Over the past two matches, Real Salt Lake has caught a good run of form in shutting out the LA Galaxy 1-0 in the U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals and the Houston Dynamo 2-0 in a dominating performance in MLS play.
It has left Head Coach Jeff Cassar with a confident locker room that is finding a rhythm at just the right time as RSL moves into a busy stretch in the season over the next three weeks.
“I really like where we’re at mentally as a group. Everyone’s working extremely hard. Everyone’s contributing. Everyone’s helping out,” Cassar said in his weekly segment on The Bill & OC Show on ESPN 700 in Salt Lake City. “And that’s what we’re going to need is a solid team effort from everyone to keep this momentum going.”
The offense was buzzing in both matches, with RSL outshooting the opposition 29-10 combined in the two matches. The club completed nearly 80-percent of its passes and held nearly 60-percent of the possession, too. All while defensively limiting the opposition to just four total shots on goal.
While those two matches are confidence boosters for a team that has been trying to find its form for most of the season, RSL isn’t about to coast on that success. Cassar is aware of the challenges ahead of RSL on the schedule that will include two matches against rival Sporting Kansas City, both at home on Friday and on the road on August 12 in the semifinal of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.
“By no means can we take our foot off the gas right now. We need to make sure that we come with the intensity on Friday night and then keep progressing on some of the things we’re working on,” Cassar said. “The spirit of the team is great right now. Everyone seems to be working extremely hard and having fun and that’s important.”
Real Salt Lake is 1-0-1 against Sporting Kansas City this year, posting a 2-1 win at home in their last meeting on June 21.
To hear Cassar’s full interview, click here.
