored during its entire six-game MLS winless streak.

"For us, it's just nice to know that we can play to our potential and get some points and go home," said RSL coach John Ellinger. "We've let some points slip away this year in other types of situations, but tonight it was different. They played very well, motivated, and fought hard and we scored some good goals."

No goal was better than Cunningham's, which came in the 52nd minute and gave RSL a 2-0 lead. Cunningham went 1-on-5 during a dazzling 35-yard run. He spun Revolution defender Jeff Larentowicz around twice at the penalty arc, cutting the ball back to his left, then back to the right. Then as four other Revolution defenders looked on, Cunningham drilled an off balance blast past Matt Reis into the far side of the net for his eighth goal of the season.

"That's definitely in the running for Goal of the Year," said RSL defender Eddie Pope. "That has to be one of the best goals in franchise history. It's going to be fun to watch on Monday."

RSL struck again three minutes later when Kreis settled an Andy Williams corner kick and sent a low, skidding shot from 20 yards out into the net for a 3-0 lead. Klein had staked RSL to a 1-0 lead in the 15th minute, when he flicked home a right-footed volley off a pass from Cunningham.

Taylor Twellman scored the lone Revolution goal in the 57th minute, left-footing a shot past Garlick, but that was all the offense New England, which was without midfielder/forward Clint Dempsey, who was suspended for one game by MLS after he swung a forearm at Chicago Fire defender Gonzalo Segares in a 2-1 Revolution win last Saturday, could muster.

Neither Ellinger nor his players would give specifics of Checketts' state-of-the-team speech, but all said it was appreciated considering the uncertainty surrounding the team.

"He very much wants to remain an owner of this franchise and loves everything about it, but there are some other things that need to take place," said Ellinger.

RSL 3, Revolution 1

IN SHORT - Real Salt Lake snapped a six-game MLS winless streak and won on the road for only the second time in franchise history.

KEY STAT - RSL goalkeeper Scott Garlick made four saves, including two point-blank stops on Revolution leading goal-scorer Taylor Twellman.

KEY MOMENT - With RSL leading 1-0 in the first half, Twellman blasted a right-footed shot that would have tied the game, 1-1, but it struck the far post instead and bounced away.