When it came time for Real Salt Lake to find a source for an energy boost, reserve forward Robbie Findley acted like a rechargeable battery. Once he took the field in the waning moments of the first half, Findley quickly found a way to make things happen.
He scored one goal and set up another early in the second half to lift RSL to a 3-1 victory against the San Jose Earthquakes at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Saturday night.
After the club suffered through a miserable first half, RSL coach Jason Kreis felt like Findley did exactly what needed to be done to get the rest of his teammates going in the right direction again.
"He was running the ball at players and forcing decisions," Kreis said. "That [first goal] in particular was a play that he had caught it inside his defender and took a wonderful strike. A different goal from Robbie Findley, but he's showing what he's capable of."
Findley went to work in the 48th minute, putting RSL up 1-0 when he beat Jason Hernandez and drilled a shot from just outside the top of the box. Sending it home was a simple matter once Earthquakes goalkeeper Joe Cannon snuck out beyond the near post and got caught there.
RSL increased it to a 2-0 lead in the 60th minute when Findley made a fantastic pass to Javier Morales in the box. Morales made a quick drive forward and slotted it past Cannon, who slid down to stop the ball but could not get his hand on it as it scooted past into the net.
Kreis felt like Findley energized the team as soon as he stepped onto the field. For his part, Findley was determined to make the most of his time.
"When I come off the bench, I try to focus on just giving a little spark to the team and giving some energy," Findley said.
What Findley's playmaking did best was arouse RSL from a first-half funk which started shortly after a gift-wrapped scoring opportunity slipped through its fingers.
RSL had a chance to take the lead in the third minute when a handball by Ramiro Corrales set up a penalty kick for Morales. It had the makings of a tailor-made goal for Morales when he took the kick and flicked the ball toward the lower left corner.
Instead, Cannon made a diving catch to come up with an outstanding save -- not only denying RSL an early opener, but sending them into somewhat of a downward mental spiral through the rest of the first half.
"For me, it was two different games really," Kreis said.
Buoyed by Findley's playmaking, RSL looked much more aggressive after halftime. They controlled possession, created shots and kept the Earthquakes on their heels for large stretches.
"I really felt like we raised our level in the second half," Morales said. "We got a lot better."
San Jose's inability to create on offense or stop on defense escalated its frustration. The team was issued three yellow cards in a 30-minute span -- culminating in Nick Garcia earning a card after he pulled down Andy Williams in the box in the 73rd minute.
That foul proved the most costly, however. Dema Kovalenko took the resulting penalty kick and drilled into the far corner of the net. Cannon went the other way and it proved to be the final nail in the coffin for the Earthquakes.
Still, RSL left feeling a little disappointed after yielding a goal in the 84th minute. San Jose finally got on the board when John Cunliffe drilled a shot from the center of the penalty area to make it 3-1. Garcia sent a ball forward that Corrales slipped past a closing Nat Borchers with a nifty backheel, and Cunliffe drove it past Rimando into the back of the net.
Giving up late goals has been a lingering problem for RSL and the club understands it could come back to bite them down the road if it doesn't eliminate that tendency.
"It's disappointing that we didn't manage to keep our concentration for the full 90," forward Kenny Deuchar said. "It would have been good to come away with a clean sheet as well as a good three goals."
Even so, RSL snapped a two-game losing streak in MLS play by beating the Earthquakes. Its chances to build some momentum look good with three more home matches in the next four weeks.
John Coon is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
