Real Salt Lake may only be two days into preseason training camp, but three players have already been through well over two weeks of camps with the U.S. U-20 National Team as they gear up for the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup in South Korea in May and June.
Those camps – which started with a training stint in Costa Rica back in December before a fitness camp in Florida and another set of sessions in California last week – have done wonders for defenders Justen Glad and Danilo Acosta and midfielder Sebastian Saucedo. Not only are they coming into camp with RSL with a jumpstart on their teammates, but with increased sharpness, they are able to accomplish more than they have in previous years.
“They’re keeping me sharp for preseason. The competition level is high,” Glad said. “I’ve been playing through these camps so you come in with a different mentality. I’ve got to prove myself here and there, so I’m grateful for the camps so I can show that I’m ready to work and be the best I can be.”
The U-20 camps have been grueling under Head Coach Tab Ramos, but that’s not without purpose. The U-20s will have to qualify for the World Cup out of the CONCACAF region through the CONCACAF U-20 Championship next month in Costa Rica.
There, the U.S. will face Panama, Haiti and St. Kitts & Nevis in the Group Stage with four of the 12 teams in the tournament advancing to the World Cup in South Korea.
With so much on the line so soon, there is an urgency for Ramos to find his ideal lineup and it can take some rigorous tests to get to those conclusions.
“It was tough at first starting off with the fitness camp. Overall, we were pleased with it. If we want to be fit for the qualifying we have to do whatever it takes,” Saucedo said. “You’ve got players from Europe and MLS and you’ve got young ones trying to take our spots. When you take every opportunity seriously, whether it’s a training session or a game.”
The RSL trio took very differing paths to get to this stage of camp. Glad emerged as a starter for RSL at center back in 2016, notching two goals and one assist while making 27 starts. Saucedo spent the season on loan with Veracruz in Mexico. Now back with RSL, he’s poised for a breakout season. Meanwhile, Acosta played in 18 matches at the USL level with Real Monarchs in his first professional season.
While the opportunities to shine with the U.S. U-20 National Team may boost expectations for each in different ways, Acosta, for one, has remained even-keeled on the subject.
“The expectations haven’t changed,” he said. “I always have the same expectations – try to get some minutes in and try to work as hard as I can.”
The schedule won’t get any easier anytime soon, as all three have high hopes of remaining with the U.S. through the World Cup. While that would mean extended time away from Real Salt Lake, all three can distinguish between the two teams and are set to make their impacts for club and country.
“It’s tiring, but it’s good,” Glad said. “The more you play, the better you get. So I’m grateful for every opportunity, whether it’s with RSL or the U-20s.”
Added Saucedo, “We just have to do our job with RSL, play our position and do whatever the team needs us to do.”
In addition to the RSL trio, two more from the Real Salt Lake Academy have appeared for the U.S. U-20s at their most recent camps – defender Aaron Herrera, currently a sophomore at the University of New Mexico, and forward Brooks Lennon, who is with Liverpool’s reserves.
