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COLUMBUS, Ohio — Real Salt Lake is no stranger to the necessity of a deep roster when key players go down.
Just last season, 19 surgeries forced the Claret-and-Cobalt to employ 27 different starters, the most in MLS.
With Captain Kyle Beckerman, Nick Rimando and Alvaro Saborio (who will be sidelined 3-4 months following his recent foot surgery) departing for the World Cup, and Joao Plata and Robbie Findley still ailing from injuries, the club’s depth is once again being tested significantly.
Throw in Jordan Allen’s season–ending knee operation, a rookie general manager Garth Lagerwey called the “most pro-ready prospect” RSL has ever signed earlier this year, not to mention the temporary absence of Sebastian Velasquez following his DUI charge, and the team is already missing seven players expected to contribute regularly.
We could have won this game, so that was positive. The guys felt like they could have won this game. We will take a look at the video and see what we can do better. Again, I am really proud of the guys.
–Jeff Cassar, RSL head coach
So while a 4-0 setback last Saturday in Seattle and a 1-1 tie against Columbus Wednesday after conceding another late goal are certainly not the outcomes RSL will need to pass the Sounders in the league standings, remaining steady in second place of the Western Conference with several backups playing extended minutes is an accomplishment on its own.
“We could have won this game, so that was positive,” head coach Jeff Cassar said in a postgame press conference Wednesday. “The guys felt like they could have won this game. We will take a look at the video and see what we can do better. Again, I am really proud of the guys.”
The host Crew dominated Cassar’s team in nearly every statistical category, firing 21 shots, seven on target, compared to RSL’s totals of six and three.
Columbus also out-possessed the visitors by nearly 20 percent. Yet both sides left the game with a point.
It was a point in the stadium of the side against which RSL has its worst regular-season record against (5-10-2). And, it wouldn’t have been possible without the efforts of the reserves-turned-starters.
RSL surrenders lead in 88th minute, ties Crew 1-1
Ethan Finlay scored in the 88th minute to give the Columbus Crew a 1-1 tie with Real Salt Lake on Wednesday night.Jeff Attinella made six crucial saves, Abdoulie Mansally’s rocket shot could only be pushed to the side before Luis Gil netted the rebound, and Cole Grossman and John Sterzer held down the space in the defensive midfield usually governed by Beckerman.
“I think at the end of the day we are going to leave here feeling fine with a point. We could have had three,” Cassar said. “Our goalkeeper played fantastic, so it was probably the correct result at the end of the day. If we could do a better job in the last five minutes of games we would have a much better record.”
With or without the starters, RSL has had its fair share of failing to close out games. However, the latest conclusion of the four games in which the Claret- and-Cobalt has earned a draw despite owning the lead prior to the 88th minute was different.
The Crew are in the mix for playoff contention in the Eastern Conference, and still Cassar gave the nod to two players making their first start of the season — Sterzer and Carlos Salcedo — and two others, Mansally and Rich Balchan, who recorded their second.
“We were able to rest typically three starters from our back line, which is important,” Cassar said. “Luke Mulholland and Devon Sandoval got a rest. Joao Plata is going to be putting himself into the mix, so that’s a good thing for us. We had to be mindful of it.”
It was different. We obviously haven't played that formation yet. We put guys in there to make it difficult for them to play through us. I felt like it gave me more of a chance to get forward.
–Luis Gil
Three games in seven days likely forced his hand, but even he’d be hard pressed to suggest he was confident RSL would earn a result in an away game that featured a Columbus penalty kick in the 12th minute.
Lagerwey and Cassar were prepared for a stretch that would challenge the quality of the team’s offseason acquisitions, because they’d been through similar challenges in the past.
The new additions this season have helped RSL maintain its position in the standings and Gil — referred to by Lagerwey in the preseason as the player the club needed to be a “spot-franchise player” — made his mark playing for the first time as part of the starting 11 since April 5.
“It was different,” Gil said of the 4-2-3-1 formation RSL used. “We obviously haven’t played that formation yet. We put guys in there to make it difficult for them to play through us. I felt like it gave me more of a chance to get forward.”
