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Sandy • His name was announced to an antsy, ecstatic crowd. The moment was months in the making. Three months and 26 days, to be exact. The long road back for Real Salt Lake's all-time leading scorer Alvaro Saborio was taxing and arduous.
He missed another chance at the World Cup when he broke his fifth metatarsal on May 29, weeks before Costa Rica turned in one of the more memorable performances in the tournament's history. All the while, Saborio sat and watched in a walking boot.
So when his name was announced as a substitute in the 77th minute of play Saturday night at Rio Tinto Stadium, he sprinted onto the pitch needing to do what he's known to do.
"We felt that it was something that needed to be done, especially at that time in the game, especially for our fans," RSL coach Jeff Cassar said. "It brought an energy to the stadium. It brought a buzz and got everyone back into the game."
The 32-year-old striker finally found his spot in the 18-yard box on the south end of the stadium and he awaited a corner kick to be played in by Javier Morales. It was just like he'd done so many times before. He waited for the ball to dip. It did, and Saborio rose to the ball and flicked it to the far post. It hit nothing but net. Merely five seconds passed by before Saborio snapped the 1-1 deadlock. His sensational moment will be long be remembered in RSL's 2-1 win over FC Dallas.
"In five seconds he scores a goal after three months?" Morales said, laughing. "That's huge."
It was. The header from Saborio propelled RSL (12-5-10, 46 points) to a victory that now puts Dallas four points behind RSL for the No. 3 spot in the West. The win also placed RSL closer to league-leading Seattle and the rolling L.A. Galaxy for the top two spots in the conference.
While Saborio's dramatic evening provided three points, it was forward Robbie Findley who gave RSL an early 1-0 lead in the 31st minute. Once the ball rolled to Findley's feet moments after Luke Mulholland's long-range shot deflected, his chance to eradicate the struggles and misfortune of 2014 was front-and-center. The 29-year-old striker seized the moment.
Findley took a slight touch and fired a shot to the far post, giving RSL a lead, and more importantly, notching his first league goal of the 2014 season. He ran to the corner flag on the northwest side of Rio Tinto Stadium with hands on his face in elation. The goal made Findley the club's second leading scorer all-time with 36 career goals.
"It definitely felt good," Findley said. "I've tried to stay positive and thankful enough it fell in tonight."
Entering Saturday night's meeting, RSL knew of the FC Dallas poison: Free-kick opportunities and the counter-attack. Dallas burned RSL again in the 62nd minute when midfielder Michel drilled a left-footed free kick through a wall and into the back of the net to equalize.
But when Cassar went to the bullpen, he put on his club's storied striker. Saborio delivered in historic fashion.
"Always is better when Sabo is in the box," Morales said. "I know the spot that he likes it, and I tried to put the ball there, but it's all about him. He finds the ball there and he makes a great goal."
RSL 2, FC Dallas 1
Dallas 0 1 — 1
RSL 1 1 — 2
First half » 1, Real Salt Lake, Findley 1, 31st minute.
Second half » 2, FC Dallas, Michel 8, 62nd. 3, Real Salt Lake, Saborio 7 (Morales), 77th.
Goalies » FC Dallas, Raul Fernandez Real Salt Lake, Nick Rimando.
Yellow Cards—Loyd, FC Dallas, 54th Beltran, Real Salt Lake, 85th.
Referee—Armando Villarreal. Assistant Referees—Mike Rottersman. Richard Gamache. 4th Official—Tyler Ploeger.
Attendance » 20,545 (20,008)
Lineups
FC Dallas—Raul Fernandez, Matt Hedges, Jair Benitez (Moises Hernandez, 77th), Michel, Zach Loyd, Je-Vaughn Watson, Kellyn Acosta (Mauro Diaz, 81st), Peter Luccin (Tesho Akindele, 46th), Victor Ulloa, Fabian Castillo, Andres Escobar.
Real Salt Lake—Nick Rimando, Tony Beltran, Chris Schuler, Nat Borchers, Chris Wingert, Luke Mulholland (Luis Gil, 76th), Ned Grabavoy, Kyle Beckerman, Javier Morales, Olmes Garcia (Alvaro Saborio, 76th), Robbie Findley (Sebastian Jaime, 67th).