This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
It's been 122 days since Real Salt Lake walked off the rain-soaked turf at CenturyLink Field in Seattle, handed its a third-consecutive loss to close out a lackluster 2015 campaign, its offseason already booked with questions of how the club would manage to bounce back.
Ten days before RSL kicks off its 2016 MLS season in Orlando, Fla., its posed with a two-leg test to answer many of those questions starting tonight against defending Liga MX champions, Tigres UANL. Leg 1 of the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal series should feature its share of sink-or-swim moments for RSL, which had just four weeks of preseason to prep for one of the best teams in North America.
In Tuesday night's Champions League openers, D.C. United managed much of the match, but wasted its opportunities and eventually lost 2-0 at Querétaro FC. The Seattle Sounders, thanks to a brilliant evening by Clint Dempsey, took the lead twice against defending Champions League victors, Club America, but conceded twice at home in the 2-2 draw.
Understandably, D.C. looked less fluid on the road in Mexico compared to Seattle, playing at home. But neither MLS team looked overwhelmed Tuesday, which could've easily been the case facing Mexican clubs already two months into their season.
So how will RSL handle the vibe in Estadio Universitario?
Here are some questions heading into tonight's first leg against Tigres:
» Is RSL's back line up to the challenge?
Three times this offseason general manager Craig Waibel and the front office were near the finish line with international center back signings. And each time, they saw the negotiations hit a fatal snag. Whether RSL fans like it or not, their center back duo is Jamison Olave and Aaron Maund for the foreseeable future. For RSL to earn a result tonight, it will need its absolute best from both. Likely tasked with André-Pierre Gignac and Rafael Sóbis, the partnership of Olave and Maund must be clean on the ball — especially in the back — and avoid being caught out of position. Gignac and Sobis have combined to score 33 goals in the last year. Against one of the most dynamic teams in Mexico, there will be no breathers.
» Can RSL's front three pressure Tigres?
The trio of Yura Movsisyan, Joao Plata and Burrito Martinez has shown glimpses of its ability together this preseason. Against Tigres, the trio will need to maintain possession and serve as a pressure valve so the deep midfielders and back line isn't under constant duress. While the Tigres back line has been together for several years now, it isn't impenetrable as evidenced in its 2-1 home loss to Tijuana and its 2-2 draw at Querétaro on Friday. If Javier Morales has time and space to operate in the midfield, his precision passing ability will be a main source of chances against Tigres. Perhaps a bigger question is: Will Tigres try and limit Morales' effectiveness and force others to beat them?
» Is the Beckerman-'Sunny' pairing ready?
With midfielder Luke Mulholland questionable tonight due to a quad injury picked up last week in Tucson, Ariz., the odds-on replacement is Nigerian midfielder 'Sunny' Obayan. The new 27-year-old defensive midfielder has seen minutes alongside Kyle Beckerman the last two weeks in the center of the 4-3-3. Having known one another for all of three weeks, the pairing will need to communicate and ensure that Tigres doesn't have many counter-attacking opportunities.
» Will Plata and Martinez be up for the defensive challenge?
RSL coach Jeff Cassar said that when it comes to Tigres and its wingers like Jürgen Damm and Javier Aquino — who was ruled out of Leg 1 Tuesday — he wants to see his team condense the space by having help from the wide forwards as well as cover from the midfielders. Plata and Martinez will be asked to get up and down the flanks in order to help outside backs Tony Beltran and Demar Phillips.
» Notes: The following players are a single yellow card away from being suspended for the second leg at Rio Tinto Stadium on March 2: Damian Alvarez, Antonio Briseño, Rafael Sóbis, Jorge Torres Nilo, Alonso Zamora; Kyle Beckerman, Justen Glad, Demar Phillips, Devon Sandoval.
» Last quote: From Tony Beltran: "I don't really think we're thinking about being the underdog, one way or the other. We just understand the situation: There's two games, a home and away leg. It's the quarterfinals. Anything can happen in Champions League. [Tigres is] a pretty dominant team in this region, but again, there are two legs and the best team will advance."
All the hype and chatter goes out the window once the ball rolls in Monterrey. RSL's return to the Champions League knockout round has returned nearly five years since its run to the 2011 final. Just an uneducated guess here, but in order to get a result tonight, RSL will need a vintage outing from Nick Rimando.
-Chris Kamrani
Twitter: @chriskamrani