This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The unforgiving Major League Soccer season also has an evil twin: An unforgiving offseason. Real Salt Lake on Monday announced its 2015 preseason schedule putting a cap on the number of days between the club's resounding 5-0 2014 season-ending loss at L.A. on Nov. 9 and the day players must report for entrance physicals on Jan. 23, 2015.
Seventy-five. Or two months and 14 days — it all depends on how you want to digest it. On Sunday, Jan. 25, the club is expected to hold its 2015 Media Day, although the dates for entrance physicals and Media Day are subject to change, according to RSL.
RSL will again bounce from its home base in Casa Grande, Ariz., to Irvine, Calif., and back to Tucson, Ariz., for the 2015 FC Tucson Desert Diamond Cup. It will be the club's fourth-consecutive appearance at the tournament that will also feature fellow MLS clubs such as 2014 MLS Cup finalist New England Revolution, 2013 MLS Cup champions Sporting Kansas City and the Montreal Impact.
The initial preseason sect is expected to see RSL leave Utah for Casa Grande for six days where players and coaches will spend time at the Grande Sports World facility, which is home to the club's youth academy system. The club is expected to return to Utah on Jan. 31 and have a few off days before traveling to Irvine, Calif., for a third-straight preseason from Feb. 3-12. While there, RSL is expected to scrimmage an opponent that is still to be determined.
Following another few off days, the club will travel to Tucson and prepare for the Desert Diamond Cup at the Kino Sports Complex. RSL will face the Revolution on Wednesday, Feb. 18 at 6 p.m., the Impact on Saturday, Feb. 21, at 6 p.m. and Sporting KC on Wednesday, Feb. 25, at 8 p.m.
RSL is slated to return to Utah on Sunday, March 1, in preparation for the first week of the 2015 MLS regular season, which is expected to start the following weekend.
Real Salt Lake's 2015 preseason schedule
• Friday, Jan. 23: Entrance physicals in Salt Lake City
•Sunday, Jan. 25: Testing, training sessions, Media Day
RSL's trip to Casa Grande, Ariz
• Sunday, Jan. 25: Travel to Casa Grande, Ariz.
• Saturday, Jan. 31: Return to Utah
RSL's trip to Irvine, Calif.
• Tuesday, Feb. 3: Travel to Irvine, Calif.
• Thursday, Feb. 12: Scrimmage vs. TBD opponent, return to Utah
RSL's trip to Tucson for 2015 Desert Diamond Cup
• Sunday, Feb. 15: Travel to Tucson, Ariz.
• Wednesday, Feb. 18: Match #1 vs. New England Revolution: 6 p.m.
• Saturday, Feb. 21: Match #2 vs. Montreal Impact: 6 p.m.
• Wednesday, Feb. 25: Match #3 vs. Sporting Kansas City: 8 p.m.
• Saturday, Feb. 28: Championship match, third-place match, fifth-place match.
• Sunday, Mar. 1: Return to Utah
-Chris Kamrani
Twitter: @chriskamrani