SANDY, Utah (Friday, May 7, 2010) – Real Salt Lake today announced the 34 boys that will make up the player pool for the 2010 edition of the RSL-Utah Under-17 squad during the upcoming summer months. More than 120 players attending the open tryouts last month, a group that was narrowed down to just over 60 finalists during the callback session two weekends ago and whittled down to the following 34 players today:
2010
RSL-Utah Under-17 Player Pool (tryout number in parentheses)
Goalkeepers: Ian Bartlett (215), Taylor Bell (66), Carson Elliot (74), Mitch Jensen (69)
Defenders: Juan Aguilera (205), Joe Chabrias (5), Eric Christensen (87), Skyler Doran (58), Patrick Hickman (77), Austin Jex (25), Phanuel Kavita (57), Skyler Milne (210), Alex Neff (78), Kade Nordfors (214), Alexander Olsen (2), Trase Stapley (89)
Midfielders: David Adams (6), Aaron Caprio (8), Lucas Cawley (32), Parker Dixon (232), Peter Puertas (73), Dillon Richens (85), Michael Ropelato (26), Amer Sasivarevic (11), John Taylor (52), Nick Thiros (53), Justin Ward (75), Talmadge Wilsher (3)
Forwards: Alejandro Espinoza (9), Matt Gay (76), Richard Haddock (7), Noah Jackson (38), Maikon Orellana (72), Abinadi Samayoa (86)
This
year’s RSL-Utah U-17 squad will be under the direction of Miles Joseph, who will serve as the team’s Technical Director in
addition to his role as an assistant coach for the RSL First Team, and Greg Maas, who will retain his head
coaching duties for the RSL-Utah U-17s for a fourth consecutive year. Rounding
out the RSL-Utah coaching staff will be assistant coaches Eric Landon, Adolfo Ovalle,
Patrick Rennie, and Nermin Sasivarevic.
“The
interest in being a part of this squad continues to be strong, and this time
around we had the great benefit of having Miles Joseph and [RSL First Team Head
Coach] Jason Kreis assist in evaluating the talent – a task that has grown
tougher each year,” said Maas. “The quality and depth of this year’s trialists
made deciding on a final roster tougher than ever, and we’d like to thank all
the players that took the time and effort to try out for the squad. We look
forward to teaching the 34 players that made the final cut the methods and
philosophies that have made RSL’s First Team one of the premier squads in MLS
and watching them progress throughout what should be a great learning
experience over the course of the summer.”
The
2010 RSL-Utah squad will begin training in mid-May and will conduct at least
one practice session per week through August. As was the case last summer, the
RSL-Utah U-17s will look to schedule as many training sessions as possible
following the RSL First Team, giving the youngsters as much interaction as
possible around the defending MLS Cup champions. In addition, some of the
players will have the opportunity to volunteer their services at Rio Tinto
Stadium during Real Salt Lake game days, providing yet another chance for these
players to be immersed in a professional environment.
In
addition to the practice sessions, the RSL-Utah U-17s will also be gathering
for several matches over the course of the summer, which will include
intra-squad scrimmages and friendlies against local club sides and USL Premier
Development League (PDL) reserve teams. The RSL-Utah team will combine with
players from the RSL-Arizona and RSL-Florida Youth Development Programs to once
again field a side under the Real Salt Lake banner for the annual MLS U-17 SUM
Cup, taking place this year during MLS All-Star Week in Houston in late July.
For
more information on the RSL-Utah Under-17 squad, please contact Greg Maas at uysatd@aol.com or 801-268-3365 ext. 1104, or
Teresa Nelson at tnelson@RealSaltLake.com
or 801-727-2714, or click on the "YOUTH” link on RSL's official website, www.RealSaltLake.com.
