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Coming in at #7, Jefferson Savarino had another solid year for RSL in 2019. Most of the time, Savarino is a critical piece on the field that makes RSL hum. When he’s not on the field, you can tell that there is just a little bit less of an offensive threat.
Interestingly, Savarino played about 500 minutes less for the club in 2019 than he did in 2018. This is not to say he was not as important to the team as the prior year, rather, he was frequently called up by the Venezuelan National Team to kick the ball around on the international stage.
His stats did take a hit, however. He went from notching 7 goals and 11 assists in 2018 to 8 goals and 5 assists in this last campaign.
Jefferson is the kind of player that can make something out of nothing just through his skill on the ball and his sheer will. Players and coaches alike acknowledge that he has a moment of magic in him at any time.
On that note, the highlight of the season for Sava has to be his last second stunner against the defending champion Atlanta United back in May to secure the 2-1 win. It was the kind of goal that you do not forget because of the timing and the crowd reaction. It was the kind of goal that you hope you brought your casual-soccer-fan friend to.
He had a similar moment in the home playoff game against the Timbers, slotting home a goal off of a dummy ball from Plata. This one was fantastic as well, but the Atlanta goal was all him.
Savarino now has just shy of three years under his belt in Salt Lake City and continues to prove his value. It would be naive to assume that he will be with RSL for too much longer as he is capable of doing things on a bigger stage and has yet to reach his prime. For now, let’s not take for granted the ability we have to watch him play in our back yard on a weekly basis.