Real Salt Lake striker is eager to make his first start of season

LEHI — Pablo Campos is anxious to make his first start of the season.

There's no guarantee it will happen this weekend, but several circumstances have lined up very much in the Real Salt Lake striker's favor recently.

First and foremost, Robbie Findley is away at U.S. National Team camp in New Jersey, trying to convince coach Bob Bradley that he deserves to be one of the 23 players representing the United States in South Africa next month.

Secondly, fellow striker Fabian Espindola has missed three straight matches with an ankle injury. Even though he's healthy enough to contribute in this Saturday's match at Chivas USA, the coaching staff might be reluctant giving him the starting nod.

As the only other striker available, Campos seems like an obvious choice to start alongside reigning MLS Player of the Week Alvaro Saborio.

"I think it's the time. I've been waiting for it. That's sport: Sometimes people get called up, sometimes people get hurt. When your chance comes up, you have to be ready," said Campos, who joined RSL midseason last year from San Jose.

"I think I've been playing and training hard, and I'm ready for the opportunity," he said.

Campos has appeared in three matches for Real Salt Lake this year. He made a brief appearance in the final nine minutes of a 2-1 loss at the L.A. Galaxy last month, and then last Thursday, he replaced Saborio in the 79th minute with RSL comfortably in front of Houston, 3-1.

His biggest contribution came the week before in a 3-0 triumph over Philadelphia, as he replaced a banged-up Findley in the first half. He played the final 52 minutes alongside Saborio, and the pair seemed to combine well together.

Late in the match, they linked up for an impressive goal, with Saborio finishing a wonderful cross from Campos. The Brazilian native believes the partnership was a success.

"He's a big player. Sometimes he's gonna shield for me, and then I'm going to shield for him," said Campos.

At 6-foot-3, Campos has the frame of a target forward. And though he can play that role, he's by no means a one-dimensional player.

"He's what they call in South America a box forward, but he's also quite gifted with his feet, and he's faster than a lot of people think he is," said Kreis. "I think he has the capability of being more of an all-around forward than he is right now, but we're working on that."

This weekend might be his first real opportunity to prove he belongs on the field more often. Regardless of who gets the start, the 26-year-old Campos will remain positive.

"You've just got to wait for your time and keep your head up. The opportunities are going to come, and you've got to be ready. You can't just be sad and complain all the time; that's not going to solve your problem," he said.

e-mail: jedward@desnews.com