Real Salt Lake vs. Seattle Sounders: Why to be excited ahead of a tough match

We've all been a little down on Real Salt Lake this season, and rightly so. 2015 has been a rocky season at best, and it's been tough for the team to get any real traction. We could debate the reasons for a few hours, but let's not — instead, there's plenty of reason to be excited about this one, so let's talk about that.

Luis Silva is really good

Last week, Luis Silva was a revelation on the right side of the attack, and there's no reason that I know of to suspect that he won't be playing from the get-go. He was impressive in attack, involved himself in defensive phases, and linked up incredibly well with Javier Morales. Those are all very positive things, and they give us a lot to look forward to.

His first truly meaningful minutes with Real Salt Lake were good, but our question: Can he improve on that? Why not, really? If he truly does want to secure a move to Mexico during the offseason, then playing his heart out would only help him finalize that.

Of course, maybe we'll make a big offer to keep him, too. Let's hope for that.

Joao Plata is back

It's not like he was out for terribly long in this spell, but Joao Plata could be back for this match — and it's hard to overstate the importance of his return to the side. While his somewhat recent injury recovery might not put him in a position to start and play 90 minutes, it could be a fantastic opportunity for him to come in and be one of those mythical 'difference-makers'.

So is Jordan Allen

It's been over a month since we last saw Jordan Allen, and he is apparently fit and ready to play at least some minutes against Seattle. He's been a good player for us, but having not seen him for a bit, it's easy to forget what he brings. Seattle is a team that will attack and not sit back in a defensive stance, by and large, so that leaves more room for a talented wide player to come in and do some good work.

Burrito Martinez is officially ours

Don't expect to see Burrito Martinez play tonight, but that's something to be excited about, too. And maybe he'll be on the bench, just so we can hear his name as a 94th minute substiution and get all excited about it. (That won't happen ... maybe.)