Real Salt Lake didn’t need nametags or introductions on Friday when the team returned to training for the first time since a scoreless draw with the Colorado Rapids on Sunday. It had just been four days off for the team as it finished off a difficult stretch of eight games in 38 days. However, it was the refreshing getaway everyone needed.
“It was good. Four days,” smiled midfielder Javier Morales after training at America First Field on Friday. “We recharged our batteries so we’re ready to go.”
Getting back on the field, there was a spirit to the training session even if it lacked some of the sharpness after the short layoff. Either way, the focus was there as the team readies for another busy stretch that starts with a fourth-round match in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open cup on Tuesday against the USL’s Seattle Sounders FC 2 (8 p.m. at Rio Tinto Stadium).
“It’s refreshing to get some time away from it. But we’re back at it now,” Luis Gil said. “Four days can take a little bit out of you. So we’re getting back into it little by little.”
The time off gave players time to rest and recover and meant the team is closer to seeing the return of defender Chris Schuler, who has been out since April 5 with a knee injury. With four matches in a 12-day stretch upcoming and Jamison Olave out for at least a chunk of that with a quad injury suffered in the opening moments of the match against Colorado, Schuler’s return will be a boost to a defense that has been hot and cold this season.
Even with Schuler limited, Olave out with injury and Nick Rimando, Kyle Beckerman, Alvaro Saborio, Abdoulie Mansally and Elias Vasquez out on international duty or taking time off after international competitions, things were still upbeat and driven on Friday.
“The guys came back really energized,” Head Coach Jeff Cassar said. “I thought it was a competitive day.”
