Through the many lineup changes and formations that Real Salt Lake coach John Ellinger has had to adjust, he might have found a strike force that will provide the offense needed to reach the playoffs.
By linking up the league's all-time leading goal scorer Jason Kreis with second-year player Jordan Cila on the RSL front line, the two have been able to score a combined six goals in the last five games -- an impressive achievement for an RSL team that didn't score a single goal for five games back in May and June.
The goal-scoring prowess of Kreis has been well known throughout the league since its inception. Cila, on the other hand, is a relatively new offensive threat in MLS. The secret to his offensive success of late is quite simple: Get him on the field.
"I'm playing," said Cila. "That's the secret -- get on the field and play. I have confidence that when I'm out there I can produce, it's just a matter of getting the opportunity. I think coach Ellinger knew that if I got out there and got more opportunities I'd produce. And fortunately it's worked out in that regard."
In his six starts for RSL this season Cila has accumulated three goals and an assist.
Before making the move to Utah, Cila spent his rookie season on the east side of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. The Rapids signed the former Duke University standout after he went undrafted in the 2004 MLS SuperDraft and played him in 21 games where he scored four goals and tallied two assists.
Then in February the Rapids traded Cila to RSL. Because of his late season success with the Rapids, the Jericho, N.Y., native hoped to come to Real and immediately make an impact on the field. But that's not how things began with his new team. It seemed that through the transition of moving teams Cila was back to square one.
"I had a good year last year (in Colorado)," said Cila, "and for me I was hoping to be able to be getting regular minutes right away (at RSL). It was tough for me at first sitting for really the whole first half of the season and not really getting many opportunities."
Not getting first-team minutes can be hard on any player, especially young players who want to prove they can play at this level. The break in first-team action certainly affected Cila's mentality.
"My confidence was a little rattled early on, but it's definitely rebounded," said Cila.
The rebound in confidence came just before the All-Star break where Cila was apart of Ellinger's starting 11 for the two games leading up to the midseason classic. Cila scored in each of those matches, and then again last weekend against Kansas City.
Ellinger has been active shifting players around, trying to find combinations that produce results. For now, he likes the connection that Cila and Kreis have up top leading the RSL attack.
"(Cila) works well with Jason," said Ellinger. "We've tried a couple different people up there with Jason, and those two seem to work. I don't know if it's the Duke thing or what (Kreis also attended the North Carolina school). Whatever it is, it seems to work. We'll stay with it for a little while."
Cila agrees with his coach. Working along a veteran such as Kreis, who possesses a similar playing style, can be advantageous for both strikers.
"We've gotten along really well on and off the field and we know a lot about how each other play," said Cila. "We're actually really similar, our styles of how we play and that always combines well.
"I'm that second forward to Kreis. He's got to be that main guy up there, how he plays. Andy (Williams) and Clint (Mathis) are our playmakers in the midfield, so I'm more of that linking guy between those guys. Obviously with the form Kreis has had of late, I don't plan on nor do I really want to be that guy who is the No. 1 option up there. I kind of like my role of drifting in and catching teams off guard."
Scott McAllister is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
