Real Salt Lake Owner Dell Loy Hansen used the phrase “on a mission” several times when introducing the club’s newest – and arguably biggest – Designated Player signing in Yura Movsisyan. That phrase has been personified in many of the club’s endeavors since missing out on the playoffs for the first time since 2007, whether it’s in seeking out a top-flight scorer who can help an attack that ranked second to last in scoring in the Western Conference last year, improving the fitness of the team during the offseason or individual quests to help improve RSL’s outcome in 2016.
That same message was ubiquitous in the club’s media day on Saturday as RSL started the journey toward the start of a new season.
“I think nobody wants to watch the playoffs,” Real Salt Lake captain Kyle Beckerman said. “We want to be in them, so I think our main thought of last year was it’s a fluke and let’s move on to this year and what Real Salt Lake is all about and what we’ve built so far and get to the top of the table and fight for everything.”
For returning players who had been with RSL for years with each season ending with a postseason run, that meant a rigorous off-season workout plan to ensure they are ready to hit the ground running in preseason. With limited time to prepare for a crucial CONCACAF Champions League Quarterfinal Round series with UANL Tigres of Mexico starting on February 24, those workouts are paying immediate dividends as Salt Lake started training camp on Sunday in Oceanside, California.
And while the 2015 season is now long behind them, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t provide fuel for the players as they eye the start of a new season.
“You can put it behind you, but at the same time, you can use it as fuel and start the season hitting the ground running,” midfielder Luke Mulholland said. “I think we set ourselves up with a good opportunity with a postseason offseason workout nine-week block.”
Added Jordan Allen, “I think any time you face disappointment, if you’re an athlete with the right mindset, you push forward from it.”
Real Salt Lake now starts a four-week camp to prepare for one of the top clubs in Mexico in Tigres. That hard work is bleeding into each training session as RSL continues the countdown to Champions League.
Still weeks from implementing game plans for that match, RSL is focusing on its cohesion, conditioning and defensive efforts in the opening days of camp.
To Beckerman, one thing has been clear in the opening sessions with the team.
“Nobody’s scared to put in the hard work,” he exclaimed.
