SANDY, Utah – Real Salt Lake have a scoring problem. Lucky for them, help is on the way.
Both forward Joao Plata and midfielder Jordan Allen both appear ready to make their return from hamstring injuries for Saturday’s crucial Western Conference home match against the Seattle Sounders (10 pm ET; MLS LIVE).
It couldn’t come at a better time, with Real Salt Lake having scored just one goal in their last three league matches. Their 25 goals in 27 games is the tied for the second-lowest total in the league.
“Whether they start or come off the bench, they make us stronger,” RSL head coach Jeff Cassar said of Plata and Allen. “So we start with whoever and finish with somebody just as strong, fresh, hungry, and I think that’s going to keep Seattle at bay.”
RSL are fresh off a heart-breaking 1-0 loss to the Portland Timbers, during which they largely controlled the match, but remained unable to find pay dirt. As such, RSL spent the entire week of practice focused on scoring drills, hoping to sharpen their finishing.
“We really wanted to focus this week on putting away our chances in practice and making it a habit,” Allen said after practice on Friday. “Portland was a great example of how, when you don’t take your chances, eventually good teams are going to have their one chance, and they’ll take it. We can’t allow that to happen again, especially where we are right now.”
Allen, who has missed the last four games, said that he feels good and is ready to start contributing again. Plata has been absent the last two matches. Cassar said both players would be available for selection against Seattle.
RSL only have nine league matches left. Two of those are against the sixth-placed Sounders, who they trail by six points, underscoring the importance of Saturday’s meeting.
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“They’re all big right now,” Cassar said. “We’re trying to shorten the distance between us and them, and they’re trying to create a bigger gap. Obviously this is huge. We all know it is.”
On the line is RSL’s seven-year streak of making the playoffs, a streak Seattle would be happy to help end. The Sounders also broke RSL’s 29-game home winning streak on May 28, 2011, and they’d certainly love to inflict even further misery.
“It’s time to act,” Javier Morales said. “It’s time to take three points because we don’t have a lot of games left. We have to start to win games at home, especially tomorrow. It’s going to be huge.”
