Team Focus: Real Salt Lake - MLS Cup Champions in waiting?

With the Portland Timbers coming into the Western Conference final on the back of a convincing two-leg victory over the Seattle Sounders in the previous round few predicted what happened next.

Real Salt Lake dismantled the Timbers, beating Caleb Porter’s side 4-2. Only a stoppage time goal by Frederic Piquionne gave Portland any hope of recovering the deficit in the return game on Sunday.

The semi-final triumph over defending champions the Los Angeles Galaxy gave some warning of RSL’s title credentials but the win over Portland felt like a true statement of intent.

So are Jason Kreis’ side MLS Cup champions in waiting?

The Portland Timbers have a reputation as the best passers in MLS but the truth is that when Caleb Porter’s side came up against RSL last week they were beaten at their own game.

Possession may have been shared 50-50 between the two teams but Real Salt Lake boasted a higher pass success rate (74% compared to 70%), with Javier Morales and Kyle Beckerman making more passes than any other players on the pitch (with 49 and 47).

But this wasn’t a one-off fluke. Kreis, just like Porter at Portland, has built a side on the foundation of slick passing movements, deploying a dynamic frontline that proves difficult to mark for opposition defenders.

In fact, Beckerman and Morales were the league’s most prolific passers in the regular season, with the former making an average of 69.7 passes per game and the Argentinean making 60.8 per game.

When it came to pass success rate before the postseason Real Salt Lake also outscored the Timbers (80.4% to 79.2%), with Ned Grabavoy possessing the best percentage of midfielders in the side of 87%, compared to Portland’s most efficient passer, Diego Chara (86.4%).

Even more impressive is that this passing identity has taken root in Kreis’ backline too. Nat Borchers was MLS’ third most efficient passer during the regular season, completing 87.5% of his passes.

Of course, although there were some consistent factors of their performance, Real Salt Lake played magnificently and above their usual standards against the Timbers, illustrated by their 18 shots on goal, compared to their season average of 13.

They only conceded seven shots to the Portland Timbers, compared to their season average of 12 per game, and even though RSL still out-passed the opposition their pass success rate was still down on its season average, with 80.4% the highest in the league.

Alvaro Saborio has proven to be the most potent attacker for Real Salt Lake this season, netting 12 times from just 18 appearances, but their threat comes from all over the pitch; something that makes them even more dangerous. For instance, against Portland defenders Borchers and Chris Schuler had more shots on goal than any other Real Salt Lake player, with three apiece.

Nevertheless, the attacking hub of RSL’s frontline is Morales. High passing statistics are often countered with the question “but are they passes with a purpose?” That’s an argument that can’t be angled at Morales, who also boasts the second-best key passes per game average in MLS – making 3.4 per game.

Along with Diego Valeri and Federico Higuain, Morales can claim to be one of the most accomplished central attacking midfielders in the league.

The discovery of 20-year-old Luis Gil this season has also given Real Salt Lake an extra dimension. Having impressed at the Under 20 World Cup for the USA earlier this year Gil has slotted effortlessly into the team’s fluid attacking midfield line, contributing five goals over the season and averaging 1.4 shots per game.

Kreis has reportedly been lined up as the manager of the Manchester City-New York Yankees joint MLS franchise, New York City FC – due to start playing in 2015. It’s unsurprising that the 40-year old is in demand, considering what he has created at the Rio Tinto Stadium, and if Real Salt Lake win MLS Cup this year it will be his crowning achievement.