Former RSL striker Findley 'can't wait' to come back with new club Toronto FC


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SANDY — Robbie Findley spent six seasons with Real Salt Lake, surrounding a two-year spell with English championship side Nottingham Forest.

He knows Salt Lake City — and he’ll be back at his former home Sunday afternoon when new team Toronto FC faces RSL at 5 p.m. MDT at Rio Tinto Stadium.

“I can’t wait,” said Findley, who has a goal on five shots in 167 minutes with the 1-1 Reds this year. “They’re definitely a good team, (with) a lot of good guys on the team that I still talk to. But it will be fun. I’m looking forward to it.”

The native of Phoenix joined MLS with the L.A. Galaxy in 2007, but he cut his teeth with RSL, scoring 36 goals with the franchise and helping the squad to its lone MLS Cup title in 2009.

But Findley fell out of favor with the team a year ago, when he played in only 16 games with one goal while coming back from a knee injury. RSL released Findley in December, and Toronto FC wasted little time in reclaiming the striker from the 2010 U.S. World Cup squad with the sixth pick of the 2015 MLS re-entry draft.

“It was a tough year, coming back from injury with a new coach and new players,” Findley told Toronto media before departing for Salt Lake City. “A lot goes into those decisions for the staff. Of course, I would’ve liked to get more playing time. But it happened the way it did for a reason.”

The change worked out well for Findley, according to RSL head coach Jeff Cassar.

Robbie Findley poses for photographs during Real Salt Lake media day near Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy before the 2014 season. (Deseret News/File)
Robbie Findley poses for photographs during Real Salt Lake media day near Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy before the 2014 season. (Deseret News/File)

“He’s had a great start to the year for them,” Cassar said. “He’s been very dangerous in the box, making good runs and holding up the ball well. He looks like his old self. It’ll be great to see him; he’s a fantastic person and a fantastic player. I know our fans will give him a great reception because he’s brought so much to the club.”

Findley has maintained lasting friendships with several players on the team, and he knows the local vibe well. But he’s most looking forward to playing in front of the RSL crowd again — even as a visiting player.

“I’ll be happy to see the guys on the team. Hopefully the fans can give a good ovation,” he said. “But the fans are great, and they’ve always been great since day one. They are really something to like about the club.”

Toronto won’t bring U.S. stars Jozy Altidore and Michael Bradley to Salt Lake City for the Sunday trip, after the duo joined RSL goalkeeper Nick Rimando in Europe for a pair of international friendlies. But that will give several new faces a chance to shine on the Rio Tinto Stadium pitch, including the first-ever introduction of Italian standout and Toronto striker Sebastian Giovinco in Utah and another start for RSL backup goalkeeper Jeff Attinella.

“I’m definitely excited and looking forward to getting out there Sunday,” said Attinella, who has four shutouts in 14 starts in his RSL career. “You still get the butterflies, but I think everybody gets those. This time, I knew that it was coming, as opposed to a lot of the other times. I kind of knew that my preseason would end this week.”

RSL will also miss starting striker Alvaro Saborio and midfielder Luis Gil to national team duties, and Toronto FC will be without defender Justin Morrow with a red-card suspension and center backs Steven Caldwell and Damien Perquis to injury.

“They (RSL) have some adjustments that they will have to make as well,” said Toronto coach Greg Vanney, who was also the former director of RSL’s Arizona academy. “It’s the beauty of playing through the international break. We all have to make some adjustments.”

RSL is looking for its first win of the year after opening with a pair of draws against Portland and Philadelphia before a third-week bye. But Toronto will also be looking to bounce back from a 2-0 loss to Columbus before its own bye week of the past eight days.

“They’re looking for a win,” Findley said of RSL. “They’re going to be in front of their crowd and they’ll want to get that win. They’ll have a few guys missing as well. We’ll be watching some of their guys, but mainly focused on what we need to do to get a result.”

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