This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Sandy • For as much as he wanted to forget about last weekend's debacle at home against the worst team in the Western Conference, Jeff Cassar reflected on the 1-0 loss to the Houston Dynamo.
"Big-time players got to step up in big-time games," said RSL's coach. "We have to have that. Everyone needs to play up to their ability."
Saturday night at Rio Tinto Stadium is as "big-time" of a regular-season game as there will be for RSL in 2016. Major League Soccer's best team, FC Dallas, storms into Sandy atop the West, having won the 2016 U.S. Open Cup trophy. If RSL is to respond to its first home loss of the year last weekend and shrug off the past three matches in which its managed a single point, it'll be against the league's top dog.
"It is kind of a playoff time," captain Kyle Beckerman said. "If it's not totally [that time], it's a good practice and preparation for the playoffs."
The veteran RSL core has been battle-tested in these sorts of matches for the better part of the past decade, but lineup questions linger. RSL's co-leading scorers, Yura Movsisyan and Joao Plata, suffered injuries this week in training. Movsisyan underwent an MRI on his right heel after an awkward collision with teammate Justen Glad on Tuesday.
The 29-year-old striker who has nine goals this season took laps around Rio Tinto Stadium Friday while his team trained. Cassar said MRI results were positive, but Movsisyan is dealing with a deep bruise that is causing significant discomfort.
"It's going to really be a game-time decision on him," Cassar said. "We're going to see how he's feeling [Saturday]. I think he's putting himself in contention."
Plata suffered a slight quadriceps strain earlier in the week, but returned to training Thursday and Friday. The 24-year-old forward has nine goals and 11 assists spearheading RSL's attacking front this season. Plata went through Friday's session fully, which Cassar called "a real positive."
Yet there's no guarantee either will be fit to start after picking up untimely injuries. RSL has been shut out in back-to-back matches and managed one shot on goal during the loss against Houston. Should Movsisyan and Plata be left out of the starting lineup, the likely replacements are Olmes Garcia and Jordan Allen, respectively.
"Guys need to know the situation," Cassar said. "This is a really important game for our club … You obviously have to be really smart and safe in the back and be really explosive in the attacking third and finish the opportunities. If our young players get an opportunity to score, they've got to seize that moment, and I have full confidence they will."
It won't hurt having Javier Morales back.
The longtime attacking midfielder trained fully this week after missing last week's loss to Houston with a quadriceps strain of his own. While Movsisyan and Plata are question marks, Morales and forward Burrito Martinez could be asked to shoulder the offensive load against one of the best road teams in MLS.
"I have always the same pressure," Martinez said. "I have to help the team, not only in the attack, but defending, too."
With four regular-season games remaining on the calendar, RSL's mightiest test of turning around a struggling September comes Saturday evening in Sandy.
Morales is back, but a combined 18 goals and 14 assists between Movsisyan and Plata are still unknowns. Asked the best way to prepare young players for a match of this magnitude, Beckerman said, "That's the golden question for every professional sports team."
Twitter: @chriskamrani —
Real Salt Lake vs. FC Dallas
P At Rio Tinto Stadium, Sandy
Kickoff » Saturday, 7:30 p.m.
TV » KMYU
Radio » 700 AM
Records » RSL 12-10-8; FC Dallas 15-8-7
Last meeting » RSL 1, FC Dallas 0 (Aug. 20 at Rio Tinto Stadium)
About RSL » Forward Yura Movsisyan (heel) is considered a game-time decision, per coach Jeff Cassar. … Striker Joao Plata (quad) returned to training Thursday and Friday after suffering a slight strain on Tuesday. … Midfielder Javier Morales (quad) trained fully all week and is expected to return to the RSL starting lineup. … RSL's last registered shutout came against FC Dallas in the 1-0 win on Aug. 20. … Midfielder Sunday Stephen served his one-game suspension in the loss to Houston and will be available Saturday against FC Dallas.
About FC Dallas » Coming off a 2-2 draw at New York City FC last weekend. … Won the 2016 U.S. Open Cup by defeating the New England Revolution 4-2 at home. … FC Dallas secures a top-four spot in the West with a win over RSL Saturday night. … Three wins in its final four matches and FC Dallas clinches the No. 1 seed in the conference. … FC Dallas is the best road team in the West this season amassing 18 points away from home in 2016.