Findley keeps up knack for scoring

Real Salt Lake rookie Robbie Findley sure has a knack for scoring timely goals during special occasions. None was bigger than his 84th-minute tally Saturday night against defending MLS Cup champ Houston.

It came at a time when RSL, a team desperate for wins, appeared headed for another scoreless draw. After the match, Real coach Jason Kreis admitted a draw would've been a disappointment, a reality that makes Findley's late goal in the 1-0 victory that much bigger.

"Yeah, it couldn't be better. A win's always good," said Findley, who was celebrating his 22nd birthday Saturday night.

His coach said it was a well-deserved goal.

"He was absolutely unbelievable the entire game and the goal really just capped off all of the hard work that he put into that match," said Kreis. "That just blew my mind the amount of work he was putting in, the lost causes he was chasing down in the first half, making sliding tackles to keep the ball in play and into the box. For me, man of the match, no question."

That hard work nearly resulted in a goal much earlier in the match when Findley dispossessed Houston defender Eddie Robinson at the right edge of the penalty on a sliding challenge. The opportunity was wasted, however, as Kyle Brown sent Findley's pass soaring over the crossbar from close range.

Earlier in the match, Findley sprayed a left-footed shot of his own, but he never lost focus and continued to fight for 90 minutes.

"We've been working hard in practice, have gone through a few changes in the past couple weeks with some players. We played hard last week and definitely knew we had it in us and we just played 90 minutes and it turned out well," said Findley, who Real Salt Lake acquired in a trade with the Los Angeles Galaxy on June 20.

His first game in a Xango uniform three days later was obviously a big day in his young career, and the newcomer was equal to the challenge.

He scored in the 41st and 50th minute respectively to lead RSL to an upset of streaking D.C. United, a team that hadn't lost in seven straight games prior to the match.

A similar scenario played out in Saturday's game. Houston owned an 11-game unbeaten streak entering the match, and earlier in that stretch it ripped off seven straight shutouts.

RSL didn't seem the least bit intimidated, and Findley helped the club secure its second win of the season.

"It just shows that our team can play with the best. Any team can beat any team on any given day. You just have to put in the hard work during practice. Whatever you put into practice usually pays off during the game," said Findley.

Unfortunately for Findley and the rest of his teammates, RSL's next game isn't until Aug. 18 against visiting Chicago. The team knows from experience that maintaining momentum during a lengthy break isn't easy.

After Real's only other win this year, that 2-1 triumph over D.C. United on June 23, it didn't play again for 11 days and then preceded to lose four straight before getting back on track with a win over Houston.

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E-mail: jedward@desnews.com