July may not be do or die time for the flagging squad, but a win against the visiting New England Revolution Saturday night at Rio Tinto would not only have helped Real Salt Lake gain momentum, it would have helped it get back into the hunt for the Supporters' Shield.
Coach Jeff Cassar and crew have put special emphasis on reducing defensive mistakes and earning their first clean sheet in 15 games over all competition.
Real had several chances in the first half, but as has been its mode of late, it failed to finish any and went into halftime with a 0-0 draw but looking the stronger side.
The second half was more of a seesaw battle as both teams gained, then lost momentum, then gained it again for a relatively even split in possession and shots. Nick Rimando and Aaron Maund were both excellent defensively and the rest of the crew did enough to reach Cassar's goal of a shutout. Unfortunately for RSL, its continued struggles with finishing left it scoreless as well for its third draw in leauge play at home in as many games.
Here are the player grades.
Nick Rimando (GK), 8, had a relatively quiet night Saturday, aside from a late second-half stop on Diego Fagundez to keep a clean sheet. And what a stop it was!
Demar Phillips (DEF), 8, showed Saturday why he's a perennial call-up for the Jamaican National Team. His speed rarely lets him down, but Saturday he showed a work rate, skill level and passing into the attack that occasionally has fans drooling to see that every time he steps on the field. Phillps might struggle with consistency at times, but when he's on, it's really fun to watch.
Justen Glad (DEF), 7, is very young for a center back in Major League Soccer. This isn't news to anyone, but sometimes we forget how impressive his work, and growth, has been this season, despite the occasional mistakes that have cost RSL goals. Glad has heard from coach Jeff Cassar, he's heard it from his teammates, and he's heard it from the media. The defensive mistakes have to stop. Not all of them are his, but the young man has taken the criticism to heart and works as hard as anyone to improve. Saturday was not a remarkable game for Glad, but it was significantly more error free than we've seen of late. Nice work, young man.
Aaron Maund (DEF), 9, doesn't usually get much recognition for his passing, but it was on display Saturday night. He's usually strong when passing into the back-midfield when building out of the back, but against the Revs, he sent a number of excellent 40+ yard diagonal balls through the air to find strikers in stride. Defensively, he was clearly determined to end RSL's spate of defensive mistakes of late. He was true to the task. Maund had two goal-saving blocks Saturday in a game that showed that this young man continues to find room to grow. Man of the Match.
Tony Beltran (DEF), 7, seemed to be the primary pivot point for RSL's attack up the right side much of the night Saturday. New England's left flank showed several weak points and between Beltran, Javier Morales and Burrito Martinez, RSL worked to exploit it. Beltran did well to keep up momentum with skillful one-touch passing. Defensively, Beltran was typically solid when he was in position, which he was throughout the match.
Luke Mulholland (MID), 8, had a great night Saturday in his box-to-box role. He has a great understanding with Kyle Beckerman in particular, and Saturday was an example of how that understanding creates balance through the midfield. He was particularly good with his positioning to give Beckerman an immediate outlet off won balls.
Javier Morales (MID), 8, does two things that he rarely gets credit for better than anyone in the league. His ability to maintain ball possession is due as much to his ability to shield the ball as it is to his footskills — probably more so. And his near textbook positioning is due to terrific work off the ball and an untiring motor. Both skills are that much more impressive given his size and age. Saturday night he put on a clinic, setting up several great chances at goals that went wanting in the end.
Kyle Beckerman (MID), 8, was back from yellow-card suspension and it was none too soon. RSL struggles on the buildup without Beckerman's solid, sensible passing and spacing. He was typically solid defensively, Saturday as well. Mulholland is an excellent pairing with Beckerman in the midfield, and seems to make him better.
Juan Manuel Martinez (FWD), 8, showed flashes of brilliance Saturday night to get out of tough situations and to create chances inside the box. He has been known to cause RSL problems with his moves, but when they're minimal and don't put RSL in danger, they give RSL a huge advantage. That was the case Saturday night as Burrito created chance after chance for RSL to score. Once RSL's finishing improves, he's due for a spate of assists.
Yura Movsisyan (FWD), 7, continues to show the work rate he started the season with, but he's beginning to show a greater level of patience and maturity that we've only seen in flashes this season. Goals continue to evade Movsisyan, which makes his patience and continued efforts that much more impressive. Movsisyan was subbed off in the 77th minute for Olmes Garcia.
Joao Plata (FWD), 6, seems to have hit a bit of a lull recently. His movement has stagnated. The creativity in his runs is just a little lacking. Could it be the summer slog that has the young playmaker worn down? Injuries still nagging? Both? Saturday just wasn't Plata's night. He was subbed off in the 67th minute for hoped-for fresh legs, and ideas, of Jordan Allen.
Jordan Allen (SUB, 67', FWD), 6, did bring fresh legs, but his ideas weren't any different than Joao Plata's after being subbed on for the struggling Ecuadorean. He was fine defensively as RSL looked to maintain the clean sheet, but he was just a step off in the passing game, especially when having to deal with New England's packed defensive third.
Olmes Garcia (SUB, 77', FWD), 7, came on at a time when the momentum had shifted somewhat to New England and therefore was not in the flow of play as much since his assignment was to run the point. He did have one good shot opportunity in stoppage time that he missed just over the bar.
John Stertzer (SUB 89', MID), subbed on for Luke Mulholland and did not play enough to earn a grade.
Chris Higbee is a regular contributor to DeseretNews.com where he writes about Real Salt Lake, the arts, social and religious commentary.