Real Salt Lake takes on its first challenging test of the preseason on Saturday, taking on Sacramento Republic FC of the USL Championship in a scrimmage at Rio Tinto Stadium. It will be a first introduction to the 2021 roster for many season ticket members who will be in attendance and an opportunity for Head Coach Freddy Juarez and his staff to take stock of the progress of RSL with four weeks until the regular season opener on April 24 against Sporting Kansas City.
“At some point, you have to make it more realistic by playing an outside opponent. When you are doing it with your own team in an intrasquad, the teams know what the opponent is going to do because we have been training it all week. So it’s a little bit artificial in moments,” Juarez said. “It’s an opponent we don’t know, so it’s an intensity that will replicate what a game will be.”
The staff has been playing close attention and looking for advancement in the principles that have been a focus for the duration of preseason to this point. The 80-minute contest – with an additional 80 minutes total played by the players who do not see action in the first matchup against Sacramento – will also be the greatest test of fitness the team has endured.
Additionally, Juarez is trying to simulate the in-game intensity and will be watching closely how that brews competition within his club.
“The basics are the fitness and things like that. Really, I’m looking for mentality,” Juarez said. “I want both teams coming out with a mentality that we are at home and the game is going to be played at our speed with a good, competitive mentality. That has to be there. It has to be in our DNA and this is our first opportunity to set the standard in that.”
Expectations are high in the RSL locker room as the team will be battling it out for starting spots and jockeying for positions within Juarez’s regular rotations.
With six players away on international duty, it is also a chance for players stepping into those roles to assert themselves as candidates for Juarez throughout the year, particularly when any of those players are away for the 2021 Olympic Games, 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers or the 2021 European Championships.
“It’s an opportunity for players and you hope they make the best of it,” Juarez said. “It’s preseason and we are trying to put the best team together. They’ve been having a very good preseason and it’s time to take advantage of the game now.”
Sacramento should provide a high-quality opponent. The USL Championship club – coached by former Real Monarchs Head Coach Mark Briggs – has consistently been a top team in the American second division and reached the playoffs for the seventh consecutive time. After posting an 8-2-6 record, Sacramento returns a strong squad and has added former San Jose Earthquakes and U.S. U-23 standout Fatai Alashe.
“We expect a competitive game. It’s not going to be an easy game,” Juarez said. “There will be fans and that adds a little extra as well.”
Kickoff is scheduled for 10 a.m. MT with tickets available exclusively to RSL Season Ticket Members.
