Real Salt Lake have been heavily boosted by the news that forward Joao Plata is set to make his return from a long-term injury in the next couple of matches.
Plata has missed the start of the season due to an injury suffered during the pre-season. He is one of quality players in the team and his absence has definitely been telling on the results. Real Salt Lake have been struggling for form and consistency throughout the season and they cannot wait for the return ofPlata. The team are eighth in the table after the most recent 4-1 defeat against Montréal Impact.
The absence of the star forward has seen the team score only 10 goals in the opening 11 matches of the campaign. Last season,Plata alone scored 13 goals and he also had a hand in six others directly. One can expect a repeat of such similar performances this season from the 23-year-old. The metatarsal injury is unlikely to have affected his quality. Despite this, it would be unwise to expect great things from the player in the opening few matches after his return. Meanwhile, head coach Jeff Cassar refused to say anything concrete about the return of his star striker.
“We’ll see. I mean, practicing for two days doesn’t mean you’re available. Full strength doesn’t mean you’re available. It does mean you’re getting close, but there’s got to be fitness involved. There are a lot of things involved. It’s not just about getting him back to play one game, it’s about getting him back to play the rest of the season, because it’s a long season,” said the Real Salt Lake coach. “Saturday will be an amazing day for me,” said the striker on his Twitter account in what is seen as a heavy hint at a return to the pitch.