Young RSL roster preps for Open Cup date with Portland


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SANDY — Four more wins and Real Salt Lake can potentially win its second major competition trophy in franchise history.

At least that’s how head coach Jeff Cassar is looking at Wednesday’s Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup round of 16 game against Portland Timbers FC.

“It’s a tournament we’re taking extremely seriously,” Cassar told ESPN 700 radio Monday. “It’s the quickest way into the Champions League, to win a trophy, and we’re taking it very seriously.”

To do that, RSL will have to contend with a Portland side that includes the return of former regulars Will Johnson and Nat Borchers to the Wasatch Front — and a Timbers squad that is coming off the momentum of a rivalry match win over Seattle on Sunday evening.

RSL, meanwhile, will be without the veteran experience of midfielder Kyle Beckerman, goalkeeper Nick Rimando and several other internationals who are currently with various national teams in preparation for the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

The Timbers have won six of their last seven games in MLS play, and also have the 3-1 extra-time win over the Sounders two weeks ago in the Open Cup. RSL has one win in its last six league matches.

But the Timbers are the road team in Wednesday night’s match at 8 p.m., the nightcap of a double-header at Rio Tinto Stadium following Real Monarchs’ 5 p.m. kickoff against Sacramento Republic FC. The winner of the Open Cup round of 16 match will also host the winner of L.A. Galaxy-San Jose Earthquakes in the quarterfinals.

“It’s a great night of soccer,” Cassar told local media Tuesday. “We get to see the youth, and then probably some youth on our team, as well. Sacramento’s a very good team, champions of last year. Portland’s a very good team. It will be a good night.”

RSL has tapped its youths this year, getting minutes from every field player on its roster after defenders Phanuel Kavita and Boyd Okwuonu each debuted last week. Third-string goalkeeper Lalo Fernandez and season-long Monarchs loanee Fito Ovalle are the only players currently on the roster who have not made a first-team appearance with RSL.

A young fan disagrees with a call during Real Salt Lake's match against Columbus Crew SC at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Saturday, June 27, 2015. The match ended in a draw, 2-2. (Photo: Chris Samuels/Deseret News)
A young fan disagrees with a call during Real Salt Lake's match against Columbus Crew SC at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Saturday, June 27, 2015. The match ended in a draw, 2-2. (Photo: Chris Samuels/Deseret News)

In addition, the club relied on older players stepping into bigger roles, such as Aaron Maund’s team-high 444 minutes in June with RSL’s dearth of center back options. Cassar said Jamison Olave re-aggravated a quad injury in training last week, and an RSL spokesman estimated the 34-year-old Colombia defender could be out for two more months or more.

The young squad will be pressed into further action starting this week, with international call-ups taking away five players for the CONCACAF Gold Cup from RSL’s contingent.

“When it comes to rhythm, it makes it more difficult,” Cassar admitted Tuesday. “But guys are gaining valuable experience, and that’s incredible. A lot of guys have stepped up, and now they will have to step up on a different basis — consistently game-in and game-out. We will miss a lot of players, and we’re going to rely on (the younger players) to maintain this stretch coming up.”

The good news is that defender Chris Schuler has been working his way back to fitness for RSL. Schuler played 65 minutes Saturday in the Monarchs’ 2-1 loss at Arizona United SC, and while he isn’t 90-minutes fit yet, Cassar said he’s become “a good option” for the club after training Tuesday morning.

For now, Cassar has been impressed with the infusion of youths into his club — and he’ll likely use plenty of the players like Kavita, Okwuonu and academy product Justen Glad. Cassar said all three “have done a great job” — even when it hasn’t always been perfect on the pitch.

“If they make a mistake they haven’t let it linger or let it get them down,” the second-year head coach added. “We’re going to have to fast-forward them on learning the opponent; this is the first time they are seeing these players. We have to get them video, show them tendencies, and hopefully a little bit of it sticks. They are getting a lot of information in a very short time.”

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