http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Real-Salt-Lake-c40339 in relaxed mood ahead of the CCL final but miss skipper Kyle Beckerman at Rio Tinto
Major League Soccer fans can see the joy of Real Salt Lake players. The team has made history by being the first ever MLS team to appear in a CONCACAF Champions League final. To top the final appearance, the team also has the upper hand on CF http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Monterrey-c39943,
having drawn the first-leg of the final at Estadio Tecnologico.
Owing much to a 37-game unbeaten streak at the home ground, Rio Tinto, the fans are no strangers to relaxed atmosphere at the venue for the second-leg. “Guys have been loose and relaxed and feeling confident for many, many weeks,” Salt Lake manager Jason
Kreis said. “So it’s no surprise to me.”
The team has not tasted defeat at the site for more than a year, but the home side are still cautious of Los Rayados.
“If we don’t keep the ball we’re going to be under it,” central defender http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Nat-Borchers-c27368 said. “I think they’re such a good possession-oriented team, that they’re going to have the ball for long periods of time. And when we win it back, we’re going to have
to keep the ball for long periods of time. We definitely have to focus on that.”
The Royals, however, will not be fielding the same team that took to the pitch for the first-leg in http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Kyle-Beckerman-c21556 received a red card in the first encounter, and a replacement for his talents would be hard to find even in the talented Claret
and Cobalt roster.
The manager will reveal the replacement on the match day, but US veteran http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Jean-Alexandre-c18115 is also an eligible candidate for the position as the player is a natural holding midfielder. Needless to say,
a lot of hard work will be required from the player who steps in to fill Beckerman’s shoes.
“I think his work rate is difficult to duplicate," Kreis said of his captain, "and it’s difficult for you to get all players to work as hard as Kyle Beckerman. You see the level of intensity can sometimes drop because you lose the ground that that person
can cover. But we do feel like we’ve got options that are capable of it.” He concluded.
With the absence of their hardworking skipper on the back of their minds, the home side would be feeling the pressure of the expectations. Furthermore, The Real have an unbeaten streak to protect, which is not an easy task by any means. The final thus promises
to be an enthralling affair.
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