SANDY — After returning from Guatemala with a 1-0 win over Municipal and in the heart of a five-game, 15-day stretch, it’s safe to say Real Salt Lake is already feeling the effects.
“This is the middle game of a five-game trip. Obviously, with all the travel, we’ve got to be mindful of some players. That was a very physical game down in Guatemala, so we’ve got to be respectful of the players and their bodies,” RSL head coach Jeff Cassar said.
The Claret-and-Cobalt are now set to go back on the road to take on Vancouver Whitecaps FC Saturday in the third of five matches stretching across three competitions and four time zones.
“It really is a whirlwind right now. But the guys are responding really well, everyone is taking care of their bodies and I really like where we are at right now. But the rest of the trip is not going to be easy. But sometimes it makes you come together and concentrate a little bit harder on the small details. I really look forward to it,” said Cassar.
RSL kicked off the road trip with a 6-4 loss to D.C. United last Saturday before knocking off Municipal in the first of four matches in the 2015 Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League Group stage. It has now won four of its last five matches across all competitions.
Despite sitting atop the Western Conference and winning four straight matches, Vancouver doesn’t have the best track record at home.
The Whitecaps own just a 5-4-1 record at BC Place, including a 1-1-1 record in their last three games, and RSL will need to take advantage of that.
While Real Salt Lake has been playing well as of late and have plenty of weapons on the roster, they currently sit on the wrong side of the playoffs in ninth place while the Whitecaps sit in first. However, only 10 points separate the two clubs, and they should both expect nothing less than a hard-fought battle.
“It’s a long season. They have some guys stepping up and playing really well. Their back line has almost been the same back line all year. They have a really nice rotation in the midfield and a good group of players. I expect a really strong team and game from them,” Cassar added.
Setting the pace for Real Salt Lake offensively are midfielders Javier Morales (five goals, nine assists) and Luke Mulholland (two goals) while forward Sebastian Jaime has added four goals while goalkeeper Jeff Attinella has dazzled between the posts and tallied 33 saves so far this season. He also earned back-to-back ‘Save of the Week’ honors from the D.C. United and Municipal games.
“Hopefully there aren’t a lot of shots against me this week,” joked Attinella. “It’s really cool. Obviously, I would have much rather won and not given up six goals, but I guess there’s a very small positive that came out of that one. But they’re (Vancouver) in serious contention to win the West and we’ve got to prepare for a full arsenal.”
Morales leads the team offensively with a team-high 31 shots, five goals and nine assists and will need to get involved to stop Vancouver from winning its third match against RSL this season.
After facing the Whitecaps, Salt Lake will take on Sporting Kansas City in the semifinal round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup next Wednesday before returning home to host the Portland Timbers on Saturday, Aug. 15.
Ryan Love is a full-time student and has been a part-time sportswriter for the Deseret News since Oct. 2012.
Follow him on Twitter @RLove7724
EMAIL: rlove@deseretnews.com