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Sandy • A hashtag popularized around the social media circles of Major League Soccer's most fervent followers has applied to only a few teams in recent seasons, but the #PlayYourKids moniker is starting to make more and more sense for Real Salt Lake.

As MLS franchises continue to pour more money and resources into their academy systems, more first-team players are being churned out on a regular basis.

RSL, along with clubs such as New York Red Bulls and FC Dallas, are at the forefront of this movement. So it should come as no surprise as RSL chased for a way back into the match Saturday at San Jose, it featured six homegrown players on the field.

And one, substitute Jose Hernandez, scored his first MLS goal in stoppage time with an assist from a fellow RSL academy product, Park City's Sebastian Saucedo.

As consistency continues to evade RSL in 2017, the idea of giving more young players playing time continues to creep into the mind of head coach Mike Petke.

"It's something that I believe in," Petke said, "and something that I'm going to keep pushing in the right circumstances."

RSL's roster currently features eight academy products. While the likes of Justen Glad, Danny Acosta and Brooks Lennon are considered starters at the moment, Saucedo, Hernandez, Ricardo Velazco are pushing for more minutes as opportunities arise.

Homegrown Jordan Allen suffered another injury setback after returning to play in RSL's U.S. Open Cup loss two weeks ago, Petke said.

The club's academy products have combined to exceed 2,000 minutes played halfway through the season, signaling the start of a transition as RSL's roster remains in flux heading into the summer transfer window.

"A lot of young guys are getting asked to play a lot of minutes this year," veteran Kyle Beckerman said, "so they're gaining a lot of experience, which is a big positive for us and hopefully as the season goes on, we keep improving and those minutes early in the season will pay off in the end."

Petke, on Shore's dismissal

A day after Petke fired assistant coach Daryl Shore, RSL's coach said the move made was best for all parties involved. Shore, 47, was hired by former coach Jeff Cassar when Cassar assembled his initial staff prior to 2014. Shore served as RSL's goalkeeper coach the past 31/2 seasons.

Asked if he and Shore had philosophical differences, Petke said, "At the end of the day, I had the decision after I inherited something, and it was what's best for Daryl and what's best for us. There's nothing more to talk about or read into that."

Monarchs goalkeeper coach Matt Glaeser will serve as Shore's replacement while Petke and RSL look for a long-term solution.

Orlando City's star cleared to return

RSL's nationally televised match Friday night likely became much more difficult.

On Tuesday, MLS announced that Orlando City forward Cyle Larin was cleared to resume team activities after the 22-year-old forward missed the last three matches as part of a suspension stemming from a DUI charge on June 15.

Larin is widely considered the best young forward in MLS. In 74 appearances since 2015, Larin has 39 goals.

As per MLS policy after his DUI charge, Larin underwent an assessment by the league's Substance Abuse and Behavioral Health program.

"He's a special player, he's a goal scorer and if he's available and ready then we'll have to especially be on our toes with him," Petke said.

ckamrani@sltrib.com Twitter: @chriskamrani —

Orlando City at RSL

When • Friday, 7:30 p.m.

TV ยป ESPN