Real Salt Lake Head Coach Jeff Cassar has heard the frustration from the fans after a 4-5-6 start to the 2015 season. That frustration, he said on The Bill & OC Show on Tuesday, is echoed in the RSL locker room.
“I think the guys are frustrated. I think we’re all frustrated,” Cassar said in his weekly segment. “I think our last four performances have been good – enough to get results. We’re heading in the right direction but sometimes we’re just shooting ourselves in the foot from getting the points that we want.”
Cassar points to the last three matches as difficult results to swallow, as individual mistakes have proven costly in all three matches.
RSL has had the benefit of having players return from injuries in recent weeks with the returns of Joao Plata, Sebastian Jaime and Javier Morales from injuries. Defender Chris Schuler is set to return soon, too. As the summer wears on, though, RSL is set to lose players to national team duty. With the CONCACAF Gold Cup looming, that could mean a significant chunk of players will be out of action. But with the previous injuries and international call-ups, Cassar has looked to his depth already this season and will call on those players again soon.
And while RSL is ninth in the West with 18 points, it is only three points out of the sixth and final playoff spot and six points out of third in the West. Keeping within striking distance when the key players return to the lineup is Cassar’s goal.
“We need guys to continue to step up in different roles and keep moving forward and keep building character. We just need to be in the hunt and be right around the playoffs,” Cassar said. “Nothing is going to be easy this year with the West being so difficult, so tight. Once we get the full arsenal of players, I think we’re going to be right there with everybody in the West.”
To hear the full interview, click here.
