Friday night's matchup between Real Salt Lake and the Colorado Rapids came with a lot of drama. With the Rocky Mountain Cup on the line, as well as potential Western Conference standing going into the playoffs, along with the addition of two U.S. National Team goalies between the posts and no love lost between two bitter rivals, Friday had the makeup for a true showdown.
Colorado got off to an early start with a Shkelzen Gashi goal in the 5th minute but RSL, which looked hungry from the kickoff, didn't back down, and Yura Movsisyan pulled one back in the 39th minute off a beautiful Demar Phillips assist to bring things level.
Movsisyan could have easily banked three more goals in the second half. He ended up with one, but what a beauty it was in the 48th minute off a Joao Plata assist, and Real Salt Lake saw the match out to take home the cup and all three points to leapfrog Colorado into second place in the Western Conference standings with 43 points.
Here are the player grades.
Nick Rimando (GK), 7, will want to have Dominique Badji's 5th minute shot back so that he could push it wide rather than straight into the run of Shkelzen Gashi's path, and the easy rebound goal. But Rimando has learned the art of the short memory, and he finished the game with five saves and numerous catches in the heat of play to keep Colorado from building on the initial momentum.
Demar Phillips (DEF), 8, had the kind of game Friday night that will continue to see him called up for the Jamaican national squad even as he is headed over the hill as far as international soccer is concerned. His defensive positioning was excellent, and his one-on-one defending as good as we've seen. He was the key to much of the RSL attack too, inasmuch as it flowed through him down the left side much of the game, including the 39th minute foray that earned Phillips an assist on Yura Movsisyan's leveling goal.
Justen Glad (DEF), 8, was rock solid the entire night for RSL. He was positionally sound on every foray by Colorado, and his passing, especially into the attack was excellent.
Jamison Olave (DEF), 6, was coming off one of his finest performances last Saturday since returning to Real Salt Lake, and with momentum, and an adrenaline high, he balked Friday night at Rio Tinto. In the fifth minute, as Dominique Badji made a relatively routine run into the box, Olave chose to go to ground and stab at the ball. He missed and Badji was able to get a shot off, which Rimando pushed straight into the path of Shkelzen Gashi, who made him pay with the early goal. Mistakes like this have undone Olave in the past. Friday night, he shrugged it off and played excellent defending soccer the rest of the game.
Chris Wingert (DEF), 7, filled in Friday night for Tony Beltran, who was out on yellow card accumulation for the second time this season. Wingert filled in well, and while he did nothing flashy, he did enough to keep Colorado honest from the right side and even got a handful of passes into the attack.
Luke Mulholland (MID), 8, has had a run of play lately that should give him little worry that he'll lose a lot of playing time. Mulholland and Beckerman have built a terrific partnership in the defensive midfield, and Mulholland showed Friday night that every night he brings a scoring and passing threat to the squad, along with a motor that rarely gives up.
Javier Morales (MID), 8, not only played with his trademark coolness and quality Friday night, but it was clear that Morales was fired up and eager to earn a win at home against Colorado. Friday night, as always, he was an integral leader in RSL's game plan, but he brought something more — a sort of spiritual leadership that seemed to catch fire in the entire squad. His only knock on the night was a softly taken PK in the 81st minute that might have put RSL up by two goals.
Kyle Beckerman (MID), 8, was truly everywhere Friday night. If he wasn't wreaking havoc on the Colorado midfield, he was back helping the back line disrupt each Colorado attack, or even taking a crack or two of his own on offense. At this point in the season, players who excel season after season up their game — and Friday night, Beckerman was in the zone.
Juan Manuel Martinez (FWD), 9, had his best performance in a month of RSL games Friday night. His defense was excellent, but of course it was his passing and decision making in the final third that made the biggest difference. It's what earned his team an opportunity (missed) in the 81st minute for a PK. Furthermore, he was intimately involved in both of RSL's actual goals despite the fact that he won't receive any credit for assisting them.
Yura Movsisyan (FWD), 9, has been on the verge of a multi-goal game lately, and Friday night he finally got it with a brace. His 39th-minute goal off a Demar Phillips assist was all about textbook positioning and cool finishing, but his 48th-minute goal was not just a goal, it was a golazo! With four Colorado defenders bracketing him in the half circle at the top of the 18-yard box, Movsisyan repositioned the ball on his left foot and sent a screaming bender into the upper 90 that Colorado keeper Tim Howard had no chance at. Movsisyan could have had a hat-trick when he took an earned PK in the 56th minute that he booted just wide left, and perhaps another when he pinged a scorcher off the bar in the second half.
Joao Plata (FWD), 8, may not have had a shot on goal, but he did earn an assist on Movsisyan's 48th-minute goal to put RSL ahead. Plata continues to chug along, simply doing whatever is needed to help RSL earn the results it needs at it prepares for the playoffs.
Olmes Garcia (SUB, 76', FWD), 7, came on for Yura Movsisyan, and the work he put in recently with Movsisyan out rehabbing an injury showed from the moment he stepped onto the field. He was confident, he was active and his speed nearly found him streaking into goal-scoring position on more than one occasion. If not for some excellent last-ditch defending by the likes of Marc Burch, Garcia might have upped the score even more.
Jordan Allen (SUB, 89', FWD), no score, came on for Joao Plata and did not play long 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.