We are now on the threshold of Real Salt Lake’s first competitive match of the 2016 season as RSL takes on Tigres UANL in the Quarterfinal Round of CONCACAF Champions League in the first match of the two-legged, aggregate-goal series starting Wednesday in Monterrey, Mexico.
To help prepare for the new season, we at RSL.com will take a look at the team one position group at a time in the days leading up to the match, starting with the goalkeepers and defenders.
Goalkeepers: Nick Rimando, Jeff Attinella, Lalo Fernandez
When you have the league’s all-time shutout king in front of your net, goalkeeper is never a position of concern. When you have the confidence to say the backup is the best in the league in that role and have the confidence in him to start any match on any stage, it becomes even more clear the sureness that Real Salt Lake has at the goalkeeper spot.
In 2015, Rimando posted stellar numbers in his 24 starts for RSL, missing stretches while away with the U.S. National Team and while recovering from a nagging knee injury that saw him undergo minor surgery in the offseason. His 1.00 goals against average was right on par with his 1.01 mark since 2009. While it only resulted in an 8-9-7 record, he still posted eight shutouts, upping his career total to 123 to extend his all-time career MLS lead.
Head Coach Jeff Cassar is understandably enthused at bringing him back for his 10th season for Real Salt Lake, particularly with the season starting with such a high-stakes match like the Champions League series against Tigres.
“He brings an unbelievable wealth of experience in these situations with club and country,” Cassar said. “You feel like it’s not going to faze him at all – this environment and this type of game.”
Attinella didn’t have the statistics to match Rimando and often found himself manning the net in tough road matches behind a young defensive core during an injury-riddled season for Real Salt Lake. All season, he drew praise from around the league in the instances that he did start, though and Cassar had similar sentiments this week after Attinella stood out during training camp.
“Jeff has had a fantastic preseason and in every opportunity in the last few years he’s done exceptional, so I feel really good about where our goalkeeping is at right now,” Cassar said.
Defenders: Tony Beltran, Aaron Maund, Jamison Olave, Demar Phillips, Chris Wingert, Justen Glad, Phanuel Kavita, Boyd Okwuonu.
Real Salt Lake had a known deficiency on defense in 2015, but lineup consistency was the chief culprit as Cassar could rarely start the same back four in consecutive matches. To clarify that point, RSL’s four players that are penciled into the starting lineup (Tony Beltran, Jamison Olave, Aaron Maund and Demar Phillips) to open the 2016 season started just four matches together in 2015.
Encouraging is that RSL went 2-2-0 with only four goals allowed in those four matches.
Further, when the center back tandem of Maund and Olave started together, the club went 4-6-0 with just 11 goals allowed in those 10 matches. That includes a stretch of six consecutive matches that saw RSL go 4-2-0 from August 22 to October 4.
That stretch of matches has Cassar optimistic for what the duo can do together when given an extended run of games together.
“I think we can build off of some of the things we were doing last year. I thought Jamison and Aaron were doing some really nice things together when they were healthy,” he said. “I’m excited about their partnership growing.”
On the flanks, Beltran was the club’s most consistent player, starting in 31 matches and earning MLS All-Star honors for the second time in his career as one of the premier right backs in Major League Soccer. Combined with an increased commitment from Phillips, who missed long stretches of time with the Jamaican National Team and while rehabbing various injuries that were exacerbated by the excessive travel that came with mixing international duty with a grueling MLS schedule, RSL had a lot to look forward to in the 2016.
Then the club acquired Chris Wingert.
The longtime stalwart on RSL’s defensive corps returns to add depth and competition all along the back line while providing veteran leadership and a calming presence in the locker room.
“Tony looks as solid as ever. He’s extremely fit and steady as usual. Demar has been very good this preseason. The conversations we’ve had with him in the off-season about his focus on RSL and performing with our team first and foremost has to be the most important thing to him and to us,” Cassar said. “Then in adding Chris Wingert it gives us versatility anywhere along the back line. His leadership and communication have been unbelievable in preseason. I think we’ve improved in that area and still looking to always improve with starting caliber players and with adding depth.”
In addition, depth at the center back position is anchored by Academy products Justen Glad and Phanuel Kavita who both made tremendous strides in their first full seasons and have looked sharp in preseason action.
