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Carson, Calif. • Real Salt Lake managed to maneuver around the early-season caution signs in its six-game unbeaten start to the season. Then the L.A. Galaxy threw a wrench in the quest for another undefeated week.

Out of the ashes of RSL's 5-2 loss at the StubHub Center Saturday night, some major questions arose: What will RSL's attack look like minus its two most dynamic players? And how long will they be without them?

Three days after leading scorer and assist man Joao Plata left training early with a hip flexor strain, Burrito Martinez was subbed off in the 23rd minute with what was described as a quadriceps strain.

"You never want these big-time players not playing," RSL coach Jeff Cassar said postgame. "We've got to get them healthy. I think we maybe got [Martinez] out before it got worse, so that's really positive. And Joao we will hopefully have done the same, and will hopefully [they will] be available for Houston. Hopefully."

RSL fans are crossing their fingers and toes.

What a week ago was a ruthless, versatile front line has been thinned at the edges due to injury. The Galaxy put RSL under the microscope with their patented ball pressure and jail-break counterattacks, but Martinez being on the field was enough of a threat to deliver the first goal of the game. His header in the 16th minute put RSL up 1-0 in L.A. But the pace of the match wasn't going to allow RSL to sit back and absorb wave after wave.

The emergence of both Plata and Martinez has been paramount to the club's early-season success. Including the 5-2 loss to the Galaxy, either Plata or Martinez has scored or assisted in each of RSL's first seven regular-season matches. RSL hosts the Houston Dynamo on April 30 before jetting off on the longest stretch of road games in club history, visiting Colorado, Houston, Sporting Kansas City, Columbus and finally New York City FC.

Stacking points ahead of that daunting stretch — not to mention the summer months expecting at least a few international call-ups for the Copa America Centenario — is an achievement. A win against the last-place Dynamo and RSL would have 17 points through its first eight games of the season that included road trips at Orlando City, Portland, Sporting KC and L.A.

In stating the obvious, RSL needs Plata and Martinez to stay healthy and continue to have a premium impact as Javier Morales recovers from an injury-plagued first two months of the season. RSL's forward depth has been so thinned due to injury that Cassar was forced to put on left back Demar Phillips in place of Martinez.

Olmes Garcia, Cassar said, is still dealing with a lingering ankle sprain that wouldn't have allowed him to play the nearly 70 minutes remaining. Emery Welshman is still nursing a hip flexor injury that has sidelined the former Real Monarchs forward since preseason.

"Like everyone, I don't like to be out for injury," said Morales, who scored his first goal of the year from the penalty spot late against L.A. "We need the guys [back] as quick as possible, especially [Plata and Martinez] that are very important for us."

No matter who's available against Houston, left back Chris Wingert said he's eager to see the response after the 5-2 drubbing.

"I think of course we never want to lose," Wingert said. "I'd love to play the game over again right now, but at the same time, I think it's OK. For us, it's a long season and obviously we weren't going to go undefeated. We just have to learn from it." ckamrani@sltrib.com

Twitter: @chriskamrani —

Houston Dynamo at Real Salt Lake

P Saturday, 7:30 p.m.

TV • KMYU