A few things have happened since I last wrote, so let's get right to it, shall we?
The New Kit: Right, now that we've seen the brand new kit, what do you think? It's a bit like the old one with some asymmetry, I think, and while there's a bit less harshness to it (and those sleeves are considerably less… weird), it's not a huge step away from what we've seen in the past. I do think this is ostensibly a good approach: Unlike some clubs, who have been rolling out vastly different kits, we're developing a club identity. In the future, greater variation, I'm sure, will be on the cards. For now, this rather safe approach suits us nicely, I think.
Once again, though, I won't be picking up an away kit. See, I just, well, don't enjoy wearing white. Perhaps I'm too messy or something of that nature, but it's never been my favorite. Still, I've no particular opposition to the away kit, so I'll give my thumbs up there as well.
The Trialists and Whatnot: Thanks to a nice piece from James Edward over at the Deseret News (http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700219408/Sebastian-Velasquez-brings-a-jolt-to-Real-Salt-Lake.html) we've got a little more detail on our trialists and what spots they're fighting for. We also get a bit of a whisper of information on the international status of one Mr. Enzo Martinez, and while it's not a certain thing, it's encouraging. See, he's not at the club right now — he's off in Arizona, apparently, finalizing something about his immigration status. I have no further detail on the matter, but I'd like to take a moment to wish Enzo the best of luck.
So, given this new information, I'll run through the positions and address what's what. Or, at the very least, what I think is what, but that has a terrible ring to it, don't you think?
Goalkeepers: No news here. We've got three of them: Nick Rimando, who has perhaps played himself into contention for the backup spot to Tim Howard; Kyle Reynish, who, if the former makes continued U.S. appearances will be getting his chance this coming season; and Lalo Fernandez, who is homegrown and was handed the #1 kit ahead of the campaign.
Defenders: In the center, we've obviously still got Borlave, but it does appear Nat Borchers will be a bit slow to come back to full fitness. Godspeed to him. Jamison Olave's apparently fit and raring to go, and Chris Schuler we haven't seen or heard much about, so I'll assume he's fit and training. Does anybody know more? Joining them at the back is Leone Cruz, who I suspect will be our fourth-choice center back in 2012. I don't know too incredibly much about him (or much of anything at all) but we always need quality backup, and we saw how we were hurt a bit late last season with a slight lack of depth.
On the wings, we've still got Tony and Chris — our two top models for the kit, apparently — and we've got a few players in to compete for backup (or, I suppose, to compete for a starting spot.) Directly from James Edward (James, I might start calling you Jedward. Please don't hate me for this.): "Kreis said that Terukazu Tanaka, Diogo de Almeida, Wes Knight and Samir Bengelloun are competing for two roster spots, and he's optimistic two will emerge to fill RSL's needs."
Given this, we can assume two things. First, Diogo, our second-round draft pick, isn't guaranteed a spot in the squad. This is a positive thing undoubtedly — and having international talent to fight it out with him will be big. Second, there exists a possibility that the two spots will be filled by international players — lending a deal more credence to the notion that at least one of our players will be changing his international status soon. If I were to put money on it, I'd bet that Diogo makes a pretty bold claim to stay on at the club — if just because he's been handed the #3 kit. Finally, Wes Knight is a domestic player, and this may play a bit into Kreis's thinking.
Midfielders: This is where things get a bit tricky. We've got Will Johnson, Ned Grabavoy, Kyle Beckerman, and Yordany Alvarez in the back three spots, and Luis Gil and Javier Morales in the front spot. However, I don't expect it'll be that static for Luis Gil, and he'll likely feature further back as his development moves forward. In addition, we've got Enzo Martinez coming in, and it sounds like he'll be featuring in the box-to-box spots and the attacking spot when required — but as he's not here in preseason, we still have yet to get many answers on that. Finally, we have Sebastian Velasquez, the wide-eyed young'n he is, and I'm not entirely sure how he'll be utilized. As a final note, we'll also be able to put our homegrown signing Nico Muñiz to use this season.
This still says little about the trialists: Lewis Neal, from England; Jonny Steele, from Ireland; and Benjamin Ubierna, from Peru. I find it difficult to believe that they'd all be brought in if we were going to very quickly fill our international spots without then involved — so, if just for that reason, I expect we'll have some surprises in international statuses.
Forwards: This is where we won't have many surprises, I think. We only brought in Emiliano Bonfigli from Argentina to compete for a spot, and again — his signing is dependent on his performances and the performances of other international players in on trial. My word, my head pounds in sympathy for Garth and Jason. So, we've got our first-choice pairing of Espindola and Saborio, but we've also got Agorsor, Arnoux, Paulo Jr., and Donny Toia itching for some playing time. Six forwards, my word. I'd be surprised — perhaps pleasantly — if Bonfigli makes it to the final squad.
If this doesn't make things less clear, then I don't know what else I can do. Hope I've muddied the waters plenty, and I can't wait to see the boys in action.
Come on you Claret and Cobalt!
Comments