Real Salt Lake v Dallas (2-0) - Real Domination in Battle out West

 The Rio Tinto hosted a clash of two of the three best in the Western Conference on Saturday night. Dallas came in winners of three in a row while Real had not been beaten in five.
Salt Lake's Strategy
   Jason Kreis started with his usual 4-4-2 diamond formation. The only surprise was Luis Gil starting as Alvaro Saborio's strike partner instead of Fabian Espindola. The two changes were in the back where Wingert replaced Russell and Schuler replaced the suspended Nat Borchers.
Dallas' Strategy
    Schellas Hyndman played a very defensive 4-5-1, almost playing for a nil-nil away result. Daniel Hernandez was rested, presumably for the US Open Cup Quarterfinal match v Real on Tuesday. In stepped the rookie and rarely used Bobby Warshaw into the holding midfield position. Two of the hottest wingers in MLS, Jackson and Brek Shea, played on the right and left respectively but each grew frustrated by the second half because of Dallas' inability to possess the ball and attack.
Dallas Sit Back and Real Dominate
    The match kicked off and was intense from the get go. In the 5th minute, Benitez swiped the legs from Saborio and a scuffle ensued.
    Shea attempted to get behind Beltran by making diagonal runs behind the back line but Dallas was unable to provide a suitable pass. Salt Lake executed their game plan of closing down the wide players, Shea and Jackson. Shea was frustrated, seen flailing his arms when the ball did not break for him. This culminated in the 70^th minute when he picked up a cynical yellow card and after was berating the official.

     Not only did Real dominate possession, but they were so quick to pressure the ball if they gave the ball back to Dallas. This pressure made Dallas uncomfortable and often resulted into a backward pass or a long ball to escape the pressure. With Dallas unable to cope with the pressure, Real had a possession advantage of 74% in the 22^nd minute and a 66% in the 71^st minute. Dallas was also unable to counter attack due to the deep defensive positions of their midfield. They dropped off deep allowing Real’s defenders to pass the ball around the halfway line. This deep position along with a lack of composure on the ball nixed any possibility of catching Real on the break.
    Luis Gil, the speedy 17 year old, found the most room behind Dallas' defense. Kreis used Gil to run behind the defense, especially in the left and right channels, while Saborio stayed up top occupying a defender. Gil created a couple of half chances but needs to show composure in front of goal and in his final ball. Saborio has the uncanny ability of winning every high or long ball. He can turn his back to goal and hold off a defender to receive a pass and hold up play. Salt Lake's midfield three of Grabavoy, Williams and Johnson were given the freedom to switch positions and move all over the pitch. However, they always find their way back to their diamond shape to defend.

Best Moments from the Match

     All the advantage in possession paid off two minutes after halftime. Saborio won a free kick on the edge of the area. Andy Williams stepped up and curled a shot over the wall. The shot should have been comfortable for Hartman to catch beat he lost concentration and let the ball slip through his hands. This gaffe rivaled Robert Green’s v US last summer and gave Salt Lake the much deserved 1-nil lead.

     Hartman was able to shake off the mistake five minutes later as Gil played a nifty one-two with Williams but was denied by the keeper.

     In the 85^th minute, Dallas had their only opportunity to equalize. Johnson and Wingert were defending on the left but fell asleep ball watching. Shea took advantage of their mistake and made a diagonal run into the penalty area. He received an inch perfect pass and his first touch set him up to score. However, he elected to square the ball to Jackson for an easier finish but Jackson slipped and could not get much power on the shot. The ball dribbled toward goal and Wingert was able to clear it off the line.

     Real added an insurance goal in the 93^rd minute off of a gift from Dallas. Warshaw made a blind back pass toward goal and Johnson intercepted. He gave the ball to the super sub Espindola who calmly clinched three points for the home side.

Conclusions
    Dallas were very disappointing. They added little to the game and came to the Rio Tinto with no desire to attack Real.
    On the other hand, Salt Lake should be commended. They always set out to play soccer and keep the ball on the ground to play a pass and move possession system. However, Real lack the final pass, since Javier Morales has been injured, and thus struggled to create chances on the night. Their winning goal was a gift from Kevin Hartman, but the soccer gods must have been smiling on the home side since they deserved a goal after all their attacking intent had failed to pay off.

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