Last week Real Salt Lake had a daunting schedule on its horizons. With five road matches over a six-week stretch, Head Coach Jeff Cassar sensed that his team could use something to get its collective minds off of the potentially overwhelming task ahead. So he put in a call to captain Kyle Beckerman and on Wednesday, rather than enduring another training session in the hectic weekly schedule last week, Cassar made efforts to schedule some down time and a team-building day on the Provo River.
With the help of The Wasatch Guide Service, Real Salt Lake put their boots in the river and cast lines all along the Provo River and everyone ended the day with a smile.
“It was an unbelievable time. The Wasatch Guide Service … they took care of us. Not one person was skunked. Everybody caught fish,” Beckerman said on ESPN 700’s On Frame show on Monday night. “I think there were three guys – OC, Justen Glad and Jordan Allen – that caught 10 fish each. It was a really good day.”
The afternoon also went to show the diversity in the locker room, as players from incredibly wide-ranging backgrounds all came together and had a blast doing something new (for most) together.
“It was an unbelievable day. We had an Ecuadorian, a Nigerian, Colombians, Argentinians, Americans that had never been out here … all in the Provo River catching fish,” Beckerman beamed. “It was really neat.”
Currently in the hunt for the top spot in the West at 5-2-2, RSL had been scratching and clawing its way through each week’s rigorous schedule. Breaking up that intensity ahead of such a busy stretch is key, according to Beckerman, and helped ensure that the good feelings that permeate the locker room continue even through difficult times.
“Sometimes you get into this zone where you’re going at it and focused and all you’re thinking about is the next day and the next game. Jeff called me up and asked if we could make it happen and we did it. I wasn’t even thinking that we needed it, but we needed a chance to just step back, have some laughs and reset our minds a little bit,” he said. “The group’s been great in the locker room. Everyone’s getting along and fighting for each other. That’s what you need for a successful team.”
To hear the full interview with Beckerman and more from On Frame, listen below.
