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Sandy • Smack-dab in the middle of the busiest portion of the 2016 Major League Soccer calendar, Jeff Cassar once again trotted out a first-team lineup Wednesday night against the visiting New York Red Bulls. For the third time in eight days, most of RSL's starters got the nod.

"You can't wrap them in bubble tape," Cassar said Tuesday.

Starters have been given extra days off after matches due to the congested schedule and are taking care of their bodies, Cassar said, which explains why the usual suspects walked out of the tunnel against the Red Bulls on Wednesday night.

"Sometimes when you get into a rhythm, you just want to play," Cassar said. "You want to score, you want to play, you want to get into a good rhythm, get into a good connection with the players around you. It's about what you're doing between games."

Striker Yura Movsisyan said he got used to the tight schedule playing in Europe and Asia the past seven seasons, so the three-to-four day turnarounds aren't too much to deal with.

"It's about being a good professional, staying off your feet, recovering fast, getting the right nutrition," Movsisyan said. "Our coaching staff is doing a great job of balancing out trainings and recovery. It's not such a big deal."

Cassar might have foreshadowed what RSL's lineup may look like Saturday night on the road against FC Dallas. He said RSL planned on utilizing a "very good team" Wednesday against New York before turning its attention to Dallas, where he referenced RSL's 2-1 win at Sporting Kansas City on April 2 — when several backups played.

"We've done it before in Kansas City and we'll do it again in Dallas," he said.

Phillips returns to the starting XI

A hamstring injury kept Jamaican left back Demar Phillips sidelined the past two matches, but the 32-year-old defender returned to the starting lineup against the Red Bulls. Cassar said it was a minor strain that kept Phillips out of the game-day roster for a week. He last started on June 2 at New York City FC.

Ex-Rangers player on trial with Monarchs

Twenty-year-old Scottish winger Darren Ramsay trained with both RSL and Real Monarchs this week. The former Rangers FC midfielder is on trial with the Monarchs, Cassar confirmed this week. Reports out of Scotland state that Ramsay's contract with Rangers expired earlier this summer.

ckamrani@sltrib.com Twitter: @chriskamrani