This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated.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.
Center back Aaron Maund will not be available when Real Salt Lake visits the Seattle Sounders on Sunday.
Maund did not train with the team on Friday in Sandy. After the session, head coach Jeff Cassar said the defender was dealing with a foot injury.
"This weekend, no," the coach said when asked if Maund might be ready to suit up against Seattle. "We're still evaluating what's going on with him and the process that we're going to go through. It's a foot injury. He won't be available this weekend and we'll see what exactly our path is going to be with him."
Maund has been one of RSL's most consistent contributors the past two seasons.
Without him in the lineup, Cassar has some interesting decisions to make this weekend.
Defender Jamison Olave has impressed in his two most recent stints in the starting lineup. Cassar said he thought the center back "played like a beast" when he helped mark striker C.J. Sapong in Philadelphia.
But will the 34-year-old play on the turf at CenturyLink Field?
It's fair to wonder, too, about Chris Schuler's availability.
After finalizing his deal to return to RSL, Schuler trained fully with the first team on Friday, pairing with Phanuel Kavita in scrimmages, while center backs Justen Glad and Olave paired together on the other side of the field.
Schuler is fully fit and has played 90 minutes in his last six starts for the Real Monarchs before getting his new deal. But — setting aside the adjustment period RSL feels Schuler will need to get back to facing MLS size and speed — it might be risky to put the oft-injured defender onto the turf in his first game back.
— Aaron Falk
Twitter: @aaronfalk