On Saturday against Vancouver Whitecaps FC, Real Salt Lake may not have earned a result in the difficult road match, but the club did see one big silver lining from the 2-1 defeat.
That was the return of explosive forward Joao Plata. The club’s leading scorer missed the first 11 matches of the season with a fractured foot, but made his return in a substitute appearance one week earlier against NYCFC. Now with a start under his belt after Saturday’s match against Vancouver, he signifies an upward trend in health for Real Salt Lake.
“We’re trending positively,” Head Coach Jeff Cassar said in his appearance on The Bill & OC Show on ESPN 700. “We still have guys away with national team duties. So we still have players in and out, but it’s not that they’re injured. It’s just that they’re not here training all the time with us.”
Plata wasn’t alone in making his return. Sebastian Jaime started his first match since March 29 when he suffered a tibial fracture against Toronto FC. Javier Morales also returned to the starting lineup after missing five out of six matches to injury in April and May.
On Wednesday at training, RSL saw even more players coming back from injuries. Chris Schuler (knee) and Tony Beltran (hip) both worked out on the sideline.
“Chris Schuler is still a little ways away. We don’t have a timetable for when exactly he will get back on the field, I know he’s working hard with his rehab,” Cassar said. “Guys are getting fitter, which is really important. It’s important that they get to their peak fitness that the rest of the players are at.”
Demar Phillips also returned to the practice field on Wednesday. He was removed early from RSL’s 2-0 victory over NYCFC on May 23 with a shoulder injury. He missed the next two matches and went to visit an ill family member in his native Jamaica. Scheduled to return on Thursday, Phillips surprised Cassar by being at the training facility on Wednesday.
“Family is extremely important with us and we wanted him to get back and see her,” Cassar said.
Jeff Attinella also returned to training after injuring his ankle and missing the prior two road matches.
Although Kyle Beckerman, Nick Rimando and Jordan Allen are all away on international duty, Cassar is excited about the players who are becoming more available to him.
To hear the full interview, click here.
