Real Salt Lake Season Preview

Soon after Real Salt Lake’s season wrapped with a loss to L.A. in the Western Conference Final, the locker room doors opened and the roster numbers dropped. So many players left without any new arrivals to replace them, RSL would have been understaffed to host a winter clinic. After almost no changes last year, leading up to the early 2011 CONCACAF matches, the following list of departures jarred fans like me who had gotten familiar with a consistent lineup.

The exits, in order of 2011 regular season minutes played:

Andy Williams (retired, moved to RSL front office)

Robbie Russell (traded to D.C.)

Collen Warner (taken by Montreal in expansion draft)

Arturo Alvarez (waived, signed by Paços de Ferreira in Porturgal)

Jean Alexandre (traded to San Jose)

Rauwshan McKenzie (option declined)

Nelson Gonzalez (option declined)

Blake Wagner (option declined)

Chris Agorsor (released)

Donny Toia (released)

Tim Melia (waived)

About half of that outward movement happened in the offseason, with the rest making their exit during preseason the last month. RSL warmed up for 2012 with 6 matches in Arizona, in which 32 different players took the field in claret and cobalt. Here’s the list of the gentlemen who found a way onto the final roster Coach Jason Kreis and GM Garth Lagerway submitted to the league last week:

GK Lalo Fernandez (homegrown)

MF Enzo Martinez (SuperDraft/Generation Adidas/University of North Carolina)

MF Sebastian Velasquez (SuperDraft/Spartanburg Methodist College)

MF Jonny Steele (Carolina Railhawks/NASL)

DF Leone Cruz (traded from Seattle)

DF Diogo de Almeida (SuperDraft/SMU)

DF Terukazu Tanaka (Sagan Tosu/Japan)

FW Emiliano Bonfigli (supplemental draft)

Preseason

The team tied DC and Vancouver in the first two friendlies, 1–1 both times, before beginning the Desert Diamond Cup in Tucson. RSL beat New York (1–0), lost to New England (2–1) and L.A. (2–0), then beat New York (1–0 again) in the consolation game. New England won all three of its round-robin matches but fell to the Galaxy penalties in the final after a 0–0 draw. Kreis spoke highly of the tournament hosts, FC Tucson, and seemed pleased with the things he learned about his new squad.

Four themes from RSL’s preseason

1. Defense – The team didn’t see a ball for the first week or two of training as Kreis introduced and reinforced his principles of team defense and positioning
2. Physical play – The stiff competition for roster spots inspired trialists to collect 10 yellow cards and 3 reds.
3. Injuries – Most of last year’s starting 11 will return in 2012, but many of them aren’t quite intact. Javier Morales, Álvaro Saborío and Nat Borchers all underwent surgery in the offseason and Will Johnson is in Germany now for sports hernia surgery. Kyle Beckerman and Jámison Olave recovered from nagging injuries in time to participate regularly in preseason matches, and Chris Wingert needed a forehead stitching after a knock in the final game against New York. Of this list, only Borchers and Johnson are expected to miss RSL’s First Kick against the Galaxy.
4. Standout performances –  Chris Schuler solidified the role he grew into last season as the primary central defense substitute with a month of smart, consistent play. Sebastian Velasquez’s was just one in a crowd of faces in February, but no more. Morales and Jamison Olave shaved his bleachy coiffure, but his midfield play provided plenty of highlights. Tanaka adds needed depth at outside back and Bonfigli’s speed should open things up when he finds the pitch during the season.

Goals for 2012

The number 18 has floated around regarding the number of months RSL’s core of veterans has left before age, injury and natural attrition begin to demand changes. That puts a lot of focus on this year’s Supporter’s Shield, Open Cup, MLS Cup and the CONCACAF tournament that begins this fall and runs to next year. If they stay healthy, and if L.A. buckles under the weight of their magical salary, there’s no reason RSL shouldn’t take home one or two titles (for a bargain, too, in context). Happily, the young folks seem to be adding enough that that 18-month mark doesn’t seem like the end of the world for RSL fans, but still, we feel like the 2009 MLS Cup champions aren’t done lining their trophy cases.

The Final Roster

GK:      Nick Rimando, Kyle Reynish, Lalo Fernandez

CB:      Nat Borchers, Jámison Olave, Chris Schuler, Leone Cruz

FB:       Chris Wingert, Tony Beltran, Terukazu Tanaka, Diogo de Almeida

D–Mid: Kyle Beckerman, Yordany Álvarez

A-Mid: Javier Morales, Luis Gil, Sebastian Velasquez

LM:      Will Johnson, Jonny Steele, Nico Muñiz

RM:      Ned Grabavoy, Enzo Martinez

FW:      Álvaro Saborío, Fabian Espíndola, Paulo, Jr., Cody Arnoux, Emiliano Bonfigli

(image courtesy of realsaltlake.com)