Bringing back better times: 5 RSL moments you may have forgotten about

It’s no secret that being a Real Salt Lake fan hasn’t been a lot of fun of late.

With ownership issues, less than stellar play on the field, topped off by recent reports of Sam Johnson throwing house parties in a pandemic, it’s not great to be in the RSL family right now.

Let’s take a trip back in time to some happier times.

#5 - Karate Kreilach, Nov. 1, 2018

You probably didn’t forget about this one, because it’s arguably one of the best moments in club history, but it’s still fun to bring back up. This goal may have only been two years ago, but it sure feels like a different lifetime ago. This goal gave RSL the life they needed to upset LAFC’s Cinderella story in the 2018 MLS Cup Playoffs.

This goal not only tied the game RSL ultimately came back to win, but since, Kreilach has tried to one up himself by scoring similar beautiful goals, though none quite as good as the original.

#4 - Bringing back the 2009 team & honoring Javier Morales, Sept. 25, 2019

This night was a special one for a lot of long time RSL fans. Just in case seeing nearly the entire 2009 MLS Cup winning team at Rio Tinto Stadium for the first time since then wasn’t enough, the club also decided to finally do right by Javier Morales that night and put his name in the rafters alongside Jason Kreis’.

It was quite the night to be in Rio Tinto Stadium. Despite the 2-1 loss, most RSL fans were not too worried about that while they were honoring the best team in RSL history and club fan favorite, El Maestro.

#3 - The RSL duck, Sept. 1, 2018

There was also an RSL cat, but that one became more controversial, so we’ll just stick to talking about the duck. The first animal to break onto RSL’s pitch, and also the funniest. As the duck broke his way into Rio Tinto Stadium, fans cheered as Albert Rusnak and Dan the Grass Man had to chase him off the pitch.

There was also a Twitter made for the duck, named Albert Rusquack, which is incredible.

#2 - The 15 second goal, Sept. 6, 2014

If you were fortunate enough to be in Rio Tinto Stadium on Sept. 6, you probably have vivid memories of this match. Alvaro Saborio scored on his first touch back after being out with a foot injury for months, just 15 seconds after subbing into the match. This was the most Sabo moment imaginable, no one expected him to be back from injury just yet, but the second he was, he was back in goal scoring form. This goal was a part of RSL’s 2-1 win over FC Dallas.

#1 - The Javi and Kyle Show

There are few videos that bring quite as much joy as the few episodes of the Javi and Kyle Show that we got. It was a mini series made to help Morales learn English, and Kyle Beckerman learn Spanish. There’s no good way to preface this series really, just watch and enjoy it.

Honorable mention: RSL fans honor Javier Morales after ankle injury, May 14, 2011

In writing this list, most the best moments from this club largely seem to revolve around Morales, which isn’t really surprising. He is a legend of this club for a reason and provided a lot of joy in his time with the club. This honorable mention is particularly special for me, as it was my first RSL game. After Morales suffered a devastating ankle injury, RSL fans and players rallied together to honor Morales with signs and banners held up in the 11th minute for him.

Denzel Eslinger | RSL Soapbox archives

This moment sticks out a lot to me as it was the first time I was exposed to the camaraderie among the RSL family, and this game has stuck with me since 2011. This was one of my most prominent RSL memories, what moments in RSL History stick out particularly in your mind?