It appears that longtime Real Salt Lake star midfielder Javier Morales will depart from RSL, per a tweet he sent Thursday afternoon.
The Buenos Aires, Argentina native was signed by RSL in 2007, and scored 49 goals with the club, good for second on the all-time scoring list for RSL. He appeared in 29 games for RSL in 2016, scoring four goals, while his career high of nine goals in a season came two years ago.
“It is always difficult to say goodbye, but this goodbye hurts a little more,” Morales said in his tweet. “After 10 years, it is time to leave a place which has felt like my home.” Home was friendly to Morales, as it will continue to be for the RSL club, with Rio Tinto Stadium taking on the tradition of many Utah venues as hostile territory for opposing teams.
Perhaps the most outstanding skill for Morales was his ability to create opportunities for his teammates. He leads RSL’s assist category with 81 career dishes. Second-place Kyle Beckerman has 33. Morales holds the top three team records for assists in a season–the most at 15 in 2008–as well as six of the top nine.
Dedicated to the RSL fans , to my teammates, my friends and to the people of Utah. You will always be in my heart. Javi Morales #11 pic.twitter.com/8lgutRAx5z
— Javier Morales (@javi_mo11) November 3, 2016
Here are highlights of Morales’ four goals from the 2016 season, including two versus Chicago on August 6th:
