SANDY — The last time Real Salt Lake had a true target forward, the results weren't exactly spectacular.
Center forward Kenny Deuchar, nicknamed "Dr. Goals," arrived from Scotland amidst a fair amount of fanfare, but he struggled mightily to produce goals on the pitch.
A variety things conspired against Deuchar during his failed season in Major League Soccer, not the least of all was the fact that RSL's system of play at the time, a 4-4-2 formation with a diamond midfield, wasn't suited at all to his talents.
Deuchar departed after last season, and RSL GM Garth Lagerwey didn't replace him at the time with a like-for-like player.
Half a season later, however, RSL's got a guy that could be a true center forward and therefore a huge asset to the club.
Lagerwey and coach Jason Kreis snapped up 25-year-old center forward Pablo Campos, all of 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds, in a trade with San Jose last month. And in his first start on Wednesday against Chivas USA, he showed why he has the potential to have a much brighter career with RSL than his predecessor.
Playing up top in a 4-3-3 formation, Campos scored with a header late in the first half to get Salt Lake going, and he was bright and solid in his 67 minutes on the pitch during RSL's critical 4-0 win over Chivas inside Rio Tinto Stadium.
Whether Pablos ultimately succeeds or fails with RSL remains to be seen, but if he can do the kind of things he did against Chivas, he has the potential to add a new dimension to his new club.
"It can be a big, big thing," Kreis said of having a target forward. "Typically when you play a 4-3-3, you're gonna want a big guy that can hold the ball up, and he can do that for us. He also showed in some of those plays that he can be dynamic and get at players and run around guys and dribble past players, as well.
"I think he's got the complete package, and even though he played well tonight, I think he can play better."
Campos' addition to RSL's starting lineup came a month after he was initially acquired by RSL. It took him some time to get settled in to his new surroundings, but Kreis felt he was ready after watching him play in RSL's 3-1 loss to New England last Sunday.
Campos took full advantage.
"I was waiting for the opportunity since I got here," he said. "I knew I wasn't ready, and it was gonna take a while because the altitude was a factor. I got used to the altitude and used to the players, and I want to say thanks to Jason because he believed in me."
Moving forward, it's unknown exactly how much Campos will contribute over RSL's final seven regular-season games. If, however, he contributes like he did on Wednesday, he could make a big difference for Real.
"I think that Pablo's a player who's got a lot of possibilities in this league in front of him," said center back Nat Borchers. "If he brings that level that he brought tonight, he's gonna be valuable for us going forward."
e-mail: drasmussen@desnews.com