With Chad Barrett’s shot through the Alashkert FC goalkeeper’s legs on Friday afternoon to give Real Salt Lake a stoppage-time win in its eighth match of training camp, preseason officially came to a close. In a journey that saw the club fly to three separate locations and play clubs from four different countries, RSL finished with a 2-1-5 record and a much clearer picture of how the club will play in 2017.
All told, seven different players scored for RSL, including two goals apiece from Barrett, Yura Movsisyan and Jordan Allen. Head Coach Jeff Cassar was able to blend newly-acquired talent with returning stalwarts throughout camp. That was no small task, as RSL spent time without goalkeeper Nick Rimando while he was away on U.S. National Team duty. Midfielder and captain Kyle Beckerman didn’t appear in a preseason match while nursing a knee injury, but he has made strides during the club’s trip to southern California and could return to full training shortly. The club also played most of preseason without four key young players who are making waves with the U.S. U-20 National Team at the CONCACAF U-20 Championships in Costa Rica – defenders Justen Glad and Danny Acosta and forwards Sebastian Saucedo and Brooks Lennon.
Through those occasional absences and other adversity, RSL was able to keep the train rolling forward toward the common goal, persevering to work on the new tactics the coaches spent a good deal of the offseason constructing.
On both sides of the ball there is still work to be done – Cassar admitted as much after the preseason finale – but there is also a lot to be optimistic about as the club spent the past month implementing its new team philosophies on the field with an improved mix of youth and veteran talent.
The starting group has seen improvements in certain areas, while the depth of the club has grown leaps and bounds over the 2016 season not just in the talent level, but versatility of the players to allow Cassar to make tactical adjustments late in matches as the play on the field dictates.
Now with the regular season opener just a week away, RSL has its pieces in place and will shift its focus to the first opponent of the regular season, Eastern Conference champions Toronto FC. There will be old faces and new ones on the field, but the goal remains the same – lifting MLS Cup in December to place a new trophy next to the one brought home in 2009.
