This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Sandy • Still three months shy of his 18th birthday, Real Salt Lake midfielder Luis Gil gave himself and the 19,081 fans at Rio Tinto Stadium a present Saturday night.
In the 44th minute of a close Major League Soccer battle between RSL and the New York Red Bulls, Gil scored the first goal of his professional career.
It gave Real Salt Lake a comfortable two-goal lead at halftime.
RSL added one more second-half goal and defeated New York, 3-0, to snap a two-game losing streak.
For Gil, it was a night to remember.
According to Real Salt Lake coach Jason Kreis, it was another step toward what he believes will be a long and productive career.
"Very, very rewarding," Kreis said, admitting he got "a little emotional" after seeing Gil score, celebrate and be congratulated by his older teammates.
"The kid has worked extremely hard for a year and a half," Kreis continued. "He's done a great job of not getting his head down. He's done a great job of improving his game."
Kreis believes a key to Gil's improvement has been his ability to focus on making the jump to Major League Soccer without listening to those who kept telling him he should have been getting more playing time.
"It's just wonderful to see him take advantage of his opportunity," Kreis said.
Gil scored just when it appeared Nat Borchers' goal in the 13th minute would send Real Salt Lake into halftime with a tenuous 1-0 lead.
Taking a pass from Kyle Beckerman with his back to the goal, however, Gil spun around and unleashed a 24-yard rocket that beat New York keeper Frank Rost and nestled into the lower right corner of the net.
"I got a good first touch," Gil said. "It all came out of hard work."
It was Beckerman's second assist of the game and seventh of the season.
"He's the guy for us that needs to be on the ball," Kreis said.
Surrounded by reporters in the Real Salt Lake locker room, Gil broke into a huge grin when asked what went through his mind after scoring.
"I thought, 'Great. It's finally done,' " he said. "I got my first goal.
"But then I thought, 'There's more to be done.' "
Not against New York.
Gil's goal gave RSL the cushion it needed to play a conservative, effective second half against the dangerous Red Bulls.
"It changes the game," Gil said of the 2-0 lead. "It makes them come out with a little different mentality. I think it made it harder on them."
In the 67th minute, Kreis sent Collen Warner on to replace Gil, who strolled to the RSL bench amid a grand ovation from the team's appreciative fans.
Considering Gil is one of the best young prospects in Major League Soccer, it will likely happen again … and again … and again.