IRVINE, Calif. – Real Salt Lake closed out the second leg of preseason training camp on Thursday with a 1-0 win over the Orange County Blues in a 90-minute scrimmage at UC-Irvine’s Anteater Stadium. Lucas Baldin scored the only goal of the match, as RSL finished off the trip with two victories in the 10-day camp.
“I think overall it was a positive. We got a good result. I thought we had some bright spots,” RSL Head Coach Jeff Cassar said. “It was a positive trip. We’re trending in the right way.”
Playing three 30-minute periods, RSL had nine players start and play 45 minutes while Kyle Beckerman and goalkeeper Jeff Attinella played 60 minutes each. After a scoreless opening period, Baldin got RSL out to a 1-0 lead in the 54th minute. Sebastian Saucedo pressed up the left side of the box, drawing a pair of defenders before laying it off to Baldin for a first-time shot that found the back of the net.
“All of our forwards have done a very good job getting into situations,” Cassar said. “That last final ball is going to come and that will come throughout the whole field. We’ll sharpen those up. We’ll get there.”
Fresh off of five appearances for the U.S. U-18 National Team at the 2015 Copa Chivas tournament in Mexico, Saucedo continued to provide a spark throughout his 45-minute stint. He triggered a pair of other scoring chances, but RSL could not convert.
In the first 30 minutes, RSL held the majority of the possession, but couldn’t find the final ball as the Blues defended well throughout the period. The second period saw more of the same, but opened up a bit more after RSL made a mass substitution after 45 minutes. In the final period, Salt Lake remained solid defensively and kept Orange County from generating much with the ball.
RSL will return to Salt Lake City on Thursday and take Friday and Saturday off before flying back out to Tucson, Arizona, on Sunday for the FC Tucson Desert Diamond Cup. There, Real Salt Lake will play four matches:
Feb. 18 – Real Salt Lake vs. New England Revolution - North Grandstand at Kino Sports Complex – 6:00 p.m.
Feb. 21 – Real Salt Lake vs. FC Tucson – North Grandstand at Kino Sports Complex – 6:00 p.m.
Feb. 25 – Real Salt Lake vs. Sporting Kansas City – North Stadium at Kino Sports Complex – 8:00 p.m.
Feb. 28 – Real Salt Lake vs. TBD
Real Salt Lake at Orange County Blues
February 12, 2015 - Anteater Stadium (Irvine, California)
Real Salt Lake 1, Orange County Blues 0
Real Salt Lake:
First Half: Jeff Attinella; Tony Beltran, Jamison Olave, Chris Schuler, Demar Phillips; Kyle Beckerman, Luke Mulholland, Javier Morales; Jordan Allen, Alvaro Saborio, Olmes Garcia.
Second Half: Jeff Attinella (Trey Mitchell 60); Boyd Okwuonu, Elias Vasquez (Phanuel Kavita 75), Aaron Maund (Jordan Murrell 75), Abdoulie Mansally; Pecka, Kyle Beckerman (Fito Ovalle 60), Lucas Baldin; Sebastian Saucedo, Devon Sandoval, Emory Welshman (Ricardo Velazco 81).
Scoring Summary:
RSL: Lucas Baldin (Sebastian Saucedo) 54
Weather: Sunny and 82 degrees
