Saturday will be a big match for Real Salt Lake as the club nears its first MLS match of 2015. Facing a PDL squad in a preseason match in front of a crowd that will number in the hundreds may not have the glitz and glamor of some of the bigger-stage events that mark the club’s history, but as RSL prepares for its 11th season, this match will be a big one in the development of the team that will take the field on March 7 against the Portland Timbers.
It will be the first opportunity for Head Coach Jeff Cassar to see his full squad play together for an extended period after goalkeeper Nick Rimando and midfielder Luis Gil returned from U.S. National Team camp on Monday. Gil played 30 minutes on Wednesday in a 1-0 win over the New England Revolution, but getting those two assimilated with the rest of the team will be a key for RSL as they meet FC Tucson.
“It’s going to be really beneficial to get everybody on the same page. They’ve done a really good job of integrating themselves into the group since they got back from the National Team,” Cassar said. “The 30 minutes they had against New England with that group looked really sharp. I’m looking forward to a longer stretch with that group against Tucson.”
Gil and Rimando have had just five training sessions with the club, but are excited to see time on the field in a competitive match.
“Games are always more important. That’s where you get the most. I did come late, so I’ve had to rush through it and catch up quick,” Gil said. “We just need to get a rhythm with each other, move the ball around and get a feeling for what’s expected for the season.”
The PDL is a fluid league with heavy roster turnover from year-to-year, but FC Tucson has found a way to succeed consistently since the club’s inception in 2012. In addition to winning the PDL’s Mountain Division in 2014, the club went on a run in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup with victories over pro sides Phoenix FC and the San Antonio Scorpions before falling to the Houston Dynamo.
Although they suffered a 6-0 loss to Seattle Sounders FC on Wednesday, Cassar and RSL aren’t about to take them lightly on Saturday.
“We have to respect them. They’re a good team, a good organization and good players,” Cassar said, noting that regardless of the opponent, the focus is on getting cohesiveness in his own squad. “It’s not about our opponents right now at all. It’s just about us and getting the proper fitness out of it. At the end of the day, preseason’s about getting sharp, getting fit and getting ready for the first game.”
Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m. MT with a live stream of the match on RealSaltLake.com.
