Real Salt Lake earns convincing win over Toronto FC

SANDY — For one night at least, Rio Tinto Stadium was once again a fortress for Real Salt Lake, and the timing couldn't have been better.

Entering a critical stretch with five of its next seven games at home, RSL got the dream start to its homestand Saturday night with a convincing 3-0 victory over Toronto FC.

The victory put an end to a three-game winless streak at home, and with a 2-0-2 overall record in the past four weeks, very quietly RSL is stringing together results in an effort to make a push up the Western Conference standings.

"No matter whether it's at home or on the road, it's always important to get three points, but it's nice to show the fans that we've regrouped and we're back on track like we were at the beginning of the season," said RSL midfielder Clint Mathis, who finished with a goal and an assist in front of 18,188 fans.

Real Salt Lake scored twice in the opening half, and it was rarely tested in the second half as Nick Rimando only needed to make two saves to earn his fourth shutout of the season.

At the midpoint of the season, RSL sits in fifth place in the Western Conference with a 5-6-4 record and 19 points. The playoffs are easily within reach, but it will take more performances like Saturday's.

"We've put ourselves in an inopportune spot, to say it mildly. If you'd told me at the beginning of the year we'd only have 19 points in 15 matches I'd-a told you I don't think so. I thought we'd be higher up the table," said RSL coach Jason Kreis. "We've put ourselves in a little bit of a bad spot, and now we have to take advantage, every home game has to be three points from here on out."

It helps when your opponent makes a horrendous giveaway.

Yura Movsisyan opened the scoring in the 21st minute, and he should probably send Amado Guevara a fruit basket or something as a way of saying thanks for the gift. Assuming one of his teammates was behind him, the Toronto midfielder turned and made a blind pass backward. Movsisyan was the only player there, however, and he easily raced past defender Nick Garcia en route to burying the breakaway finish.

Kreis was particularly pleased with the quality of Movsisyan's finish, who chipped it past Toronto keeper Stefan Frei instead of hammering it in.

As pleased as he was with the finish, he was just as pleased with his team's ability to capitalize on a mistake.

"I've been hammering it into the guys lately. In our league most goals and scoring chances happen in transition, and it happens because there's a misplay in the middle third of the field and it's about who reacts quicker," said Kreis.

Prior to the gift, Toronto had been a pretty difficult team to break down. Kreis thought his players came out slow and Toronto was winning the majority of the 50-50 balls.