Real Salt Lake vs Toronto: Three Storylines To Watch

Major League Soccer 2017 Week 1 is here and Real Salt Lake opens the year at home with the MLS Cup runners-up. Here are three things to pay attention to in the season opener.

The 2017 Major League Soccer Season is finally here and Real Salt Lake start things off with a tall order in front of them. MLS Cup Runners-Up Toronto FC come to the  Salt Lake Valley looking to continue their success from 2016. Plenty of questions and intrigue surround RSL going into the new year. Here are three things we will be watching.

Who starts at center-back?

Questions about the RSL center-back pairing have been recurring since 2014 when stalwarts Nat Borchers, Chris Schuler, and Carlos Salcedo allowed only 39 goals, third best in the league. Twenty-six-year-old Aaron Maund has been the most consistent CB since then, who has turned himself into a quality starter week to week. Justen Glad was the bright spot from last season, becoming Maund’s regular partner and starting 27 times.

Save injury or an additional signing, the Maund/Glad pairing is what we expect to see for most of the season. Justen Glad’s emergence has led to call ups and playing time with the US Youth National Teams. Glad is currently with the U-20’s for World Cup Qualifying (where he is having a phenomenal tournament) and will miss opening weekend.

Chris Schuler and David Horst will likely see time, either as partner to Maund or as a partnership. It is hard not to see Maund being in the starting XI, but head coach Jeff Cassar has insisted on having an open competition week to week for starting spots. Both Horst and Schuler are MLS veterans in their own right, with over 200 league appearances between them. The duo started the last preseason game against Armenian champions Alashkert FC in a lineup of mostly first team players, and could get the nod together again opening weekend.

Regardless of the pairing on the back line, we can expect Toronto to apply plenty of pressure early and often. Already led by perennial MVP candidate Sebastian Giovinco, TFC bolstered their attack with Victor Vazquez.  A former Barcelona academy prospect, the Spaniard comes after a season in Liga MX with Cruz Azul. The attacker previously spent several seasons in Belgium with Club Burgge. TFC will test the RSL defense early and often, so expect to see plenty of action.

Will we see Real Salt Lake captain Kyle Beckerman?

Beckerman missed all of the preseason after getting a bone bruise in his left knee during an early training session in Tucson. His status for the opener is still up in the air. As previously noted, the TFC attack should be a handful for the back line and the RSL captain will definitely be missed.

Should KB be unavailable for the opener, Luis Silva, Luke Mulholland, and Omar Holness are all candidates to replace him in the middle. Mulholland started several times next to Kyle last year, and could easily slot in next to Sunny. Silva is more of an attacking player and could be used as a sub for one of the front four. This is seemingly more likely with Brooks Lennon and Sebastian Saucedo also with the U-20’s. Omar is the wild card.

Holness showed well throughout the preseason and could be given the starting nod. He even saw time against the USMNT with Jamaica earlier this month. The youngster, however, has only made nine MLS appearances in his career, three of them as starts. The lack of experience could mean veterans Mulholland and Silva have an edge. Especially when the main task will be trying to contain Giovinco in the middle. Regardless of who starts, the TFC midfield will definitely be a handful.

What will we see from Mr. Rusnák?

The biggest signing this off-season has some big shoes to fill. Forty-nine goals, 81 assists, and 240 appearances to be exact. Obviously it took Javier Morales a decade for those achievements, but  Rusnák will likely be compared to Javi through most of his time here in SLC.

It will feel slightly strange to not see El Maestro manning the middle. The 22-year-old Rusnák seems up for the task, however.

Rusnák showed plenty of flash and brilliance in several different preseason games. He also won’t have to do the job on his own, as newly extended Joao Plata is ready to build on a stellar 2016. The youngest MLS player to have at least tallied 30 in both goals and assists (33 and 35 to be exact), Plata could have an even bigger year with Rusnák’s vision and passing ability. The duo looked promising in their preseason time together.

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Jordan Allen arguably had the best individual preseason by anyone on the squad. He, along with Yura Movsisyan, should also help the Slovakian adjust to the new league. Kyle Beckerman has also signed off on the designated player. Speaking on ESPN 700, Kyle spoke very highly of the new midfielder.

"Albert has a ton of qualities. I really think he’s a true number 10… He’s the guy you want with the ball running at the back four… He’s young and hungry and that’s somebody you want to have on the team."

Rusnák’s signing was viewed by some as one of the biggest league signings this window. Hype and pressure add a lot of weight to Albert’s shoulders, but he definitely has the talent to take RSL forward. Expect to see plenty of impressive runs, passes, and chances from the new man-in-the-middle in his debut.

Real Salt Lake vs Toronto FC. Saturday, March 4, 2:30 PM MTN.

The RioT should be rocking as RSL takes the field for the 2017 edition. There should be plenty of action and excitement as the new look Claret & Cobalt look to build on 2016. TFC likes to send players forward into the attack, while RSL will use the high-press with the counter attack. The combination should provide a lot of back and forth play between the two sides.

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RSL is 5-2-5 all time in season openers,  4-0-4 in their first home match since moving to Rio Tinto, 5-0-7 all time in home openers. They are 9-5-3 all time against Toronto. This is the first time RSL has begun the year at Rio Tinto, and the first time they’ve played Week 1 at home since 2008.

Bold Prediction: RSL opens up 2017 with a strong 3-1 victory.