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Sandy • The backyard was small, but for the young Javier Morales it was big enough. There, in the Lomas de Zamora area of Buenos Aires, the Real Salt Lake midfielder would stand over the ball, size up the lines painted on the opposite wall that formed the dimensions of a goal, then line up shot after shot, dreaming the dream of soccer-crazed youngsters all over Argentina.
"It was small," Morales grinned, "but that works."
Javier Morales has never needed a lot of room to work in, which is a big part of his brilliance. Even in the twilight of his career. At age 34, in his eighth season with RSL, Morales is still making heads turn. And he says it's mostly for one simple reason: he still needs the game.
"It's about life in Argentina," Morales said to The Salt Lake Tribune. "Maybe if you asked 10 kids in Argentina what they wanted to be when they grow up, nine say they want to be a soccer player."
Sixteen years after signing his initial pro deal — at age 18 — Morales is still looked upon as one of the best players in MLS, an attack-minded midfielder who also is a freewheeling artist. He's almost peerless in the league at simultaneously spotting cracks in the defense and forwards charging toward the goal on zigzagging runs.
"When you think of Javi," RSL coach Jeff Cassar said, "you think of high soccer IQ. He's got that way of finding where the game can open up. He doesn't just stay in one area. He moves around because he sees where he can be dangerous."
How dangerous? Morales has 43 goals and 75 assists across all competitions for RSL, and he seems to be getting only better. Statistically, 2013 and 2014 have been the best years of his career — scoring eight goals and 10 assists last season and eight goals and 11 assists through 25 matches in the current campaign.
Back to the future
It's hard to fathom, but Morales looks back on his early years with RSL and wonders if he wasted time. Not on the field, but off of it. The horrifying ankle break he sustained in May 2011 served as both an epic setback and a harsh awakening.
"Things happen for some reason," Morales said, "and I think that injury [taught] me how to take care of my body; what I have to do about the game and after that."
Translation: Morales is working harder at age 34 than he did at 27.
When healthy, he'll typically go through four or five days of training ahead of a match. Then twice a week, after heading home to see his wife and two boys, he'll go to the gym for an hour or two to push himself further. Long gone are the days of coming home from training and playing video games.
"Now, the young guys are on Instagram or Twitter, but I have to train, because if not, I can't play," he said. "The only reason is because I want to play as long as I can. Because I love what I do. I love to play soccer and to be on the field. It's not hard for me."
Yet, Morales has made concessions to age. He is constantly reinventing himself.
Never the fastest guy on the field, Morales continues to have an advantage, because with each passing year, the game slows down for him.
For instance, if a midfielder approaches Morales to strip him of the ball as he barrels forward on an attack, more often than not, the 34-year-old will take heed of a heads-up from his teammates — or just feel the defender and maneuver around the threat.
"Javi has been so masterful at what he does, and as he's gotten older and he runs maybe a little bit less," RSL general manager Garth Lagerwey said. "His passes are sharper and sharper and he's still able to do it all."
From Day 1, Morales understood why RSL wanted him: To make the pass others might hesitate to or to line up a 25-yard free kick and put just enough spin to curl into the top shelf of the net.
"I have to create," he said. "I have to see things that maybe the other guys doesn't, but I love it. I love to play. I love to take a risk. If you want to create, you have to do something different - you have to see that pass that's maybe too tight to put there, but I love to take those risks."
'I don't believe I'm different'
Tony Beltran calls Morales "magical." The RSL defender has played with him since being drafted by the club in 2008, a year after Morales signed with the Utah club after playing for UD Vecindario in the Spanish second division.
"He's the best player I've ever played with," Beltran said.
However, Morales doesn't believe he belongs on the MLS roll-call of stars, past or present. No, he said, that honor is reserved for Thierry Henry, David Beckham, Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey, along with his teammates, Kyle Beckerman and Nick Rimando.
"I came from a small town and I'm proud of what I did and what I'm doing," Morales said, "but I don't feel like a superstar like them … I don't believe that I'm different.
"My dad always [taught] me, it doesn't matter how much you have, you have to be humble."
Besides, in Utah and with RSL, Morales can focus on just playing soccer, going to work every day and returning home to his family. He's not sure, at this stage of his life, he'd want to deal with the immense expectations of the game's elite leagues.
"It's do-or-die," Morales said. "If you lose a game, you have to stay in the locker room for five hours before you can go out with your family. It's really tough to play there — a lot of pressure and it's about money and business. Here, you come to work, you do what you love and then you can [be] with your family."
Cassar calls Morales a blessing. Lagerwey says Morales is "one of the best players the league's ever seen, certainly who has ever played his position."
Morales, though flattered, shakes off the compliments. It's not what he's about at this point.
Javier Morales is still shooting balls at the lines painted on that wall. The final few brushstrokes of a masterful career.
Twitter: @chriskamrani —
Javier Morales file
Age » 34
Position » Attacking midfielder
Hometown » Lomas de Zamora, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Pro career » Real Salt Lake (2007-present), UD Vecindario (Spain, second division, 2006-2007), Instituto (Argentina, 2006), Arsenal de Sarandi (Argentina, 2004-2005), Newell's Old Boys (Argentina, 2004), Lanus (Argentina, 2003), Arsenal de Sarandi (Argentina, 2000-2003), Lanus (Argentina, 1998-2000).
With RSL » Signed on Aug. 17, 2007.
Games played » 219 games played, 206 games started, 16,612 minutes logged
Stats » 43 goals and 75 assists with RSL across all competitions —
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