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Real Salt Lake will hope to lengthen their unbeaten run, especially after three impressive road wins. The Montreal Impact have the same hopes after three wins, most notably against the Chicago Fire last week. Ignacio Piatti leads the team with 12 goals this season and will be a major test for our defense.
Left Back
Danny Acosta is a young player and, much like Justen Glad, makes young player mistakes. But he’s a guy on our team you can look at and hope he develops into a future starter. Demar Phillips is still out with the hamstring injury he picked up in Portland. This leaves Chris Wingert and Danny Acosta as the main options at left back. I’d like to see Acosta; he’s fast and has two assists on the season, but Wingert is a vet. Chris knows what he’s doing and is an intelligent player, even if his execution isn’t always the best. Either way, this game is going to be a test for our whole defense and I’m excited to see how the backline hold up to the Impact.
Luis Silva
Silva may only has two goals this season, but there’s a lot to be optimistic about with this player. First off, he wasn’t signed to be the starting center forward. Secondly, his first few games saw him in various spots. I hate feeling like I’m always ragging on Yura, but the work Silva puts in during a game far outpaces RSL’s highest ever paid plalyer. Silva’s movement pulls a part the defense and this help the whole team in the attack. It’s clear Silva is the go to starter in this position, and that makes Yura the league’s highest paid impact sub that doesn’t have an impact.
Subs
Real has a lot of good up-and-coming talent on our roster. I would love to see Lennon and Bofo get some minutes, plus Acosta if he doesn’t get to start. I’m pretty tired of seeing Yura come on and do nothing, so I hope some of the young guys who are trying to make a name for themselves can come on and be a difference maker. I expected to see more of Lennon this year, but with the signing of Savarino, it makes sense that we see him less. His pace and skill on the ball bring a lot to the attack. I hope if we need someone to come in and help turn the game around, he can be that guy.