Last week, Real Salt Lake was riddled with adversity entering its match against Sporting Kansas City. Missing five starters and 10 players overall to injuries and suspensions, RSL went into Children’s Mercy Park against 3-0-0 Kansas City and emerged 2-1 victors after the five players that filled in as starters all elevated their games and executed the game plan set forth by the coaching staff.
A year ago, Head Coach Jeff Cassar admitted Thursday, that victory may not have come. But a combination of maturity on the field and focus in training propelled the club to new heights against its fiercest rivals.
The differences, Cassar said, were night and day over last year’s squad.
“I think we’re all on the same page, the staff and the players. Whereas last year, and that falls on me, I would try and focus on four different things instead of one or two and master those,” Cassar said on The Claret and Cobalt Daily podcast. “The staff is much more focused this year. Our message to the players is much more focused. The players are buying in and executing and that’s the biggest piece. They’re executing. So the credit has to go to the players.”
With veterans Kyle Beckerman, Nick Rimando, Javier Morales, Jamison Olave and Juan Manuel Martinez all out of action, that opened the doors for others to step into leadership roles. Tony Beltran served as captain, but to Cassar the whole team took the reins.
“Collectively they did. It’s never one person. Tony wore the armband in the game and it was great for him to step into that role. Jeff Attinella, Aaron Maund … the list goes on and I don’t want to name the whole team, but I could. They did their job to the best of their ability but then they also covered for each other, sacrificed for each other and had a belief in themselves,” he said. “Every player out on the field stepped up and provided us with a great team performance. I couldn’t be happier for the group.”
Among those that stepped up was Luke Mulholland. Playing in Morales’ role as the No. 10, Mulholland scored his first goal of the season and was key in distribution, linking the solid defensive play with the lethal attack to get things rolling for the Claret-and-Cobalt.
Although he didn’t play the role the way Morales or Jordan Allen do, he was effective in the way he interpreted the position and was instrumental in the team’s success.
“I thought his work rate was outstanding. He was everywhere doing final balls, winning balls, in great defensive positions … It just shows that we can put different guys in different positions,” Cassar said. “Jordan, Javi and Luke are all different players. But they all have strengths and can you come up with a game plan to fit everybody’s needs? It was amazing how the guys carried out the game plan.”
RSL is expected to have as few as three and as many as five of those missing starters available on Saturday when it hosts the Colorado Rapids at Rio Tinto Stadium. But with the performances last week, Cassar can be confident in any 11 that he writes into the starting lineup.
To hear the full interview, listen below.
