For the last ten days, Real Salt Lake has had some familiar faces absent from the locker room. On Tuesday, those five faces played their final matches during the string of international friendlies.
Nick Rimando, Luis Gil, Boyd Okwuonu, Alvaro Saborio and Elias Vasquez are all slated to return to Utah and rejoin RSL in preparations for Sunday’s nationally-televised match against the San Jose Earthquakes at Avaya Stadium.
Rimando started in both matches for the U.S. National Team while they ventured through Europe with friendlies against Denmark and Switzerland. Just like he did after January camp, he played the full 90 minutes in the first match, then just the first half in the second match. He now has 20 caps with the U.S. National Team, including four this year.
For the U.S. U-23 National Team, Gil and Okwuonu both started in both friendlies in Bosnia and Denmark. Gil wore the captain’s armband in both matches and registered three assists in a 5-2 win over Bosnia. He also set up several scoring chances in the second match, but came up short in a 1-0 loss to Denmark. Okwuonu started at right back in both matches, playing 90 minutes against Bosnia and 75 minutes against Denmark.
Saborio played 60 minutes in Costa Rica’s first match on March 26, a scoreless draw against Paraguay. Then on Tuesday, he came on as a substitute in the 60th minute and converted a penalty in the 67th minute, but it wasn’t enough to lead a comeback against Panama and “Los Ticos” fell 2-1 in that friendly.
RSL’s all-time leading scorer, Saborio now has 35 lifetime goals in 98 caps for Costa Rica.
Vasquez played 90 minutes in a 1-0 loss to Canada on March 27 and followed up with a start in a scoreless draw with El Salvador on Tuesday. He now has 27 caps for Guatemala.
