This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
It's close. Players report Friday. Once again, in the quickest blink of an eye, Real Salt Lake is set to embark on another Major League Soccer season. Seventy-face days after the thrashing at the StubHub Center — an emphatic 5-0 loss in the Western Conference semifinals against the eventual MLS Cup champions L.A. Galaxy — RSL will reconvene this weekend for entrance physicals and days of light training before traveling to Casa Grande, Ariz., for the first portion of its 2015 preseason and training camp on Jan. 25.
After seven days spent at RSL's academy site, Grande Sports Academy, the club will return to Utah for three days before departing on the second portion of its preseason tour in Irvine, Calif., where they'll train and scrimmage Feb. 3-12. RSL will head back to Arizona Feb. 15 for the Desert Diamond Cup tournament in Tucson, Ariz., where it will face the New England Revolution, Montreal Impact and Sporting Kansas City.
Storylines of change and turnover will be explored throughout the week and deep into the preseason. Gone are major locker room voices like Nat Borchers (Portland), Ned Grabavoy (NYCFC) and Chris Wingert (NYCFC). Forward Robbie Findley (Toronto FC) is gone, too. Youngsters Carlos Salcedo (Chivas de Guadalajara) and Sebastian Velasquez (NYCFC) were sold or traded to different clubs and Cole Grossman (Stabaek) is playing in Norway these days.
Newcomers include Jamaican defender Demar Phillips — slated to join RSL later this week as he awaits P-1 VISA approval — as well as Brazilian midfielder Pecka signed after spending four years in the NASL with the Fort Lauderdale Strikers. RSL has also brought in a slew of young defenders including Homegrown center back Phanuel Kavita and draftees Boyd Okwuonu and Jordan Murrell.
Training camp invitees include Creighton midfielder David Abider and Notre Dame defender Luke Mishu. Lucas Baldin, a versatile midfielder from South Florida, was drafted in the fourth round of the MLS SuperDraft. Kavita, a four-year starter at Clemson, joins fellow Homegrown players like Jordan Allen, Justen Glad, Lalo Fernandez and Sebastian Saucedo.
The absolute most newsworthy piece of this post is RSL's official preseason roster released, and with that, comes new jersey numbers. (You can call them kit numbers, if you'd like).
» Midfielder Luis Gil has been awarded the No. 10 jersey with Findley off to Toronto FC. During his first five seasons at RSL, the 21-year-old midfielder donned the No. 21.
» Phillips, the odds-on frontrunner for the starting left back role, will assume the No. 17 jersey sported by Wingert during his eight seasons with RSL.
» Pecka will wear No. 16, which was worn by Salcedo during his two years with the first team. The 21-year-old center back was sold to Chivas earlier this month.
» Jamison Olave, in no real surprise, reassumes the No. 4 jersey he wore for those many years. The 33-year-old Colombian center back was reacquired by the club in mid-December after trading Borchers to the Portland Timbers.
» Okwuonu will wear the No. 6, which has been a staple of RSL's back line since 2008 when RSL initially acquired Borchers in his return to MLS during his time in Norway.
» Kavita, who moved to Salt Lake City with his family from the Democratic Republic of Congo when he was 7, will wear the No. 3. Kavita starred at Highland High School before moving onto RSL's Arizona-based academy.
» Center back Aaron Maund, who wore the No. 4 the last few seasons, will assume the No. 21 jersey.
» Saucedo remains holding onto the No. 50. An interesting number choice, which may have a cool story behind it. And it may not. Who knows.
(Don't forget Gil and goalkeeper Nick Rimando are off with the U.S. men's national team for the January camp and friendlies against Chile and Panama until late February.)
Captain Kyle Beckerman spoke with the Tribune about his decision to stay with RSL this preseason rather than accept an invite to the USMNT camp.
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» Below is RSL's preseason roster in numerical order
1 Lalo Fernandez GK Guadalajara, Mexico C.A. Peñarol (Uruguayan 1st Div.)
2 Tony Beltran DF Whittier, CA UCLA
3 Phanuel Kavita DF Lubumbashi, DR Congo Clemson University
4 Jamison Olave DF Cali, Colombia New York Red Bulls (MLS)
5 Kyle Beckerman MF Crofton, MD Colorado Rapids (MLS)
6 Boyd Okwuonu DF Edmond, OK University of North Carolina
7 Jordan Allen DF Rochester, NY University of Virginia
8 Joao Plata FW Guayaquil, Ecuador Toronto FC (MLS)
10 Luis Gil MF Garden Grove, CA AC St. Louis (USSF II)
11 Javier Morales MF Buenos Aires, Arg. Vecindario (Spanish 2nd Div.)
13 Olmes Garcia FW Barranquilla, Colombia Deportes Quindio (Colombian 1st Div.)
14 Justen Glad DF Tucson, AZ RSL-Arizona Academy U-16s
15 Álvaro Saborío FW San Carlos, Costa Rica Bristol City FC (English 2nd Div.)
16 Wellington Paeckart MF Rio de Janeiro, Braz. Ft. Lauderdale Strikers (NASL)
17 Demar Phillips DF Kingston, Jamaica Aalesunds FK (Norway)
18 Nick Rimando GK Montclair, CA New York Red Bulls (MLS)
19 Luke Mulholland MF Preston, England Tampa Bay Rowdies (NASL)
21 Aaron Maund DF Dorchester, Mass. Toronto FC
23 Sebastian Jaime FW La Plata, Argentina Union Espanola (Chile)
24 Jeff Attinella GK Clearwater, FL Tampa Bay Rowdies (NASL)
27 John Stertzer MF Fairfax, VA University of Maryland
28 Chris Schuler DF St. Louis, MO Creighton University
29 Abdoulie Mansally DF Banjul, The Gambia New England Revolution (MLS)
49 Devon Sandoval FW Albuquerque, NM University of New Mexico
50 Sebastian Saucedo DF San Fernando Valley, CA La Roca FC (Layton, UT)
— David Abidor MF Northbrook, IL Creighton Univ.
— Lucas Baldin MF Taubate, Brazil Univ. of South Florida
— Luke Mishu DF Knoxville, TN Notre Dame University
— Jordan Murrell DF London, England Syracuse
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-Chris Kamrani
Twitter: @chriskamrani