SALT LAKE CITY -- It didn't take long for Real Salt Lake to find its legs on offense once Robbie Findley entered the match.
Findley came on for starting forward Fabian Espindola in the 45th minute and immediately torched the San Jose Earthquakes -- scoring one second-half goal and setting up another to propel RSL to a 3-1 victory at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Saturday evening.
RSL snapped a two-game skid in MLS action with the win and avoided sinking into last place behind the Earthquakes.
Findley came in place of Espindola after he suffered a left knee sprain. He wasted no time making his presence known. He put RSL up 1-0 in the 48th minute when he beat Jason Hernandez and fired just outside the top of the box. He drilled the shot right past San Jose goalkeeper Joe Cannon, who was caught at the near post.
RSL took a two-goal lead in the 60th minute when Findley made a fantastic pass to Morales in the box. Morales did a quick drive and slotted it past Cannon, who slid down to stop the ball but could not get his hand on it as it scooted past into the net.
RSL's third goal came in the 73rd minute, when Nick Garcia pulled down Andy Williams in the box. Referee Jorge Gonzalez ruled for a second RSL penalty kick in the game, and booked Garcia on the play. Dema Kovalenko took the resulting kick and drilled into the far corner of the net. Cannon was nowhere near the shot and it proved to be the nail in the coffin.
Garcia's yellow card was the third in a 30-minute span for the Earthquakes, who seemed frustrated at their inability to create much of anything against RSL.
San Jose finally did get on the board in the 84th minute when John Cunliffe drilled a shot from the center of the penalty area to make it 3-1. Corrales set up the goal when he shook off Nat Borchers and backheeled the ball to Cunliffe.
Neither team could sustain much of an attack in the first half. San Jose had a pair of shots and one shot on goal. RSL had more scoring chances with four shots on goal, but still came away empty-handed.
RSL had an excellent chance to seize an early lead in the third minute as a handball infraction by Corrales set up the first penalty kick. Morales took the kick and flicked the ball toward the lower left corner, but Cannon made a diving save to prevent the goal.
Real ramped up its attack again in the 36th minute when Javier Morales used an indirect free kick to set up Kenny Deuchar in the goal area. Deuchar headed the ball off the left post and it ricocheted back to Jamison Olave. Olave tried to slingshot the ball back into the net, but Cannon came up with the big save again, clearing the ball over the end line.
Williams took a corner kick in the 43rd minute and swung it to Espindola at the far post. Espindola flicked the ball toward the net with his left foot, but Cannon punched it away before it could turn into anything damaging.
Morales tried to make something happen again in the 45th minute. He curled the ball toward the net with his right foot, but Cannon came up with another save on another catch.
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