SANDY, Utah – Forwards were supposed to be a position of strength for RSL, but injuries and international call-ups have trimmed an otherwise deep attacking pool.
Luis Gil is hoping to change that.
Long considered a key part of the future of RSL’s attacking corps, recent sojourns with the US U-23 national team and the constant shuffling of Salt Lake’s game-day lineups have prevented the 21-year-old from finding an early rhythm this year. But heading into Saturday’s home matchup with the Vancouver Whitecaps (9:30 ET; TSN1), head coach Jeff Cassar is hoping Gil can now be a part of the right combination to solve RSL’s offensive puzzle.
“It’s getting there,” Gil said after practice Friday. “Obviously it does affect me a little bit, traveling so much. Especially with the national team, in and out of lineups, different positions, but that’s part of the game. As a team, we’re still getting into a rhythm, so that’s got to be first, and then I feel like we’ll do well.”
Much has been made of RSL’s switch to a new, 4-3-3 formation, but it’s hard to judge such a drastic change this early in the season.
Cassar spoke to the media after practice and explained that he is building his team from the back to the front, focusing on a solid defensive foundation before anything else.
“That’s a constant work in progress,” Cassar said. “If you work too much on offensive stuff, you lose that defensive bite. So we’re trying to have a foundation of a solid defense and build from there. Obviously when you have a full complement of players, that makes it even better. But I think our defensive mentality is great. We’re trying to improve each and every day on our attack, but I like the weapons that we have.”
Gil is one of those offensive weapons that Cassar expects to make an impact. Cassar shuffled the lineup yet again to try and take advantage of Gil’s unique skill set, lining him up on the right wing, in a scoreless draw Saturday with Sporting Kansas City.
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That development will presumably continue Saturday against the red-hot ‘Caps in front of RSL’s home crowd.
“You’ve got to look at everything,” Cassar said. “You have to look at substitutions. You’ve got to look also at how you’re going to end the game, but I liked that Luis brings a different look to that, brings somebody that likes to cut inside and combine more; that game was a tough game to do that because we didn’t have the ball a ton. But sometimes you look at somebody’s skill set and put them in a position and hopefully you can get at them.”
