This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated.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.

Draper • Some new faces, some old faces, indoor turf and plexiglass walls. Real Salt Lake got back to business Sunday morning at the Soccer City complex by utilizing the indoor soccer facility to commence the drive toward its 2015 Major League Soccer season. The club underwent a 90-minute training session before it leaves for Part 1 of its three-part preseason regimen Monday when it heads to Casa Grande, Ariz., for a week.

More on that later. RSL, like every other MLS club, enters preseason under the cloud of the current Collective Bargaining Agreement talks. League officials and the MLS Players Union have been in talks regarding a new CBA to take into effect when the current deal expires Jan. 31. As has been widely reported through various outlets within the last week, the two sides are not close to a new deal and seem to be farther apart than hoped.

RSL defender Chris Schuler was part of the last Tuesday's discussion in Washington D.C. He represented RSL in the absence of union representative Nick Rimando, currently in camp with the U.S. men's national team. The league presented its most recent proposal, but it did not meet the wants and needs of the players' union. As the two sides struggle to reach a common ground, phrases like "work stoppage" and "players' strike" have become increasingly more used.

Here's Schuler on how the talks went last Tuesday …

"Meeting didn't go as well as I would've hoped," he said. "We were receiving a proposal from the league on a few important issues and [we're] still shooting for some form of free agency and they didn't put that on the table, so it's disappointing obviously, but still quite a bit of time. Hopefully we can come a little closer to the middle, because everybody wants to play soccer, right?"

When asked if the players are ready to take action if an agreement can't be reached prior to the MLS season opener on Friday, March, 6, the RSL center back said, "absolutely."

"I know the players are," he said. "We're pretty together, we've got a good leadership and bargaining committee, [Executive director of MLSPU] Bob Foose and Eddie Pope. You're following Eddie Pope, he's a good leader, so everyone's on board. We're definitely ready. Hopefully it doesn't come to [a work stoppage], but we've made our demands."

RSL right back Tony Beltran said he's not worried about the news that the two sides aren't heading in the right direction with six weeks remaining before the first week of the 2015 season.

"I'm not trying to think about it that much," he said. "We've got great guys on our side that are handling it and the players are united. We know what we want, what we feel we deserve and hopefully things happen, because nobody wants a work stoppage, everybody wants to play, but everything usually happens toward the end of the window anyways, so right now focused on training and getting back into that and then when the time comes."

When asked what he's heard from various friends throughout the league, Beltran said the players are remaining up-to-date on the talks.

"It's our livelihood, so of course we're talking about it," he said. "But that's good, because everybody's on the same page and everybody's unified and we're together. Everybody's very educated; the union reps have done a good job on educating all the players in the process on what's going down as things evolve. It's good, we have a good dialogue."

(For an extensive look at the state of the CBA talks, read this from SI.com scribe Brian Straus.)

***

Meet Demar Phillips • RSL's newest left back arrived in Salt Lake City Saturday evening, putting an end to a two-month-long ordeal of whether or not the speedy 31-year-old Jamaican would officially join RSL in time for training camp. On Sunday, Phillips spoke to the local media after his first day and training session with his new club.

Phillips arrived in Utah Saturday after spending a month-and-a-half on vacation in Jamaica with his family. He spent the previous five seasons playing with Norway and has 62 career caps with the Jamaican national team. Phillips said having two Jamaicans on staff — assistant coaches Andy Williams and Tyrone Marshall — was a big sell on coming to RSL.

"I'm close to Andy, we played on the national team together," Phillips said. "I just wanted a transformation from Europe, come closer to home and enjoy football in America. It's not so much of a big transformation, because it's the same weather in Norway as well, even more colder. I'm happy to be here, happy to be part of the team and I'm expecting good things from the team this season and myself, so I'm looking forward to it. I'm excited. Can't wait to play."

Phillips considers himself as an attacking left back and already has the season opener at Portland on March 7 circled because he'll likely face Jamaican national teammate Alvas Powell at Providence Park.

"I welcome the defensive side, but I go offensive a lot and I can play on the outside left, as well anywhere on the left side," he said. "I'm going to be exciting in going forward."

***

Plata injured • Not ideal. RSL forward Joao Plata injured his left foot in Sunday's first training session of the season. The 22-year-old who had a breakout season in 2014 with 13 goals and six assists injured the outside of his foot, Cassar said, after an awkward step on the turf.

Plata will go in for a precautionary X-ray, Cassar said.

"It wasn't like something where we just said, 'Nothing happened,'" Cassar explained. "He's going to go in and I think we're going to do a precautionary X-Ray. I think it's going to be fine at the end of the day, but it's something to keep an eye on, for sure."

***

Change on the horizon? • It seems the immense change of this offseason is leading way to more permanent changes. Nothing concrete, but by conversations had with Jeff Cassar and players in recent days, it seems RSL is becoming increasingly open to changing — more like diversifying — its approach.

Interesting quote from Cassar after training Sunday: "I think it's to introduce possible shift in formations, both defensively and offensively, tactically, and do it in a way where we're not asking too much of them. This isn't something where you hit the ground running and it looks sharp. You've got to go over and over certain patterns, certain tactics and so we'll really introduce that in Casa Grande and just keep building and building and hopefully we're now really trying to implement it in a 90-minute game in Tucson."

Here's Beltran on what he anticipates the club's focus being on during the preseason: "I think kind of molding together as a group. Any time you lose that many starters, that many key contributors, you just need time on the training ground in these practice games that we're going to have to gel, to figure out whatever system we're going to play, figure out guys' tendencies, where we're going to be successful, where we're going to cover for each other, so again, it's just like any relationship: It's just a period of getting to know each other."

Think it's premature to presume the club is ditching the diamond formation, but as Cassar noted during last Thursday's media luncheon, the staff wants to play to its strengths and depth at various positions.

***

Chris Schuler + Jamison Olave • When RSL traded Nat Borchers to Portland and reacquired Jamison Olave a week later, it became immediately clear the center back of 2015 would at least be quite intimidating. The 6-foot-3 Colombian returned to RSL after two seasons with the New York Red Bulls and will formulate a tandem with the 6-foot-4 Schuler.

"I think they're both intelligent soccer players, they're both gifted and athletically so," Cassar said. "What I like about that pairing is, if there's a mistake made, you've got cover, you can make up for a mistake with speed, you can make up for a mistake with size and strength. But once we get all that together, it could be a lethal combo. I'm really excited about that, but it's not just them — it's with the back four, it's with the midfielders in front of them. It's going to be really important, so the more you can just put them in that situation, I'm really excited about that pairing."

How does Schuler's role or approach to his position change with departure of Borchers and the arrival of Olave?

"We'll see," he said. "They each have a lot of different characteristics, but kinda gotta feel that out. It's hard to say right now, honestly. The team's so different, so we'll see how the roles fall as the team comes together."

Schuler started 25 matches in 2014, nine more than he ever had in his previous four seasons with RSL. The 27-year-old said his goal is to increase that in 2015 and to make him available as much as possible.

"That's something that I did learn from Nat," he said. "I always try to incorporate into my game. I think they say, 'The best ability is availability,' so absolutely, I definitely try to stay on the field as much as I can."

Midfielder Javier Morales said he's glad to see Olave return for one main reason.

"Especially because I don't have to play against him," he said laughing. "We're happy to have him. I think he's one of the best defenders of the league. Now he's taking care of his body, he's a very professional guy, so I think everything is going to be good for him and for us."

***

Will have more tomorrow with insight from Cassar, Beltran, Schuler and Morales on how the club plans on integrating new faces, young faces and various happenings from Sunday's training session.

-Chris Kamrani

Twitter: @chriskamrani