For good reason, Real Salt Lake’s match this Saturday (7 p.m. KMYU, KSL TV app, ESPN700) versus FC Dallas is being billed as the battle of MLS's academy juggernauts.
FC Dallas ranks first in MLS in Homegrown signings with 25. Real Salt Lake ranks second with 21. The 12 Homegrown players on RSL’s current roster have contributed the most minutes (1,306) for an MLS team in 2019. FC Dallas, of course, ranks second with 1,092 minutes played by the 10 academy alumni on its roster.
“It’s the future of MLS,” said RSL midfielder Kyle Beckerman. “You’re starting to see teams go different ways but it looks like Dallas and [RSL] are committed to the academy. I like it. We’re that underdog team. Going with the academy guys kind of goes right along with that.”
Viewed as the underdog heading into last weekend’s away match against LAFC, RSL Head Coach MIke Petke opted to start a now league-record, six of its Homegrown players - two of which, Erik Holt and Tate Schmitt, were making their MLS debuts.
“When Holt and Schmitt came into preseason, you could tell they had something special to offer,” Petke said. “Both did an excellent job. I am excited to see what the future holds for them.”
Back home, at altitude, RSL may not be able to squeeze into that underdog role this weekend. Certainly not against a Dallas side they dispatched 2-0 at Rio Tinto Stadium last season.
“They’re pulling out a lot of Homegrown talent on Saturdays as well,” RSL Homegrown player Brooks Lennon said of FC Dallas. “It was a battle between us and FC Dallas whenever we played at the academy level. It was always a really good game, but I think we one-up them in terms of academy products.”
“I know they have a really good academy,” added Schmitt. “That means they have quick, fresh legs. It’ll be a good test for us.”
But the battle of the most productive MLS youth academies will likely come down to which returning internationals can capitalize.
Returning this week for RSL is an in-form Albert Rusnák, fresh off his one-goal, one-assist performance for Slovakia in a 2-0 win against Hungary on March 21. U.S. international Corey Baird will also be available. The young forward logged 56 minutes in a 1-1 draw with Chile, the No. 13 ranked nation in the FIFA World Rankings, on Tuesday.
Petke isn’t showing his hand.
“You could see the same lineup as last weekend,” he said. “You could see a completely different one. You could see a mix and match of it. I didn’t have to start six Homegrown players last week. The guys that started were the guys that fit right. We’re a build-from-within club. It shouldn’t be something where people are like ‘oh my goodness.’ That’s how we’re set up. That is how Dallas is set up. I love it. They have to earn it and those guys earned it last week.”
Find out who earned it this week on Saturday at 7 p.m. when RSL takes on FC Dallas at Rio Tinto Stadium. Tickets are available by calling 844.REAL.TIX or by visiting RSL.com/tickets.
