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Sandy • In his first league start, Luis Gil lost his mark on the player who ultimately scored against Real Salt Lake in a road draw last weekend.

So that was the downside.

But the 17-year-old midfielder also is arguably the best player in the U.S. soccer youth national team system, and one of the brightest young prospects for RSL whom coaches expect to get better and better with more playing time — which he figures to enjoy when his team takes on D.C. United at Rio Tinto Stadium on Saturday night.

"Overall, he was quite good" in his first start, general manager Garth Lagerwey said.

Coach Jason Kreis said he's "quite certain" that Gil will see more playing opportunities in the coming weeks, though he's not sure whether those will come in the form of starts or substitute appearances.

That's a question whose answer has been clouded by the return of regular starter Will Johnson, in whose place Gil started last weekend in Philadelphia.

Johnson is back after Canada was eliminated from the CONCACAF Gold Cup — forwards Alvaro Saborio and Arturo Alvarez are still alive in the quarterfinals, with Costa Rica and El Salvador — and said he's prepared to play whatever role Kreis envisions for him.

Meanwhile, Gil is working on adjusting to the higher level of play in Major League Soccer, after being recalled from the U-20 national team that was playing in the Lisbon International Tournament in Portugal when RSL became drastically shorthanded.

"It was definitely worth it," Gil said.

Veteran captain Kyle Beckerman said Gil was "strong" in his starting debut — "you wouldn't know how old he is when he's out there," he said — while Gil agreed with the coaching staff that he needs to improve defensively. Everybody felt Gil found his rhythm against Philadelphia once he overcame the nerves that accompanied his first start in Major League Soccer and played a role in one of the worst halves that RSL has played in a while.

His performance was "mixed," Kreis said. "It was good and bad, just like everybody on the field. He really struggled in the beginning of the game. He lost the ball in a few dangerous positions. He still, though, for me was pretty focused on getting to defend. … So I saw some good things even through the bad patch, and then I thought he got better and better and better as the game went on."

The drastic improvement in the second half helped RSL escape with a 1-1 draw, giving it a building block for an upcoming stretch that includes seven of the next 10 games at home.

"It's a huge opportunity for us to collect a bunch of points," Kreis said. "We need to start this off on the right foot" against D.C. United, a team it has beaten five straight times at home.

Gil could be a key to that.

The player acquired in a trade from Kansas City before last season is among a handful of young midfielders, including Collen Warner and Nelson Gonzalez, who have been battling for playing time as RSL has juggled its lineup without Johnson and injured playmaker Javier Morales.

None of them has definitively seized a regular starting position, but all have made respectable impressions — including Gil, even though Kreis has said he wants to remain patient and not suddenly heap unrealistic expectations on him.

"He's a player who has really developed over the past year and a half," Kreis said. "We've taken a very patient stance with him, not trying to rush him, not trying to listen to other people's expectations of him, but just develop him as a player for him to be able to contribute."

If he can keep doing that, the young playmaker might just become a vital piece of the puzzle for RSL, sooner rather than later.

"Obviously, I have a lot of things to work on," Gil said. "Got exposed to some things, you know? But it's all progress. … They put me in that type of situation. Obviously coach trusts me and I have to show him that I can do it." —

Real Salt Lake vs. D.C. United

P At Rio Tinto Stadium, Sandy

Kickoff • 7 p.m.

TV • None

Radio • 700 AM, 1600 AM, 106.1 FM

Records • RSL 6-3-3, D.C. United 4-5-4

All-time series • RSL leads, 5-4-3

Last meeting • RSL 3, D.C. United 0 (July 31, 2010)

About RSL • It's playing the first of four home league games in its next five. … Forward Fabian Espindola leads the team with three goals, including two in the past three games. … It's riding a five-game home winning streak against United, having outscored them 13-3 in that span. … It needs to contain United's Josh Wolff, who has four goals and five assists in four career games against RSL.

About United • One of the youngest teams in the league, it's also one of the leakiest, having allowed 24 goals in 13 games. … Forward Charlie Davies leads the team with six goals — three from the penalty spot — in his first season since recovering from injuries suffered in an auto accident. … They're coming off a 4-2 home loss to San Jose that snapped a five-game unbeaten streak.