Real forced to make lineup change

0 Comments | Deseret News (Salt Lake City), Jun 25, 2009 | by Dan Rasmussen Deseret News

Real Salt Lake coach Jason Kreis has been happy with the 11 players who have started in RSL's 4-3-3 formation in his club's last two games -- a 2-0 win over L.A. and a 1-1 draw with Houston -- but he won't have the luxury of using all 11 guys for a third match in a row.

Midfielder Will Johnson won't be available for Saturday's home match against Toronto FC because he has been named to Canada's Gold Cup roster, while Jamison Olave also will miss the contest because he received a red card against Houston last weekend.

Accordingly, RSL will obviously have to do some shuffling to compensate for its absences.

"We've got two holes to fill from what I think has been a very good lineup for us the past two games," said Kreis. "We've got a hole with Olave, and we've got the hole with Will Johnson. ... Decisions haven't been made yet, but we think we've got the right guys to fill them."

Olave was sent off in the match against Houston because he received a second yellow card in the 58th minute for lunging into Brian Ching while the Houston striker attempted to take a throw-in.

Kreis said in his postgame comments last Saturday that he wanted to reserve full judgment on the play until he had seen the video of it.

Now that's he's looked at it, how does he feel about it?

"I'm frustrated," said Kreis. "I think I can say that now pretty clearly because I've had a chance to look at it and also address Jamison about it. It's not good enough. We've got to take those type of plays out of our game. That's the third red card we've had this year, and for me, all of them have been unnecessary.

"This probably was most glaring," Kreis said. "For me, if it was his first yellow card, I'd probably pat him on the back for it because he stopped what could've been a real breakdown in our play on what was a quick throw-in by Brian Ching. It was a tactical decision by Jamison to stop it, but when it's your second one and you're 1-0 away, it's not a good decision."

Meanwhile, Kreis said he's been pleased with the recent play of Johnson, who's enjoyed a resurgence of sorts since being moved to the middle of the field.

"I think his game has turned towards the positive," said Kreis. "I think he's someone that's shown over his time here that he's a very important player for us. He's had a little bit of a downturn at the beginning of the season -- he also had good games sprinkled in there, as well -- (but) it's good to see him get a couple of good games in a row."

ESCALADA DEPARTS: RSL general manager Garth Lagerwey announced on KALL 700 Radio Wednesday evening that reserve striker Luis Escalada and the team have decided to part ways.

"We have an option clause in Luis Escalada's contract that required us to exercise by June 30 if we wanted to keep him for the rest of the season. We had a conversation with Luis, and he felt like he wasn't getting a lot of opportunities and so we've decided to part ways," said Lagerwey. "He asked to go home, and we said, 'Sure.' "

Lagerwey didn't rule out bringing in another striker to replace him, considering his departure leaves the team with only three primary out-and-out strikers who normally play (Yura Movsisyan, Robbie Findley and Fabian Espindola.)

"I wouldn't be shocked if we added another player at that position just from a numbers perspective, playing a 4-3-3," said Lagerwey. "(But) I think Clint (Mathis) can play up there, Andy (Williams) can play up there. We're not dying of options. We have Tino Nunez, as well."

BECKERMAN TO BE CALLED UP: The blog Keepin' it Real is reporting that Real Salt Lake captain Kyle Beckerman will be called up by the U.S. National team for the upcoming Gold Cup tournament, which will take place during the month of July.

Beckerman will be available for Saturday's game against Toronto and will then depart sometime next week, according to the report.

Besides Johnson and Beckerman, Jean Alexandre (Haiti) and Williams (Jamaica) have been named to their respective countries' rosters for the Gold Cup.

FINDLEY COULD RETURN: RSL striker Robbie Findley could return on Saturday against Toronto FC but isn't expected to start.

Findley has missed RSL's last two games with a sprained right ankle.

E-MAIL: drasmussen@desnews.com