Dearest gentle readers, for the first time in 2025, welcome to storylines.
The conclusion of RSL’s preseason exertions in last week’s 3-1 victory against USL Championship side Orange County SC signals the commencement of the competitive campaign on the horizon, and with it the start of the club’s latest CONCACAF Champions Cup crusade.
The return of the Claret-and-Cobalt to the continent’s premier club competition after a near decade in the wilderness presents a further opportunity to build on the relative success of 2024, as Pablo Mastroeni and Co. chart course for what we all hope will be history in the making in 2025.
Here in storylines, our author previews some of the most compelling pre-game talking points, as far as the Club is concerned, ahead of Wednesday’s competitive season opener in San José, Costa Rica.
90 Minutes, My Life, Your Death
Fiery RSL DF Alex Katranis certainly isn’t one to mince words or conceal exuberance, but then again, not many players who’ve ever plied their trade in some of the deepest bowels of the European game are; fiercely passionate, hard-nosed on the pitch and bursting with fervor and expression – indeed he’ll be the first to tell you it’s merely a way of life.
“Preseason is over now and we’re happy with the work we’ve done. Of course, we still have things to improve, but in four days we have a game in a competition we want to get as close as we can to the final in,” the 26-year-old shared with reporters on Saturday.
“It’s [just] one more game. You can play in cold or hot weather, or against different teams from other countries but it doesn’t matter, [in the end] it’s 90 minutes. So we’re going to watch and analyze them, and focus on ourselves to do our job.”
Then came the headliner;
“I will give 110 percent for my team – and it’s 90 MINUTES, MY LIFE, YOUR DEATH.”
If the gravity of Wednesday’s Champions Cup opener hadn’t yet fully registered, Katranis’ comments surely will be sufficient enough to light the necessary spark.
Born in Volos, Greece, before also spending much of his career in parts of France, Belgium, and Poland prior to joining RSL, expressions in the English language don’t constitute part of Katranis’ maiden disposition, but the 26-year-old ensures he doesn’t suffer at all from a lack of words.
“... but don’t get a red card!” He finally exclaimed with a cheerful laugh that reflected the light-hearted and metaphorical, yet gravely dedicated theme of his message; This is serious.
Head Coach Pablo Mastroeni echoed his wing defender’s sentiment earlier in his remarks to the press, explaining;
“The one thing I'll guarantee you is it's gonna be a dogfight. And so if we're not ready for battle, like real battle, it’s gonna be a tough match.”
Twice previously RSL have gone up against the Costa Rican outfit, with both encounters ending in disappointment; a scoreless draw at home following closely on the heels of a short-handed 0-1 defeat when the two teams first met in the Group Stage of the 2012–13 CONCACAF Champions League.
The margins of competition and success on the continent have never been tighter, certainly not in the past decade. Wednesday presents the first chance for Mastroeni’s men to etch a new story for the Club in its history with the famed competition.
Goalkeeper Cabral Set for Pulsating Debut
RSL have experienced one of the most volatile transfer windows in recent history with several promising additions made to the team, one which finished third in the Western Conference standings at the end of 2024, RSL’s highest finish since 2019. Chief amongst the offseason moves, however, is Brazilian goalkeeper Rafael Cabral.
34-year-old Cabral arrived on the Wasatch Front from Brazilian club Cruzeiro, where he joined in 2022, making 95 total appearances in the last three years. Most compellingly, Cabral is a 2011 Copa Libertadores winner prior to spending nearly a decade in Europe, playing for various clubs in Italy and England. In 2013, the ‘keeper joined Italian side Napoli, with whom he would make 32 total appearances, as well as UEFA Champions League caps, including being manager Rafael Benitez’s first-choice netminder during the 2014-15 Italian Serie A season and winning the 2014 Supercoppa Italiana against Juventus in a nerve-wracking penalty shootout.
Now the elephant in the room, perhaps, remains that goalkeepers typically aren’t players that get fans on the edge of their seats, traditionally confined to an 18-yard box for much of the 90-minute game. However, at 34 and having plied his trade for some of the biggest clubs and managers in European and world football, Cabral duly represents one of the highest-profile players ever to represent RSL in the Club’s now 21-year history.
The former Reading shot-stopper is well-known for his cat-like reflexes, as well as his deft and capable abilities with the ball at his feet, a growing requirement for keepers to possess in the modern game.
Cabral’s “sweeper-keeper” abilities were on show with his long-ball assist to striker Forster Ajago in RSL’s 10th-minute goal of its 3-3 draw with the New York Red Bulls in the team’s penultimate game of preseason. Such skill and aptitude will certainly serve especially crucial for Mastroeni’s squad, fitting well within the team’s evolved possession-oriented game model. With 33-year-old Zac MacMath out - still in recovery from his lat muscle injury - Cabral is duly expected to slot in as the team’s No. 1, starting Wednesday’s match. For a game of this much gravitas, fans should expect his leadership and experience to be crucial.
Ruiz and Other New Signings Primed to Make an Impact
Alongside Cabral, the transfer window brought in a host of other new faces who will all surely be raring to go in Wednesday’s season opener.
Defenders Sam Junqua and Kobi Henry constitute two of the new back-line additions competing to appear against Herediano. The pair also represent versatile options, with Junqua at ease at both center and left back, and Henry capable of operating in a right-back role alongside his natural centerback position. Further up the pitch, veteran midfielder Pablo Ruiz has returned from an anterior cruciate ligament injury suffered early in 2024, again available for selection to make his first competitive appearance in nearly a year.
Playmaker Tyler Wolff, signed in November from Atlanta United, enjoyed a positive pre-season campaign and represents another new RSL signing competing to make an appearance in the continental showpiece. The 22-year-old made a total of 53 first-team appearances for The Five Stripes in recent years, scoring six goals, and will be no stranger to the demands of elite competitive football.
At the tip of the spear, second-year MLS striker Forster Ajago has also mightily impressed during pre-season, scoring three goals across three friendlies and could, in fact, be in line to lead the team out at the National Stadium of Costa Rica. Australian FW Ari Piol will be another striker and newcomer angling to contribute after also providing encouraging displays in the team’s California preseason.
With the start of the 2025 campaign now upon us, competition for places in Mastroeni’s starting Xi and gameday 20s are sure to amp up, with the allure of continental football itself proving an irresistible prospect. The opportunity to compete in the CONCACAF Champions Cup does not necessarily come around very often. 2024, in many ways, was a record-breaking year for RSL.
The hope is that it sets the stage for 2025, and that the new year follows suit.
