I was going to talk about the salary documents a bit more, but some great news came yesterday, and I can hardly think about anything else. First, on Twitter, @RealSaltLake hinted (well, they said it, to be fair) that Javier Morales, our glorious Argentine playmaker, is set to make a return in short time. From today, that goal is but two weeks away; the match against Chicago Fire should be our first chance to see him again.
Five months after he was mowed down on that dark day in Salt Lake City, suffering that fracture-dislocation that disrupted our squad and our chances. But five months after when it looked like we might scream into the lead of the race for the Supporters’ Shield, we’ve still been searching for form, for continuity, for our playing spirit.
That team that shocked the Galaxy with a 4-1 (This has been corrected. It previously stated 4-0. Oops!) defeat has taken on a new look with Javier’s absence. Our play has shifted a bit more toward the back, with Kyle Beckerman notching the assists this season like he’s never done in the Claret and Cobalt: His form and subsequent international call-ups signify just how much our dreadlocked defensive midfielder has upped his play. He was never one you could accuse of not working hard enough, but the way he’s raised his game has been remarkable.
We’ve also seen the meteoric rise of the young Luis Gil, who has gone from a kid with talent, skill, and a whole lot of promise to an effective player for our side. It is in these unfortunate circumstances that things are tested, and my word, this has been a test for our side. There have been negatives, and they’ve been glaring at times. But when it comes down to it, we’ve seen some players raise their game to levels nobody would have necessarily predicted.
But despite the problems we’ve encountered, the bumps on the road that have rocked our season, we’re still up there. We’ve seen our season go up and down, up and down — but we’re finally looking on the up, and the boost we’ll get from our No. 11 is incredible. A month ago, the Supporters’ Shield looked wholly out of our grasp: It would take a miracle, most of us thought. With a little over a month to run in the season, we’re looking like more than just the dark horse: We’re looking like a full-on contender for it.
More tomorrow on the race, and perhaps a bit on the salaries as I promised. This, however, was too exciting to not write about. But remember, we’ve got a home match on the weekend — the world’s not going to stop while we wait for Javi. Let’s give him something to come back to. A trophy or two, maybe?
Come on you Claret and Cobalt!
Comments