Real Salt Lake kicked off the second phase of training on Tuesday in Portland, getting back on the road after three off days back in Utah. RSL opened training camp January 23 in Arizona and after playing three matches in the 12-day stretch, now starts a 10-day camp in the Rose City where the focus will be implementing new strategies and tactics while extending game minutes in the three matches scheduled in Portland.
After traveling to Portland on Tuesday, RSL took to the pitch at Providence Park – the home park to the Portland Timbers – for a brief training session on the turf. Despite some adverse factors – including temperatures in the 30s – Head Coach Jeff Cassar was happy with what the team was able to accomplish.
“These are days when it’s hard to accomplish anything when you have a day of travel and you’re rushing around,” Cassar said. “But it’s a credit to the way the staff put it together – we were able to get out there and get something quality out of tonight. So we’re really pleased.”
Tuesday marked the first day that goalkeeper Nick Rimando was with his RSL teammates this season after getting the invitation to U.S. National Team January camp. The U.S. played matches against Serbia – against whom Rimando posted a shutout – and Jamaica in a camp that started in Carson, California, and concluded on Friday in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Getting the all-time MLS leader in most goalkeeping categories back into the Claret-and-Cobalt was a boost to the level on the field and the atmosphere in the locker room.
“It’s just raising the quality on the field and experience and the leadership,” Cassar said.
Midfielder Omar Holness also returned from international duty after a brief stint with Jamaica. He played 34 minutes in a 1-0 win for the U.S, joining four other MLS players on the Jamaica roster that saw action in the friendly.
RSL will hold one more training session on Wednesday at the University of Portland before taking on the Timbers in the club’s fourth preseason match on Thursday evening.
In that match, Cassar looks to continue the progress made in the first stage of training camp in Arizona.
“We want to keep building our team fitness. That’s got to improve. We want to see the things that we’ve been working on implemented in there,” Cassar said. “Will it be perfect? Absolutely not. But you want to see those improvements.”
