Real Salt Lake has made the halls of the Francisco Grande Hotel home for several years during preseason. But for three RSL players, the seclusion of the club’s training camp site is more than just a stop-off for a week or two during preseason.
Lalo Fernandez, Phanuel Kavita and Jordan Allen called Casa Grande home during the latter parts of their youth while playing with the Real Salt Lake-Arizona Academy and they relish the opportunity to come back every year during preseason.
“It’s exciting. It’s crazy to see how much it’s developed with the players, but it’s very good to see how the place has grown,” said Kavita, who is in his first training camp with RSL after signing as a Homegrown Player in recent weeks.
Young players come from around Utah and Arizona to train year-round with the RSL-AZ Academy, staying in apartment-style dorms while attending school and training sessions on the campus of the residency program.
With the isolation of the campus, it allows players to remain focused on their school and sport.
“You’ve got to be really dedicated. It’s very hard to leave home, but moving here is just another step in the process to get where you want to go,” Kavita said. “It’s very soccer-specific. It’s soccer and school and you have to focus on those two things, which is great.”
For Allen, who is in his second season with Real Salt Lake, the return trip is as much a reminder of how hard he has to work as it is a chance to reminisce about where he came from.
“It’s always nice to come back here for preseason. It reminds me what got me here. But it also reminds me that there are other players that are younger that are pushing to be where I am,” he said. “I’ve got to keep working hard because once I was in their place trying to overtake the older guys, now they’re trying to overtake me. That’s some extra motivation.”
RSL will continue to train at Grande Sports World in Casa Grande through Saturday, concluding the trip with a match against the New England Revolution on Saturday morning at 9 a.m. MT.
