When Manchester United and Real Salt Lake announced that as part of United’s 2017 Unmissable Tour United would be making a stop in Salt Lake City, excitement and fandom swept over the Wasatch Front. But optimism passed over United gaffer José Mourinho.
Having never been to Salt Lake City prior to the match, Mourinho wasn’t sure what to expect from Real Salt Lake, its fans and Rio Tinto Stadium. But the legendary coach found quickly that Rio Tinto Stadium was a force to been seen.
“I like to play in soccer stadiums,” he said. “I know that you [MLS] have absolutely amazing stadiums that sometimes adapt to [American football]. I like the fans of the soccer stadiums and the enthusiasm around and the quality is improving all the time I think. I am happy, very happy.”
Publicly known for enjoying his time in the United States as a first-choice destination to bring his team, Mourinho looks forward to playing teams of top-tier caliber such as Real Madrid and Manchester City, but he relishes the time spent playing the teams of Major League Soccer. He spoke highly of Real Salt Lake specifically the group who played the first third of the match.
“I think this team, the team that played the first 35 minutes, they are well coached,” he said. “Good ideas, good understanding of the game, playing in relation to the qualities of their players.”
Mourinho lamented the fact that RSL returned to league play just two days after the match as he wanted to play against a full-strength squad because he believed a full strength RSL squad could’ve posed a serious challenge for the Red Devils.
“I feel sorry that they have a game on Wednesday, and because of that they couldn’t play the full game with their best side,” Mourinho expressed. Not discounting the group of players on the field the rest of the game, Mourinho was complimentary of the work rate and enthusiasm put forth by the younger RSL men. “More running and enthusiasm [In the second group] it was more difficult to play against for us."
A manager such as Mourinho giving complimentary words for a club in the midst of their season and still in its infancy of their history speaks volumes for the club and for Major League Soccer as a continuously growing entity.
The compliments came from the players as well.
Recently signed striker Romelu Lukaku scored a late first-half goal - his first in a Manchester United shirt - but had great things to say about the opposition Monday night against Real Salt Lake.
"We knew they were a better side than the Los Angeles Galaxy, but we were well-prepared. Every time when we played with a higher pace we had difficulty to cope with the movements and the combinations in the center of the park," Lukaku told MUTV after the match, also noting that United will face difficult European opposition for the remainder of the U.S. tour. "We need to improve and the manager is surely going to prepare us well to play against those teams."
Having teams such as Manchester United play against MLS opposition in preparation for their European season allows for fans of the American game to witness some of the world’s greatest players and managers as the game on our soil continues to grow. Mourinho is widely considered one of the greatest managers of all-time and his words may spell positive things for Major League Soccer and Real Salt Lake.
