Real Salt Lake scores early to get victory over Toronto FC

SANDY — Real Salt Lake's players had one thing on their minds when they took the field against Toronto FC on Saturday night — score a goal in the first 15 minutes.

They weren't focused on shaking their early season funk or the importance of taking care of business at home with seven of their next nine games at Rio Tinto Stadium. Instead, they were focused on putting Toronto away early.

"When we got the team sheet and saw that they had one forward, and really only one player on the field with any attacking instinct, they were going to come defend. It was extremely important to us to see what we could do in the first 15 minutes," said RSL coach Jason Kreis.

That focused mentality enabled Real Salt Lake to dominate the first 15 minutes, and the last 75 for that matter, en route to a convincing 2-1 victory over Toronto at Rio Tinto Stadium.

The victory snapped a two-game losing skid for the defending champs and in the process helped RSL restore the confidence that comes with winning — which has been rare so far in 2010.

"You need results sometimes to bolster that confidence, and tonight that's the most important thing," said Kreis.

It was all about the first 15 minutes.

"If we could score a goal, their plan would go out the window," said Kreis.

That's what made the easiest goal of Jamison Olave's Real Salt Lake career so important. Who cares that he stole it from teammate Alvaro Saborio?

After Saborio did well to rise up and head Andy Williams' cross toward goal, Olave came careening toward the goal mouth and hammered the ball home just inches before it was likely going to go in anyway.

That early strike changed everything for the visitors, who played a critical home match in the Canadian Championships on Wednesday, and opted not to start two of their most promising attacking players.

"They came in to get a 0-0, and now you're down a goal, so now what?" said Real captain Kyle Beckerman.

Interestingly enough, Toronto didn't panic. It stuck with the defensive game plan throughout the first half and then inserted a trio of attacking players in Julian de Guzman, Dwayne De Rosario and O'Brian White at halftime. The strategy was three minutes shy of perhaps working out perfectly.