Sandy • After battling with a left MCL injury in the winter, Diego Luna was finally inserted back into Real Salt Lake’s starting lineup against Sporting Kansas City on Saturday.
It didn’t take long for him to return to his normal form.
In just the fourth minute, Luna booted a ball with his left foot from a few yards outside the penalty box that rolled right past the goalkeeper.
Real Salt Lake’s proven star opened the scoring, but it was its rising star Zavier Gozo who iced the game in the second half with a goal and an assist to give RSL the 3-1 victory, improving its record to 4-1-1 early in the season.
In the 82nd minute, Noel Caliskan passed the ball to Gozo at the top right side of the penalty box. Gozo popped the ball up a few feet in the air, and then with his right foot rocketed the ball into the back of the net for an all-timer volley goal.
“There’s not a shot that Gozo turns down,” RSL manager Pablo Mastroeni said, “but that’s the beauty of youth. They’re not worried about what their teammates are going to say. They take a shot from 25 yards out from a very difficult angle and it goes in.”
That was the second highlight-worthy goal that Gozo was a part of in the second half. In the 55th minute in a two-on-two situation, Gozo got enough separation from his defender to get a clear pass to Sergi Solans, who scored with ease.
Between Luna and Gozo’s playmaking abilities, Real Salt Lake’s offense dominated Sporting Kansas City, outshooting KC 22-5.
“I think he’s pretty easy to play with,” Gozo said about Luna being inserted back into the starting lineup. “He finds you wherever you are. Obviously, I’ve learned from him as a player. Playing with him has made me better. He makes the team better.”
Luna is right on the bubble when it comes to playing for the United States men’s national team this summer in the FIFA Men’s World Cup, but his recent injury has put a dent in his chances. Now that he is healthy, he will need to play the best he’s ever played to crack the roster.
Mastroeni understands that the pressure of making the World Cup roster is weighing on Luna’s back, which made his play today just that much better.
“I don’t think anyone, unless you’ve lived it, understands how heavy it is,” Mastroeni said about Luna playing with the added pressure to make the USMNT World Cup roster. “To be able to perform and score that goal… he’s a difference maker.”
Between Gozo, Luna and the surprise play of Solans, a Spanish rookie out of UCLA who already has three goals, Real Salt Lake’s offense has become a must-watch early in the season, with Saturday’s game being evident of the young talent level on the team.
“I think it’s the type of players we have and the quality we have up front,” Luna said when asked why Real Salt Lake was able to produce such great chances against Kansas City. “I think with anyone we put in any position, we have the quality to create chances.”