FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Upon hiring Mike Petke as their head coach, Real Salt Lake surged upwards, winning back-to-back games in early April over Western Conference foes.
But since then, the Claret-and-Cobalt have unraveled, dropping four straight by a combined score of 13-1, their longest such streak since August of 2015. The latest demerit? A 4-0 rout at the hands of the New England Revolution on Saturday night, a repeat scoreline from their last visit to Gillette Stadium on April 25, 2015.
There were long, searching looks aplenty in RSL’s locker room after the game, and center back Aaron Maund said he and his teammates have a lot more to give.
“I mean, we still have the energy,” Maund said. “No one in this locker room quit tonight and I think that kind of goes to show the group we have because we could have. The energy is still there, the desire is still there; it’s just us getting those little things right.”
RSL was quick to avoid excuses, too, no matter how easy they may be.
Four players – Justen Glad, Brooks Lennon, Danilo Acosta and Sebastian Saucedo – were all away on international duty for the U-20 World Cup. The injuries are also mounting up, with normal starters Kyle Beckerman, Nick Rimando, David Horst and Jordan Allen all out. And then there’s veteran striker Chad Barrett, who is sidelined 4-6 months following knee surgery.
For center back Chris Wingert, a 14-year MLS veteran, RSL have no choice but to accept such a state of affairs.
“It’s not an easy job for this staff, but they’ll do the juggling of the guys,” Wingert said. “We have confidence in all our guys. As a player you can’t get caught up in, 'Oh, we have all these injuries. Who’s going to start? We have a quick turnaround.' That’s all stuff that is out of our control.”
Petke echoed a similar sentiment, stressing that guys have to answer the bell when their number is called.
“I’ve said it all along: we’re a team comprised of 20-something professional players, you know?,” Petke said. “They’re all professional athletes. So in somebody’s absence, other people have to step up.”
There were glimpses of just that against the Revs, as Jefferson Savarino, RSL’s newest acquisition, made his debut in the 71st minute and twice forced Revs goalkeeper Cody Cropper into a save. Joao Plata was also buzzing in his hour’s worth of work, acting as the fulcrum of any and all attacking moves.
The impending stretch, however, won’t get any easier for Petke’s group. Three of their next five matches are on the road — a stretch that includes a visit from New York City FC, one of the Eastern Conference’s top teams, on Wednesday (9 pm ET, MLS LIVE) and a trip to Seattle to take on the reigning MLS Cup champions on Saturday (5 pm ET, MLS LIVE).
The mood around RSL, then? Dust yourself off – nearly two-thirds of the season remains.
“You know it’s painful, drown your sorrows tonight in a beer or whatever you’re going to do, and we have to look for Wednesday,” Petke said. “That’s it. Look for Wednesday and not hang our heads, you know? Don’t throw the towel in, this is, we have a heck of a lot more of the season to go."
Added Maund: “In this league, it’s all about putting either a win or a loss behind you and moving on to the next one. This is no different and we’re going to put it behind us and we’re going to keep moving.”
