RSL notebook: Preseason, chemistry, and a mystery solved
RSL notebook: Preseason, chemistry, and a mystery solved
Real Salt Lake held its second scrimmage of the 2023 preseason, an intrasquad one. Here's what we learned.
HERRIMAN — Real Salt Lake’s second scrimmage of preseason training camp wrapped up with a 1-1 final score line (does the score matter?) that included a late penalty kick converted by Anderson Julio on a questionable penalty kick awarded by the center official, aka RSL manager Pablo Mastroeni.
Officiating criticisms aside, the group broke up into a split-squad scrimmage that divided starting center back tandem Marcelo Silva and Justen glad, among other changes. Justin Meram and Maikel Chang combined well enough on their red penny-wearing squad, including for a goal finished off by Rubio Rubin.
But what is there to learn from a group of players facing off against themselves, a week before RSL departs for the final leg of the 2023 preseason in Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona?
“We really go into each one of these focused on one aspect on each side of the ball,” Mastroeni explained. “Spacing in the attack was really good, and defensively, it was about blocking the ball in the wide channel.
“The last piece is always the way they compete … And I think the team in Gray was on the wrong end of the ball for a lot of the match. There was a play in the end where a couple of guys used their bodies well, and they found a way back into it. These games are really useful in that regard.”
RSL is still awaiting the arrival of newly signed U-22 initiative player Carlos Andres Gomez from Colombia pending his visa, and Venezuelan international Jefferson Savarino is still finalizing some visa issues, as well before he can join the club in preseason training camp.
The club expects Gomez to join camp next Thursday or Friday, in time to travel with the team to Arizona for that leg of training, while Savarino’s arrival is a bit more complicated.
Visa issues are pretty customary for international players; Jasper Löffelsend only recently joined camp this past week, after working through his own process.
“The important thing is he'll have at least two-and-a-half weeks of preseason with us, which is really important for a young player coming from abroad to a new country, a new league, new teammates, a new system,” Mastroeni told ESPN 700 radio. “It'll take some time to integrate him, but we're really excited about having him on board soon.”
Incorporating Gomez, or any new player for that matter, into the club is vitally important during preseason — for obvious reasons. But what of Savarino, who has 28 goals, 27 assists and 101 games of MLS experience (in addition to winning just about everything he could during a two-year spell in Brazil) to lean on?
His preseason is no less important, Mastroeni explained.
“One thing that I learned from last year … was about missing preseason,” he said. “Last year, Rubio missed six weeks of preseason, where you lay down the foundation of physical work and tactical work. It took him nine months to get back, because we shortchanged him.
“He can’t produce what he is capable of producing if he doesn’t have the physical capabilities to do that. Then it becomes a confidence issue. His physical form affects confidence, if you can’t do what you do. So it’s about Sava coming in, and if he comes in Monday night, then Tuesday becomes preseason day one. You can’t take this period of time and think, ‘it’s just preseason.’ It’s the foundation; if you build anything on a poor foundation, you’ve got a lot of catching up to do.”
Who’s standing out?
In addition to veterans like Rubin, Chang, Silva and Glad, Mastroeni pointed to several younger break out players in preseason camp, including Emeka Eneli and Moses Nyman, the 19-year-old trialist and former U.S. youth international from D.C. United who signed last year with Belgian Challenger Pro League side S.K. Beveren (which is also owned by RSL’s David Blitzer).
RSL didn’t make a huge number of changes in the offseason — certainly few, outside Gomez, that would be considered “high profile.”
But the club has brought in a number of new players on trial and potential loan deals, as well as five MLS SuperDraft signings highlighted by Generation adidas forward Ilijah Paul and midfielder Bertin Jacquesson, to potentially affect chemistry.
Or did it?
“I think compared to last year, we took a huge step forward already,” RSL center back Erik Holt said. “I feel like the new guys and trialists are already bought in; we’re a lot further ahead than we were last year.”
Holt puts the premise behind that on “a lot more film.”
“We’re doing film every day, trying to work on our positioning, and fine-tuning the details,” Holt said. “You can never be perfect in soccer, but it’s a fun little game.”
Those tunes, though
The biggest standout of preseason camp, though, has been the DJ.
Every day, Real Salt Lake brings an RSL-colored boombox (or probably speaker set patterned to look like a boombox, but that can connect to an iPhone because that’s how music works these days) to lay out the day’s playlist.
From 90’s rap to reggaeton to Mastroeni’s favored reggae, who’s play the 🔥🔥🔥 emanating from the practice fields?
It’s a bit of a collective. But the main man behind the playlist is assistant equipment manager Benjamin Chavez.
“It’s usually three stations: reggaeton, some form of reggae, and 90’s hip-hop,” Mastroeni explained. “We just go back and forth.”
Holt also suggested that Chavez takes into account others’ opinions, including from players, from the strength staff, even from the coaching staff. But his suggestion hasn’t been among the adds, so far.
“I’d probably add some country, for sure,” Holt said with a laugh.