It’s not over, we can still make that playoff run, and that’s what we’re looking for. – Luis Silva
SANDY — For a player who couldn’t find the back of the net to save his life earlier this summer, Luis Silva has sure discovered his finishing boots.
The striker scored in his fourth straight game on Saturday, joining Jeff Cunningham as the only other player in Real Salt Lake history to score in four straight MLS games in leading his team to an important 4-1 victory over Colorado at Rio Tinto Stadium.
Silva scored on a penalty kick in the 50th minute and then iced the game with a breakaway goal in stoppage time to give RSL an important two-goal cushion with Colorado pushing for the equalizer.
“The mentality of the team, it’s gotten a lot better. The understanding inside the field. We’re having fun, we’re enjoying it. We’ve just got to keep this up. It’s not over, we can still make that playoff run, and that’s what we’re looking for,” Silva said.
Three other Real Salt Lake players have scored in four straight games — Alvaro Saborio, Sebastian Jaime and Joao Plata — but they were scored over multiple competitions.
The victory helps Real Salt Lake remain within striking distance in the Western Conference playoff race. It actually moved two points clear of San Jose into seventh place with the win, but it has played two to three more games than every team it’s chasing for the final playoff berth.
One of those teams is fourth-place Vancouver, which is RSL’s next opponent in two weeks after a FIFA break next weekend. In fact, the club’s next three opponents all sit ahead in the Western Conference.
Real Salt Lake heads into the mini break with a 5-1-3 record over its last nine matches. Those five victories are as many as it had in the first 19 games this season.
In addition to remaining relevant in the playoff chase, Saturday’s win helped Real Salt Lake clinch its ninth Rocky Mountain Cup title in the 13-year history of the rivalry. Even though it has another game against the Rapids in Colorado in October, it has already won the season series by virtue of its win at Colorado back on April 15 — Mike Petke’s first win as RSL head coach.
Silva’s PK in the 50th minute put Salt Lake ahead 2-0, and it looked like it would coast to the win.
That changed in the 57th minute when Danilo Acosta received a straight red card on a tackle against Marlon Hairston. Colorado’s man advantage only lasted 20 minutes though as substitute Alan Gordon picked up two yellow cards within nine minutes of entering the match.
During those 20 shorthanded minutes, Petke really liked the way his team battled.
“Their character has been tested many times since I’ve gotten here to be honest with you, but really over the last couple weeks and a handful of games,” said Petke. “To see them going down a man and how they reacted and how they responded, very different than how we want to play, which is going forward. We had to sit a bit and actually do what teams do to us in our own stadium.”
Even after Gordon’s red card and 10 versus 10 soccer, there was more grit and determination required.
Colorado substitute Joshua Gatt cut the lead to 2-1 in the 82nd minute on a goal that was initially waved off because of offsides, but later confirmed after the ref looked at video replay.
“I don’t know if I really do like VAR or I hate it now because I can’t complain, he’s able to watch the video over. It makes me angry as a coach the goal was allowed, but I have to believe it’s true,” said Petke.
With the delay from the replay, Colorado had six minutes of stoppage time to try to bag an equalizer, but instead it was RSL that piled it on.
Silva scored in the 92nd minute on a clearance assist from Brooks Lennon, and then a few minutes later Lennon scored his own goal on an assist from Sebastian Saucedo.
RSL never trailed in the match, and went ahead shortly before halftime as Plata buried a through ball from Albert Rusnak, who picked up his 11th assist of the season.
Real Salt Lake was unlucky not to double the advantage in first-half stoppage time when Rapids keeper Tim Howard denied Rusnak point-blank in the box and then on the ensuing corner kick he turned away a well-struck Justen Glad header.