Sandy, Ut. – The kids are alright in Salt Lake City.
Real Salt Lake are coming off a 2-0 victory over the Houston Dynamo featuring a roster that had an average age of 24.6 years old. The youngsters’ steady performance, combined with a virtuoso showing from old man Javier Morales– he’s 35 – earned RSL the full three points at home.
This, however, is nothing new for RSL. The club's bevy of youth has proven its worth all season long, and is only going to get better as players continue to mature.
Joao Plata, Jordan Allen, Olmes Garcia, Aaron Maund, Luis Gil, Justen Glad, Devon Sandoval, Sebastian Saucedo, John Sterzer and Elias Vasquez are all 24 years old or younger, and have all seen the field this season. And it looks like the reliance on the youngsters is starting to pay off for RSL and head coach Jeff Cassar.
“It’s fantastic for our team going forward in all aspects, whether it’s for the future of the team, or for preparing them for games that they’re going to have to play later on in this year,” Cassar said after practice Tuesday. “But what’s really great is that they’re doing well. It’s not just putting the team out there, but they’re playing well. They’re stepping up to the occasion and that’s really exciting.”
Glad, 18, got his fourth start of the season, this time in the center of defense against the Dynamo. Watch Glad play for a few minutes and it’s easy to forget that he graduated high school just two months ago.
Glad is a key part of the youth movement in the locker room and he’s excited about the chance to grow together with other players around his age. Both he and Allen are graduates of RSL’s Arizona Academy and they’ve combined for 1,037 minutes of playing time this year.
That has only helped forge a closer bond, not only between he and Allen, but all the RSL Academy graduates.
“Ever since the academy, we had me, [Sebastian Saucedo], Fito [Ovalle] and Jordan, and to continue that here, on a higher level, it’s good to be with your friends,” said Glad.
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With longtime veterans Nick Rimando and Kyle Beckerman away at the Gold Cup, RSL has relied on players like Tony Beltran (27) and Luke Mulholland (26) to be more vocal. These 20-somethings have become, at least for now, the leaders of an increasingly youthful locker room.
“It’s great. It makes me feel old,” Mulholland joked. “At 26 I guess I’m classed as one of the veterans as opposed to the young guns, even though it’s only my second year on the team.”
Mulholland spoke highly of the young players, saying that it’s encouraging for everyone involved.
“It’s definitely great to have them on the team. It’s good for the city as well," said Mulholland. "It’s a huge credit to the RSL Academy and I’m sure there are going to be many more academy players coming up through the system and helping us out in years to come. So for right now, I’m just trying to do what I can before they take my place.”
