TUCSON, Ariz. – Real Salt Lake arrived in cold and rainy Tucson – no, that’s not a misprint – on Monday for the start of the team’s third and final preseason camp. We’re now less than three weeks away from the start of the 2013 MLS regular season.
Tucson schedule
Head Coach Jason Kreis will put the Claret-and-Cobalt through its first training session of the week on Monday evening. It should be a light session, with the team running through some drills for about an hour before heading back in.
RSL will play its first FC Tucson Desert Diamond Cup match on Wednesday, when it will take on the New York Red Bulls at Kino Veterans Stadium at 7:00 p.m. MT. The Claret-and-Cobalt will take on Seattle Sounders FC on Saturday at 4:00 p.m. MT and the New England Revolution on Wednesday, Feb. 20 at 7:00 p.m. MT. RSL will close out its Tucson trip on Saturday, Feb. 23, when it will play in either the DDC Championship or Third-Place Match.
MLSsoccer.com will stream every game of the tournament live excluding the final, which will be broadcast live on NBC Sports Network.
Beckerman, Saborio on MLS Media Tour
RSL captain Kyle Beckerman and forward Alvaro Saborio did not travel with the team on Monday. Beckerman is currently in the middle of a MLS Media Tour in New York City. Saborio wrapped his two-day media tour of Miami earlier Monday and will arrive in Tucson later Monday night.
Borchers, Wingert travel with team
Injured defenders Nat Borchers and Chris Wingert traveled with the team for the first time all preseason on Monday, heading to Tucson to rehab their injuries with the RSL training staff. Both players are still weeks away from training.
Roster update
RSL made several changes to the roster that trained in Irvine, Calif. last week, sending home defender Brock Granger, Justin Davis and Everett Pitts and goalkeeper Mark Pais and bringing in defender Nickardo Blake on trial from the NASL Ft. Lauderdale Strikers.
We’ll update the roster as players come and go from camp in the next couple of weeks.
