Less than eight hours left until RSL kicks off against Vancouver at Rio Tinto Stadium.
Just four days left until Real Salt Lake begins its run through the CONCACAF Champions League at C.S. Herediano.
That quick turnaround means you should expect a few changes from the regular lineup for tonight’s league game against Vancouver, with RSL head coach Jason Kreis likely to sit a few of his usual starters with an eye on Tuesday’s Group 2 opener.
A few candidates to start Friday’s match on the bench include team captain Kyle Beckerman, defender Jamison Olave, playmaker Javier Morales and forward Alvaro Saborio. I highly doubt that Kreis will sit all four of those players against the third-place ‘Caps, but with Beckerman playing 34 minutes in Philadelphia in Wednesday’s All-Star game, Olave picking up a slight injury in last weekend’s win over Colorado and with Morales and Saborio logging big minutes thus far in 2012, it’d be naïve to think all four would start.
Putting regulars on the bench would give some reserves a rare opportunity to play significant minutes. Midfielder Sebastian Velasquez and center back Kwame Watson-Siriboe are both candidates for the first XI, as is forward – and Salt Lake City native – Justin Braun, who has yet to make his first appearance for RSL after being acquired from Montreal on July 11.
Let’s hope the reserves are ready. As I’ll go into further detail on later today, Vancouver is a very solid team and the Claret-and-Cobalt will need to put in a strong effort if they want to pick up their third straight home win.
