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SANDY — Over the last 14 days, Real Salt Lake has been hard at work regrouping and getting players healthy.
Like many Major League Soccer clubs, RSL has had some time off before entering the second half of the 2012 season.
Following RSL's U.S. Open Cup loss to the Minnesota Stars on May 29, RSL head coach Jason Kreis was worried about the long break and the lack of matches to fill it. But now the break is a few days from being over, Kreis is pleased overall with how the time away from MLS competition has gone.
"I’m pleased with the amount of work the guys have put in," said Kries following training Tuesday. "I think they’ve really got back to the basics (of) working extremely hard and competing every single day, but proof is always what happens in the matches."
Although Kries was worried about the break between matches being so long following the Minnesota match, that worry was a thing of the past at this juncture.
"We had a 10- or 12-day period where it was, 'work extremely hard, no concerns about the matches on the weekend,' so we were really able to just focus on putting in the amount of work. It didn’t matter if we were working too much. In fact that may have even been good."
I think everybody's ready to be done with it. Everybody's chomping at the bit to get out and play games again.
–Nat Borchers
This week's training is quite different for the RSL roster with shorter training sessions and focus on a match in just three days. "This week we need to really draw back and we have been," said Kries.
The break has also made Kreis excited for the second half of the season. "We’ve got guys that are coming back healthy now finally and I’m looking forward to what will be the second half of the season," said Kreis.
The roster feels exactly the same.
"I think everybody’s ready to be done with it. Everybody’s chomping at the bit to get out and play games again," said RSL defender Nat Borchers.
RSL defender Chris Wingert agreed with Borchers. "It will be nice to get our internationals back as well. Just looking forward to getting back to the normal schedule of playing games."
If anything the last two weeks have prepared RSL for the busy upcoming schedule it has on the calendar.
"We have a busy week (ahead) and I think its good for the younger guys to have some of the harder intense trainings and see some of the guys who want to fight because we’re going to need some guys as we get into CONCACAAF and as the season goes on," said RSL midfielder Ned Grabovoy." "I think there are a lot of guys right now that are just working hard and showing that they want to contribute if given time and given an opportunity."
RSL resumes MLS action this weekend as it travels to play Chivas USA for the second time this season. RSL then returns to Rio Tinto to host the L.A. Galaxy Wednesday, June 20.
Kira Terry is a sports writer covering Real Salt Lake for KSL.com. Follow her on Twitter, @kiraterry.
