Injuries cause for a disappointing Real Salt Lake in 2011 – MLS News
The 2011 season ended for Real Salt Lake after the 3-1 defeat to http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Los-Angeles-Galaxy-c39818 at The Home Depot Center on Sunday, November 6. But the statistics conclude to an even more disappointing season for the Royals, and the main reason was key absences in the
roster.
The Claret and Cobalt bench was never in full strength this season owing to injuries, suspensions and International call-ups.
First string players like http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Álvaro-Saborío-c5302, Fabian Espindola and Paulo Jr, who was tipped to fill the void left by Robbie Findley’s departure after the 2010 season, missed several games in the 2011 term because of various injuries.
However, the main reason for the Salt Lake’s lacklustre run in the current campaign was the absence of http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Chivas-USA-c38798 on May 7.
“I, deep down, of course, believed that we were still capable of doing a lot of things,” head coach Jason Kreis told the media. “I thought we could win a Supporters’ Shield without Javier, and I was saying it right until the dying day.”
His absence coupled with minor injuries to the forward line-up never allowed the Royals to establish the momentum that could lead to the Supporters’ Shield; Los Galacticos eventually won the title.
In terms of shorts on target, the team finished in 9th place on the table, while they were ranked 8th in terms of goals scored.
Last year, the team allowed only 20 goals to be scored against them, while the conceded a whopping 36 this term. The goals-against average of 1.06 of the current term when compared to 0.67 from last year, leaves a big question mark on the RSL defence.
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Nat-Borchers-c27368 and Jamison Olave, who were injured in the last two play-off games, missed 15 games overall this season. Their absence in the centre-back positions weakened the defence and compromised the team’s position in the standings.
Even with a depleted roster, Kreis managed to take the team to 3rd position in the Western Conference and the Conference championship finale. However, without Olave and Borchers in the defence, the Royals failed to qualify for the MLS Cup 2011
final.
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