In last Saturday's 4-0 victory against D.C. United, Real Salt Lake put together a midfield combination which inserted some teeth into its offensive attack from the opening whistle.
Kyle Beckerman shifted over to the left side of the midfield, a switch which offered him a greater range of movement and freedom to take on more of a scoring role. Nate Sturgis got his first start of the season when he slid into Beckerman's previous slot at holding midfielder.
The tinkering paid off with two goals from Beckerman and two assists from fellow midfielder Dema Kovalenko -- all of which eventually produced a lopsided win against United.
"The coaches got us ready for the game and it showed," Kovalenko said. "We came out and we did exactly what we wanted to do."
A victory will not, however, change the willingness of Jason Kreis and his staff to experiment. With the depth RSL enjoys in the midfield and elsewhere, you can expect to see a first XI that remains fluid from one game to the next.
Kreis does not want to pigeon-hole himself into committing to a particular slate of starters for the bulk of the season. His idea is to treat playing time as a reward to be earned in practices and matches.
"It's going to be an honest system," Kreis said. "If you don't play well, there's going to be a guy behind you that's looking to take your spot and he'll get an opportunity. There's nobody out there that owns any spots."
It was that philosophy that saw Sturgis get the call against D.C. Sturgis played a key role after RSL traded for him a year ago and Kreis wanted to see what he could do after some solid practices and a good outing with the reserve squad.
"He's a player that played a lot of minutes for us when we traded for him last year," Kreis said. "We know he's quality and we were wanting to get him an opportunity on the field."
Three games have featured three different looks for RSL. Forwards Robbie Findley, Kenny Deuchar, Fabian Espindola and Yura Movsisyan have all started at least one match apiece so far. Out of all the midfielders, only Beckerman and Javier Morales have made the start in each of RSL's games.
Veterans and newcomers have embraced the notion of a fluid lineup because they feel like it only improves versatility and depth within the club.
"The way this team is organized there are no superstars," defender Nat Borchers said. "Every guy on the team wants to be in the lineup and can be in the lineup. When they get put in there, it's no problem. We can work well together."
Kreis tries to go into each game looking at who he will start and who he will sub from a tactical point of view. It isn't as much about matching up with an opponent as it is forcing that opponent to find a way to match up with RSL.
"You need depth for injuries but you also need depth for tactical adjustments and to keep opponents guessing," Kreis said.
What early season shifting in the midfield and up front has done more than anything else is demonstrate the need for each player to be ready for if or when they get the call to take on a bigger role.
Kovalenko believes anyone on the team can step up and fill whatever role is needed by the coaching staff.
"We have a good group of guys and anybody can step in and play and do their job," Kovalenko said. "That's important because it's a long season. Injuries happen. Anything can happen."
John Coon is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
