After a two-year hiatus, spent mostly on either the bench or the trainer’s table at Nottingham Forest in England, Robbie Findley found out the grass wasn’t necessarily greener on the other side of the fence – or ocean, in his case.
“It’s nice to be back,” Findley told MLSsoccer.com by phone at preseason camp in Tucson, Ariz., a month after returning to Real Salt Lake. “When I was first thinking about coming back to MLS, I realized just how good it was when I was here. It’s good to be back with some familiar faces, with some of my teammates from before."
When Findley left RSL for what turned out to be a two-year stint in the English Championship, he was already RSL’s all-time leading scorer. But the 27-year-old feels he is definitely a better player now than when he departed.
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“I think I have more experience and can see the game a little better,” he said. “I think my first touch is better now, and I’m probably better in front of goal. Overall, I think I just had a couple years to improve as a soccer player.”
Some of those familiar faces in Utah have made progress of their own while Findley was on his odyssey. And it starts at the top.
“[RSL head coach Jason Kreis] is still the same guy, still the same person, but you can tell he is more of a veteran coach,” Findley said. “It seems like has more purpose in what he runs.”
As for Findley’s goals this season? He simply wants to turn back the clock.
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“First, I just want the team to be successful,” he said. “If I can contribute to that, you know, score goals, be dangerous and create chances, and we can win games, then I will be happy.
“If I can get back to scoring goals and just playing at a high level, I think the rest will take care of itself. I could maybe get back on the national team’s radar and see where things go from there.”
