This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Sandy • A day after his 21st birthday, Jordan Allen stayed on the field when every other Real Salt Lake player shuffled into the tunnel after a rainy Tuesday afternoon training session.

Allen jogged around the south end of Rio Tinto Stadium solo. A few bursts and sprints followed. He walked up to the last remaining bag of soccer balls and emptied it onto the pitch.

There, for the next 20 minutes, Allen dribbled and blasted shots into the goal. When one hit the back of the net, he returned to the pile to repeat the drill he'd crafted in his mind. This continued until each shot met its fate. Allen then packed the bag full again and hauled it into the RSL equipment room.

Four days later, Allen found himself in on goal during a game against the Houston Dynamo. The spotlight suddenly thrust onto the young RSL attacker, who, in that moment, needed to cash in on the chance to equalize and bring those packed inside Rio Tinto to their feet. A simple layoff by center back Justen Glad received a similar fate as all those shots by himself in training when Allen's one-time shot slammed the back of the net.

Allen and Glad grew up at RSL's Arizona-based academy in Casa Grande, Ariz., as cogs on the academy's youth teams, but that easy pass by Glad was the first time he'd ever assisted an Allen goal.

"Not even [Casa Grande] days," said a smiling Allen afterward. "First time ever. Maybe practice? I think it's good for both of us. I think we're both confident right now and we're both able to step in and do a job for the team, which is important."

In a position that RSL features perhaps two of the best wide forwards in Major League Soccer in Joao Plata and Burrito Martinez, performances like Allen's goal and assist on Yura Movsisyan's eventual game-winner provide relief that the dropoff will not be that significant. Allen added that extra element in his fourth start of 2016, which RSL needed to commence its rally past the Houston Dynamo 2-1 to improve to 5-1-2 (17 points).

"He's got all the quality in the world," RSL right back Tony Beltran said. "I remember when he was 16 and he was training with us, and I knew this kid had quality, I knew he could be the Jordan Allen he is today. It's just a testament to his hard work."

After Salt Lake's 5-2 loss at L.A. on April 23, RSL coach Jeff Cassar said he got after Allen. He challenged Allen to respond to the physicality that defenders will continue to utilize against his full-speed style of play. No test was more telling early on than DaMarcus Beasley's yellow-card tackle in the third minute of play Saturday night against Houston.

While Allen lay on the pitch, feeling every bit of that late, dangerous slide by the former U.S. men's national team staple, Cassar paced up and down the RSL box incensed that Beasley wasn't sent to the showers.

But Allen rose to his feet.

"He stayed aggressive," Cassar said. "I thought he was fantastic."

Allen smiled again when asked of that conversation after the loss at L.A. The opposition's game plan isn't surprising anymore. He knows there will be at least a few shots each game. Allen said Cassar thinks about the added physicality more than he does at this point.

"It's like my nature — I'm used to getting hit," Allen said. "I take it with a grain of salt. When tackles like that do come in, the best thing you can do is bounce up and respond."

ckamrani@sltrib.com Twitter: @chriskamrani —

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