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Sandy • The goal was made clear: Jeff Cassar wanted to make the opposition wilt. With Real Salt Lake's seventh-consecutive postseason appearance on the line Saturday night in Rio Tinto Stadium, RSL ensured the staggering San Jose Earthquakes would wilt, and have no shot at reviving.
Following back-to-back losses on the road, RSL's return home proved all the difference in the 2-0 win over the Earthquakes in Sandy. The three points, most importantly, will be remembered for the night the club guaranteed yet another place in the playoff picture. But the win again padded some needed distance in the thickening Western Conference playoff race.
"I'm so pleased for the guys in the locker to have qualified," Cassar said. "If you would have said, 'Would you take 52 points at the beginning of the year?' I would have jumped at it, right? So, super pleased where we're at. We have a little business to finish up here at the end of the year."
RSL (14-8-10, 52 points) eclipsed the 50-point mark for the fifth-straight season and is now three points clear of fourth place FC Dallas with two weeks left on the 2014 Major League Soccer calendar.
Playoffs? Commonplace.
"I'm pretty used to it," defender Tony Beltran said. "Every year I've been a pro I've been in the playoffs. It's a testament to this organization, this group. It's not easy. It's something you have to earn consistently. It's such a long, grueling season and you look at the race in the West and the East, it's incredibly tight right now. It's a stat to be proud of and something we've earned."
It was Ned Grabavoy's second goal of the season in the 24th minute that put RSL up early on San Jose. The RSL midfielder looked up from his position outside the 18-yard box to see a cleared ball rolling his way. It skimmed perfectly across the grass and he sized up his shot. He put a slight swerve on his low, zipping shot toward the far post.
The ball rolled through traffic, curling into the side-netting of the far post.
Assuring the Earthquakes — now winless in their last 13 consecutive outings — wouldn't have a shot Saturday night was a guy making his first start of the 2014 season. Midfielder Sebastian Velasquez, starting atop the midfield diamond formation with Javier Morales suspended due to yellow-card accumulation, scored his first career regular-season goal in the 28th minute. Velasquez sat neutral in the pack of players positioning themselves for an RSL corner kick. When Luke Mulholland played it in, it drifted over the first wave and fell right to the knee of Velasquez who tapped it in.
"It's not easy to step into Javier Morales' shoes, but I thought Sebastian did an excellent job of that tonight," Cassar said.
The shutout was RSL's first since its 3-0 win over D.C. United on Aug. 9 in Sandy. Now, with a playoff spot in tow, RSL braces for a trip to Portland Friday as the Timbers need a win to keep their playoff hopes alive.
"Definitely delighted to be in the playoffs, but definitely not done," said Mulholland.
Storylines
O RSL punches its seventh-straight ticket to the MLS Cup postseason with the win
• The club has now eclipsed the 50-point mark five seasons running
• Goals from Ned Grabavoy and Sebastian Velasquez wrapped up the victory —
RSL 2, San Jose 0
San Jose 0 0 — 0
Real Salt Lake 2 0 — 2
First half » 1, Real Salt Lake, Grabavoy 2, 24th minute. 2, Real Salt Lake, Velasquez 1 (Mulholland), 28th.
Second half » None.
Goalkeepers » San Jose, Jon Busch Real Salt Lake, Jeff Attinella.
Yellow Cards—Djalo, San Jose, 32nd Harden, San Jose, 74th Grabavoy, Real Salt Lake, 81st.
Referee—Jose Carlos Rivero. Assistant Referees—Baboucarr Jallow. Corey Parker. 4th Official—Tyler Ploeger.
Attendance » 20,701 (20,008)
Lineups
San Jose—Jon Busch, Jordan Stewart, Ty Harden, Pablo Pintos, Jean-Baptiste Pierazzi, Tommy Thompson (Billy Schuler, 77th), Khari Stephenson, Shea Salinas, JJ Koval, Adam Jahn, Yannick Djalo (Mike Fucito, 80th).
Real Salt Lake—Jeff Attinella, Chris Wingert, Nat Borchers, Tony Beltran, Carlos Salcedo, Luke Mulholland (Cole Grossman, 88th), Kyle Beckerman, Sebastian Velasquez (Luis Gil, 77th), Ned Grabavoy, Sebastian Jaime (Olmes Garcia, 63rd), Robbie Findley.