This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Kansas City, Kan. • A persistent rivalry lost some of its bite Saturday before the initial whistle even sounded.
Real Salt Lake's string of injuries reached captain Kyle Beckerman, who was held out of the starting lineup in Kansas City with a calf injury. In a matchup with Sporting KC, Beckerman joined goalkeeper Nick Rimando on the list of notable absences, among others.
Beckerman, who along with Sporting KC midfielder Benny Feilhaber has been the source of verbal jabs in the rivalry, suffered the calf injury during training earlier in the week. He tested the calf Friday, but head coach Mike Petke elected to hold him back.
Rimando injured his hamstring in last week's loss to Atlanta.
The absences created opportunities for some typical reserves. Without Rimando, keeper Matt VanOekel was offered his second start of the season.
"We're confident in him with his (play) the last time he played for us. He played well," RSL assistant coach Freddy Juarez said in an interview on the team's Twitter account before the match.
Without Beckerman, RSL used Sunday Stephen, Luke Mulholland and Albert Rusnák in the midfield trio. Stephen's place in the lineup represented a return from a hamstring injury that had sidelined him the majority of the month.
"We're a little fortunate we have a good midfielders where we can do a rotation if needed," Juarez said.
On the mend
As the injuries mount, at least one sidelined RSL player appears to be nearing a return. Defender Aaron Maund played 60 minutes Saturday for the Real Monarchs, the USL affiliate for Real Salt Lake. Maund has been limited to two first-team matches this season with a hamstring injury.
Midfielder Ricardo Velazco also played in the Monarchs' match Saturday. The Monarchs defeated the Swope Park Rangers, Sporting KC's USL affiliate, 2-1.