Real Salt Lake has a rare opportunity on Tuesday night when Italian giant FC Internazionale comes to Rio Tinto Stadium in the first international friendly for RSL against a European club since the stadium opened in Sandy in 2008.
With that comes the chance for players and coaches alike to see how things are done in Serie A, where Inter has won 18 titles in the club’s storied history. For RSL Head Coach Jeff Cassar, it’s a chance to look down the sideline to Italian Football Hall of Famer Roberto Mancini. That, Cassar said Monday, is an opportunity he cherishes.
“He’s a very experienced coach – a very successful coach. He’s coached in several different leagues and been successful and been fired,” Cassar beamed. “You can only gain a lot of knowledge from a person and a coach like him.”
Mancini is in his second stint with Inter after previously managing the Milan-based club to three consecutive Serie A titles from 2005-2008. He has also coached with Fiorentina and Lazio in Italy, as well as Manchester City in England and Galatasaray in Turkey.
With those credentials, Mancini is among the more famed managers in the world and he brings with him an Inter side that finished fourth in Serie A last year. Although just a friendly and a preseason match for Inter, it’s still a prime opportunity for RSL players to put their stamp on a game that could draw attention from around the world.
“It’s unique,” RSL’s Jordan Allen said. “It’s always something that you have to look forward to because you get to test yourselves against players that are in positions that we want to be in one day.”
Added Cassar, “It’s a great opportunity for all of our players to test themselves and get meaningful minutes against a huge club. It’s an awesome opportunity for our fans to see a different style of soccer. It’s important to us.”
With RSL in the midst of a stretch of five matches in 14 days, concluding Friday when the Claret-and-Cobalt hosts the San Jose Earthquakes at Rio Tinto Stadium, Cassar and his staff will be monitoring minutes of his team. That will provide opportunities for several players to play and it could mean chances for players to propel themselves up the depth chart or into a better vein of form in the season.
“It can spur forwards on to score goals. It can spur players that hadn’t played very much and they come and they gain that confidence and fitness,” Cassar said. “There are a ton of positives to take away from these games. I’m excited about it. It’s going to be fun.”
Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. MT.
