Real Salt Lake will be without their best striker on Sunday night when they host the Portland Timbers in the first leg of the Western Conference finals. Alvaro Saborio will miss out, but luckily, his injury doesn't sound too serious.
Alvaro Saborio injury: Real Salt Lake striker out for first leg against Portland Timbers
Will Real Salt Lake be able to open up a lead on the Portland Timbers without their best striker?
Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports
RSL coach Jason Kreis says Saborio has a pulled muscle and will not play Sun against Portland #RCTID
— Jamie Goldberg (@Jamiebgoldberg) November 9, 2013
Saborio went down against the LA Galaxy during the Conference Semifinal round, so his status for this game was always in question, but RSL will be thrilled that he should be around for the second leg.
More from our team sites: RSL blog RSL Soapbox Timbers blog Stumptown Footy
With Saborio out, RSL will lose some size and physicality up top, at the very least. One of Olmes Garcia -- more of a speedy player than a target man -- or the diminutive Joao Plata will have to come on if Jason Kreis wants to retain his 4-4-2 diamond formation. Plata's fitness is also in question, but he did make the bench for RSL's last game. Kreis has experimented with a 4-2-3-1, but none of RSL's other three strikers are nearly as well suited to playing by themselves in their formation as Saborio.
Saborio led RSL in goals this season, despite playing in just 16 games due to injuries and games missed because of international duty. RSL fared surprisingly well without him, going 10-6-2.
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