Alvaro Saborio has had a wildly inconsistent season and hasn't performed well during Real Salt Lake's recent skid, but he was the man of the match on Saturday, scoring a hat trick as RSL broke their four-game winless streak. After an uneventful first half against the Portland Timbers, he came alive in the second half and scored all three goals in his team's 3-0 victory.
Real Salt Lake Vs. Portland Timbers, 2012 MLS: Alvaro Saborio Decides He’s Good Again
The first two goals came in quick succession, with Portland's defense looking completely out of sorts on both occasions. Kyle Beckerman set up Saborio for the opener in the 60th minute with a lofted ball from the center of the pitch into the penalty area. Saborio easily out-jumped Futty Danso and placed a header perfectly at the far post, putting RSL ahead. Less than two minutes later, he beat the entire Portland defense to a well-placed Chris Wingert cross and finished easily to solidify his team's lead.
Diego Chara went into meltdown mode shortly thereafter. He made a nasty challenge on Javier Morales in the 66th minute, for which he picked up a yellow card. In the 73rd minute, Chara handled the ball in the penalty area, leading to a penalty kick and a sending off. Saborio stepped up and converted, completing his hat trick.
Real Salt Lake kept the ball in Portland's half for the rest of the game and forced Troy Perkins into multiple saves, but didn't find another goal. Not that they needed it, they were just being big meanies at that point anyway.
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