Real Salt Lake will be filling its lungs with a breath of fresh air Saturday, as the club will have a few new wrinkles in the match details.
Freddy Adu is back in the lineup after wrapping up his duties with the U.S. Under-20 National team. Newcomer Kyle Beckerman will provide another option for head coach Jason Kreis, and the opponent, Everton FC, is not a member of Major League Soccer.
RSL is jumping at the opportunity to play any team outside of MLS during the All-Star break.
The club is scraping the bottom of the MLS barrel in hopes of better fortune in the second half of the 2007 season.
So far, RSL (1-8-6) has not had many balls bounce its way.
Salt Lake City’s squad invites Everton FC to Rice-Eccles Stadium on Saturday for an international friendly. RSL plans to take control of its destiny, starting with a match in which a win provides confidence and a loss bears no further destruction.
With no league points in play, RSL has freedom to mix things up and take any risk it dares. And it might just have to in order to win.
Everton is a legendary program dating back to 1878. It is seemingly always on the hunt to win the highly prestigious English Premier League, which is also home to international dominants Arsenal, Chelsea FC and Manchester United.
RSL has played foreign foes formidably in its short history. The club boasts a 3-2-1 record against teams outside of the MLS from distant soils. Even this season, RSL defeated the China National team 1-0 on June 7.
In that game, RSL brought Freddy Adu off the bench for the first time all season. Since then, the prodigy has been tied up with the U-20 National Team and his production there bodes well for Real.
The youngster scored a hat trick in a 6-1 rout of Poland and provided two assists in a 2-1 upset of Brazil.
Saturday’s friendly serves well for a reeling club looking for change.
Adu will not be the only unfamiliar face. RSL acquired midfielder Kyle Beckerman on Tuesday from Rocky Mountain Cup rival Colorado in exchange for Mehdi Ballouchy.
The 25-year-old Beckerman has posted 11 goals and 19 assists in his MLS career.
“The addition of Kyle Beckerman gives us a hard-nosed player with a refuse-to-lose attitude,” said Director of Soccer Operations John Ellinger.
The match starts at 8 p.m. with fireworks following its conclusion.
Tyler CobbReal Salt Lake sent midfielder Mehdi Ballouchy away to the Colorado Rapids in exchange for Kyle Beckerman in another trade this week. RSL will give Beckerman a test drive Saturday in an international friendly against Everton FC.