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Even Philadelphia goalkeeper Andre Blake had to admire the two goals that led Real Salt Lake to victory Sunday night.
"Two beautiful goals," the Union keeper said. "Kudos to those guys. I mean, if someone's going to score a goal maybe that's how you want them to score."
RSL goalie Nick Rimando called them "world-class goals."
"Our special players," he said, "we expect them do that."
RSL benefited from moments of individual, brilliance from striker Joao Plata and midfielder Javier Morales to snag a 2-1 win on the road over the weekend-highlight-reel goals from two of their attacking stars.
A bit more unexpectedly, Salt Lake also benefited from a solid, 90-minute performance from striker Olmes Garcia.
"It was arguably his best game in an RSL uniform," head coach Jeff Cassar said Tuesday.
Garcia did not score Sunday in his start. He hasn't since June of last year. But the Colombian forward notched one assist and might have had another if his perfectly weighted pass to Plata in the first half hadn't resulted in a shot scooting just wide and hitting the post.
"He was very good with the ball. We were able to play into him, play off of him," Cassar said. "Both goals came from having him in different positions in the front line. I think anytime you have that kind of mobility from your target forward, it really impacts the defense."
And Cassar may very well have to call on Garcia again Wednesday night when RSL (9-6-7, 34 points) visits Toronto FC (8-7-6, 30 points) to complete a two-game road trip.
Garcia started Sunday with leading goal-scorer Yura Movsisyan sidelined by a hip flexor strain.
"Yura is day to day, but we're going to always err on the side of caution with this injury," Cassar said Tuesday.
Preparing for a Toronto frontline that features Sebastian Giovinco, the league's second-leading scorer, and U.S. national team striker Jozy Altidore back from injury and in goal-scoring form, RSL could use all the firepower it can muster.
Garcia, 23, has mostly disappointed since showing some brief flashes of brilliance when RSL acquired him in 2013. After scoring five goals and notching four assists in his debut season with the club, Garcia has managed just five goals since.
Still, Cassar believes the speedy striker has begun to turn a corner and still has time to make a positive impact.
"It's another year of him being more comfortable in our formation," the coach said. "He's still a young man and he's getting more mature both on the field and off the field. You know, players always love opportunities, but you have to earn those. This year, Olmes is earning the opportunities that he's getting and more and more, he's taking advantage of these opportunities."
Twitter: @aaronfalk —
Real Salt Lake at Toronto FC
P At BMO Field, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Kickoff • Wednesday, 5 p.m.
TV • KMYU
Radio • 700 AM
Records • RSL 9-6-7, 34 points; Toronto 8-7-6, 30 points
Last meeting • RSL 2, Toronto 1 (March 29, 2015 at Rio Tinto Stadium)
About RSL • RSL leading scorer Yura Movsisyan (hip flexor) is questionable to play and midfielder Jordan Allen (hamstring) is out. … Goalkeeper Nick Rimando tied Major League Soccer's all-time wins record (180) with Sunday's 2-1 win over Philadelphia and has a chance to claim it all for himself Wednesday. … Forward Joao Plata was named the the MLS team of the week after scoring against the Union.
About Toronto • Italian striker Sebastian Giovinco's 12 goals are the second most in the league this season, behind NYCFC's David Villa (13). Giovinco is up for MLS's player of the month award for July. … U.S. national team forward Jozy Altidore returned from a hamstring injury this week and scored in the 87th minute of Toronto's 3-0 win over Columbus. … Midfielder Michael Bradley could return next week from a knee injury he suffered during Copa America play.