Taylor Twellman, Jimmy Conrad, Dan Kennedy and Chris Rolfe were just a few of the former MLS All-Stars and U.S. National Team players on hand to speak to first-year pros at the MLS Rookie Symposium over the weekend. Real Salt Lake rookies Corey Baird, Aaron Herrera and Ricky Lopez-Espin all spent their off days in Tucson last week to learn from all of the speakers in attendance and compare notes with the other rookies from around the league.
For Lopez-Espin, RSL’s second round pick in the 2018 MLS SuperDraft, it was a bit of déjà vu to his days on a college campus.
“I felt like I was back at Creighton, sitting in a classroom taking notes,” he laughed. “But I enjoyed it. There was definitely some useful information to take away from it.”
The players learned about transitioning into the professional life – how to save money and other useful tips off the field – and also how to transition into their post-playing careers, among other things. Sitting in rooms with other rookies and noting that they were all going through similar things was encouraging, as was the lesson that it’s not much different from what players experienced in the past and that those players can be resources when needed.
“Listening to former players and their experiences and how they transitioned to life after soccer, it’s definitely encouraging seeing guys that went through exactly what we’re going through right now,” Herrera said. “It’s good to know other people went through the same stuff and you can talk to those people about that.”
After missing one training session, the trio rejoined their RSL teammates in Orlando on Tuesday eager to get back into the mix. Overall, it was a valuable weekend for players as they work to earn roster spots and playing time in their first professional seasons.
On the field, the players are learning about the jump from the college game to the professional ranks. And just like the classroom setting at the Rookie Symposium, there are players on the RSL roster willing to use their experiences to help the young players make the transition smoothly.
“It’s been challenging, but it’s not anything I didn’t expect,” Herrera said. “I knew it was going to be challenging coming in, but I’ve just wanted to listen to everything and work as hard as I possibly could.”
NEW ADDITION
After completing his medical examination and receiving his visa, Pablo Ruiz joined RSL for his first day of training on Wednesday. The 19-year-old midfielder arrived in Florida on Tuesday morning, completed his physical that afternoon, and was active in training during the second session of the trip. After a long travel day, he was limited later in the session, but showed his ability to adapt early on.
Along with the three RSL Academy players who joined the preseason roster for the Florida trip, there are now 11 players in camp who are 21 years old or younger.
