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Salt Lake forward named player of the week
Real Salt Lake forward Álvaro Saborío was voted Major League Soccer Player of the Week by the North American Soccer Reporters for Week 8 for the 2010 MLS season. Saborío supplied two goals in Real Salt Lake’s 3-1 victory over the Houston Dynamo on Thursday, May 13 at home at Rio Tinto Stadium.
With Real Salt Lake leading 1-0, Saborío added to the score in the 24th minute. Defender Robbie Russell brought the ball up the right side of the field and played the ball just inside the penalty box to Javier Morales, who was unable to control the ball. Saborío picked up the loose ball at the top of the area and unleashed a shot that landed just inside the post past an outstretched Pat Onstad.
In the 60th minute, Saborío added his second goal of the game. Morales delivered a free kick from 30 yards out on the left side. Saborío made a spectacular run to lose his defender and from six yards out, nodded home his fourth goal of the season.
Saborío has contributed a total of four goals and two assists for Real Salt Lake in 2010, who holds a 4-3-1 record, and sits tied for second place in the Western Conference.
The MLS Player of the Week is selected each week of the regular season by a panel of journalists from NASR. The group consists of members of print, television, radio and online media.
CSN Voting: Yes, I do get a creepy Crosby-Stills-Nash feeling whenever I type “CSN.” Still, I can’t come up with a better abbreviation. For this week, I cast my vote for player of the week to Preston Burpo, with Guillermo Barros Scheletto second on the list. Burpo essentially stole a point for the Revs over the weekend, and Schelotto did exactly what the team star is supposed to do in delivering a critical penalty Kick for a Columbus victory.
For me, Saborío did what forwards are supposed to do, score goals. While two are impressive, I was more impressed by Burpo’s stops and management of the defense, and Schelotto’s cool.
Big Break: Colorado doesn’t have another MLS game until May 29. While that seems like an eternity, the team does have a critical match coming in the interim.
Colorado faces New York Red Bull on May 26 in the final play-in match for a U.S. Open Cup spot. Since the game comes after a long layoff, and immediately before facing the Seattle Sounders at Dick’s Sporting Good Park, it might be a chance to give some midfielders a rest. I’m betting Carlos Lopez and Colin Clark get significant minutes in the Open Cup game to be played at the Red Bull Arena.
I’m also continuing my hope that the Rapids will advance in this tournament, something that hasn’t happened since 2007. There is silver to be had for the trophy case.
Bunched Together: The weekend win left Colorado at 4-3-1 (13 points) and tied for second in the Western Conference. Unfortunately, that’s a crowded group of teams, that also means the Rapids are only one point ahead of sixth place and three points clear of last in the conference. Only the Los Angeles Galaxy, 7-0-2 (23 points) has managed any clearance on the rest of the conference.
The Plus: Three of Colorado’s four wins have come on the road. The team is 3-2-0 on the road in 2010, after winning only two road matches in 2009. After facing Seattle on May 29, the Rapids get Columbus at home on June 5. Home points would be nice.
Stifling: Only Los Angeles and Columbus have allowed fewer goals than the Rapids (7) so far this season. Colorado is only scoring a little more than one goal a game (9 goals in 8 games), but the revamped defense is proving sound.
Saborío deserves it and RSL is off to a great start. GO Real!
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