SANDY, Utah – Real Salt Lake's punchless attack has a tough enough job ahead of it with Omar Gonzalez and the defending MLS Cup champions LA Galaxy coming into town on Wednesday night (9:30 pm ET, MLS LIVE).
But things just got that much tougher.
RSL playmaker Javier Morales, who has scored or assisted on all but one of the team’s seven goals this season (across eight league matches), suffered a concussion during Friday night's match against the San Jose Earthquakes and will be unavailable for the clash at Rio Tinto Stadium.
The Argentine veteran suffered his injury in the 32nd minute when he slipped and fell as he attempted to reel in a pass just outside the Earthquakes penalty box. As he scrambled on the ground in pursuit of the ball, the 35-year-old's head was struck by onrushing Quakes winger Shea Salinas. Morales eventually exited the match in the 41st minute and was taken to a nearby hospital. He was not present at Tuesday's practice.
“As soon as his concussion symptoms are gone, then it’s 10 days going through a procedure,” RSL head coach Cassar said on Tuesday in reference to the MLS concussion protocol. “I just spoke to [head athletic trainer] Tyson Pace [Tuesday] morning. So once he gets rid of those headaches, then it’s a procedure and he’s got to keep progressing through each stage for him to be available.”
RSL and their head coach now face the challenge of finding a way to replace a player as influential as Morales, who for the last nine years has been the conductor of a team admired leaguewide for its fluid attacking play. But Cassar stressed that the burden can’t be placed on any one player.
“The guys are stepping up,” Cassar said. “It’s not about replacing him, it’s about collectively replacing him. It’s not just one person.”
Luis Gil will be the likely fill-in for Morales at the central attacking midfield spot. But despite flashes of brilliance for the US national team this year, Gil has been unable to showcase that talent at the club level for RSL.
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The team could desperately use some of Gil's inspiration in the attack. RSL have not scored a goal in the past 406 minutes of gameplay, unless you count the deft own goal by Earthquakes defender Victor Bernardez on Friday. And RSL did not register a single shot on goal against San Jose.
With Morales out for Wednesday's tilt against the Galaxy, Gil believes there needs to be an entirely different mindset.
“Definitely, but we as a team just got to get in a flow as it is," Gil said. "I feel like we have to take it game by game, and [Tuesday] will be a good opportunity for it.”
Tyler Gray covers Real Salt Lake for MLSsoccer.com.
