This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Sandy • There wasn't a flinch.
It was stated so matter-of-factly by Ned Grabavoy in the locker room after Real Salt Lake overpowered rival Colorado 5-1 Friday night. The 31-year-old midfielder, in his 11th season in Major League Soccer, has played with and against many premier talents. Which made his description of teammate and emerging star Joao Plata stand out.
On a championship contender riddled with previous MLS Cup champions, World Cup veterans and playoff-seasoned talent, Grabavoy called the 22-year-old Ecuadorian striker RSL's best player.
"I think everyone has a different view on what that would mean," Grabavoy said, "but he is our best player."
As most his opinion is open to clear debate, there is no arguing the reality that without Plata's otherwise stellar 2014 season, RSL wouldn't be where it is entering match No. 30 Saturday in Vancouver, where a result at BC Place would clinch the club's seventh-consecutive postseason berth. Statistically, his 13 goals and five assists in 22 matches have paced RSL's offense in the wake of Alvaro Saborio's four-month injury absence.
And as noted by Grabavoy, the 5-foot-2 Plata has learned to command the respect of a back line with more than just his high-end speed and shiftiness in the attack.
"He's obviously more aggressive," Grabavoy explained. "I think at times now he's even stronger as he's in the center of the field and you can see him hold guys off and shake them off - for a guy his size is pretty unbelievable. He's just getting himself into really, really good spots this year."
As is the case with most goal-scorers, Plata has delivered when his team needed it most. He's notched three game-winners in 2014 and has provided several crucial tying goals, most notably his supreme strike Friday night against Colorado as well as Sept. 12 at Seattle and July 19 against Vancouver.
"He's been fantastic all year," RSL coach Jeff Cassar said. "He's been quality all year."
Acquired by RSL in Jan. 2013 from Toronto FC, Plata's exchange was a 2015 second-round MLS SuperDraft pick. In two seasons with the Reds, he played in 36 matches scoring just three goals and notching five assists. He bounced back and forth between Toronto and Ecuadorian club LDU Quito, searching for consistency.
It's crystal clear: He's found it in Utah.
Part of the wave of young talent brought in by RSL in 2013 to complement the established veteran core, Plata's abilities were noticed, mainly as a speedy sub off the bench scoring four goals and eight assist a season ago. This season has been a revelation, both for himself and RSL. He's thrust himself into the MVP talks with five regular-season games remaining, having shouldered the load in the summertime absence of Saborio and the goal-scoring drought of the club's other forwards.
He was rewarded with a call-up by the Ecuadorian national team in early September as part of a U.S.-based camp for friendlies against fellow South American countries Bolivia and Brazil. Plata's grand arrival, coupled with a now-healthy Saborio, new Designated Player Sebastian Jaime as well as Robbie Findley and Olmes Garcia, will force the coaching staff to figure out which striker tandem will be most potent as a playoff berth seems imminent.
It'd be nearly impossible to imagine an equation without Plata.
"There's going to be some tinkering going on," Cassar said, "and we're going to have to figure out exactly what our best lineup and pairing up top is and go forward."
Twitter: @chriskamrani —
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