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SANDY — When Real Salt Lake head coach Jeff Cassar looked out at first-time starter Omar Holness in the midfield at FC Dallas, he didn’t see a star-struck rookie with nerves adapting to his first MLS start.
He saw a talented player manning the midfield — a certain positive from the first-round MLS SuperDraft pick after the 2-0 loss to the Hoops.
“The other day, I saw a man on the field in very difficult situations,” Cassar said after Tuesday’s training at Rio Tinto Stadium. “That’s great to see. I’m really excited for his future, and his future with the club.”
Even more exciting for Cassar and RSL is that Holness went the full 90 minutes — just two months after suffering a scary, violent seizure.
Holness fell to the turf March 27 in the 33rd minute of a USL match with RSL’s third-division side Real Monarchs SLC, a scary moment for his teammates as they waved emergency personnel onto the field. The first-year player from Kingston, Jamaica, was transported by ambulance to a local hospital, where doctors found him alert and responsive — able to return home with 24 hours.
“It was a crazy, crazy day,” Holness said. “I remember everything from the game, but then I just woke up to the sight of coach Cassar saying ‘you know where you are?’ He told me I had a massive seizure, and I was in a state of confusion.
After extensive evaluation, doctors found no lingering effects from the seizure or particular areas of concern for further damage — the incident likely occurred from head trauma in the game — and he worked his way back to full play clearance through April and May.
Then, with team captain Kyle Beckerman finishing his final game with the U.S. Men’s National Team at the Copa America on Saturday, Holness got the call: He was going to start at the base of RSL’s midfield. He played a few minutes during the club’s U.S. Open Cup match against third-division Wilmington, but this would be his first start in MLS play — everything he had been dreaming could happen since RSL used the fifth-overall pick in the draft to take him.
Holness is feeling great now, healthy, active and fit — even after the full-match effort. But his return would’ve been a lot more difficult without the support of his teammates. Guys like Beckerman, midfield maestro Javier Morales and star striker Yura Movsisyan embraced him from the moment he got to Sandy.
“All in all, it’s been difficult at some points, but the guys around me have made it a bit easier,” Holness said. “They’ve motivated me and corralled themselves around me. It’s been a learning experience about that.
“They’ve really shown the atmosphere and culture of winning, and everyone is on the same level, no matter how much you make or how much experience you have. The team comes first.”
Holness’ full debut comes at a perfect time for RSL, too. The club is in the middle of a stretch of five games in 14 days, and the rookie midfielder will likely see plenty of minutes backing up Beckerman, who returned from the Copa America after helping the USA to a fourth-place finish.
The stretch includes Tuesday’s U.S. Open Cup round of 16 match against Seattle Sounders FC at 8 p.m. MDT at Rio Tinto Stadium.
“This is one trophy that we’ve never won, and we’re taking it really serious,” Cassar said. “I know Kyle and the rest of the guys want to win a championship.
“We have a deep team. We’ll have to rely on some Monarchs, as well, which will be a great experience for those guys. It’s tough, but we’ve got to do it, and we will.”
If each of the young players can fare as well as Holness in his first-team starting debut, RSL should be just fine. The Jamaican international did just fine, with a shot from distance that swerved just off frame and only conceding two fouls in the complete-match effort in Frisco.
“There comes a day when a boy must make a transition to become a man,” Holness said. “I’m around so many great guys, a great staff, a great club. RSL is absolutely the perfect place to be.
“I think on Saturday it showed a bit of maturity and some immaturity. All in all, I think it was a great experience.”
