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SANDY — Aaron Maund has been involved in his fair share of on-field scraps and collisions through his Major League Soccer career.
When the Real Salt Lake defender saw friend and teammate Chris Schuler collide with Nat Borchers in the first half of the team’s 1-0 loss at Chivas USA on Sunday, he felt heartache for his squad’s starter.
And he has a message for him: Get well, because Maund’s ready.
“I’ll put the gloves on if they need me in goal, too,” Maund said, only half-joking, after Wednesday’s training. “We’re trying to win games. It’s playoff time, and it’s time to put up or shut up.”
RSL (13-8-10, 49 points) will need him and the full 28-man roster on hand as it prepares to host the San Jose Earthquakes (6-13-11, 29 points) on Saturday at Rio Tinto Stadium. Schuler is out at least through this weekend with a left orbital wall and floor fracture as well as a left nasal bone fracture suffered during Sunday’s fracas, according to the team’s injury report. On top of that injury, RSL will also be without playmaker Javier Morales, who is suspended on yellow-card accumulation, and may be without goalkeeper Nick Rimando, midfielder Luis Gil, forward Joao Plata and striker Alvaro Saborio for national team duty.
The absences strike with RSL clinging to third place in the Western Conference, just one point ahead of FC Dallas (14-11-6) to stay out of the play-in game between the fourth and fifth seeds in each conference.
RSL can clinch a postseason berth with a win Saturday, and would also do so with a number of other non-win results involving Dallas and fifth-place Vancouver (10-8-13).
Maund said the club is prepared to do whatever it needs to do during Schuler’s recovery, which head coach Jeff Cassar said almost assuredly will require surgery.
"It's safe to say that he won't play this weekend," Cassar said of Schuler. "Other than that, it depends on exactly when they get in there and see the complete damage. We've got to make sure we are making a good decision for him in his career."
San Jose, like last week’s opponent Chivas USA, has been eliminated from the playoffs.
“We’re worried about their future; that’s the first concern and the first priority,” he said. “It’s time for the other center backs and the rest of the defense to step up. It’s a huge loss for us, but that’s what we’re out here for. We’ve been training to get ready for it. It’s time to step in.”
Maund and fellow central defender Carlos Salcedo are the top choices to replace Schuler, though Cassar said Tuesday a variety of options remain on the table for Saturday. Salcedo flew to training camp with the Mexican U-21 national team, but will return to Salt Lake City on Thursday after talking with head coach Raul Gutierrez and the Mexican Football Federation.
Salcedo has played the most minutes on the back line outside of the usual foursome of Borchers, Schuler, Chris Wingert and Tony Beltran. The Mexican international’s 530 minutes is quickly followed by Maund’s 432 minutes, but five of Maund’s six matches have come in starts this season.
RSL got some good news this week with the return of Beltran to full training. The young outside back did not play at Chivas with a sports hernia-related injury, but he was active and exciting in Tuesday's training session. With several defensive lineups used through the season, Cassar is confident in the depth the team has cemented in 2014.
"I feel comfortable," he said. "Obviously, any time you lose some like Schuler, it's going to affect you. What you have to do is adapt and move forward. We're going to take care of Chris and make sure he gets healthy. He'll be back with us soon."
The club could also insert versatile young defender Justen Glad into the lineup, after the teenager impressed in several recent friendlies for RSL’s Reserves. Regardless of the different options, veteran midfielder Ned Grabavoy said the team is confident in whoever lines up in the back during the week of change amongst the players.
“We have players who train and play in reserve games in the same formations, so whomever is selected to fill in to any position, that player will understand what is being asked of them,” Grabavoy said. “Everyone here does. That’s the one thing that is certain.”
