RSL's Beckerman: 'We came here to win'
Midfielder, Real teammates begin training at Qwest Field ahead of Sunday's final
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"We came here to win," RSL midfielder Kyle Beckerman said after the Friday morning training session. "We think we can win. We don't really care who we're playing or who is on the team. So it should be fun."
After taking a day off Thursday to travel to Seattle, RSL trained for approximately an hour and a half in the first of its two practice sessions in the Emerald City. As light drizzle and gray clouds obscured the sun from view, RSL went through finishing drills and small-sided games in what RSL head coach Jason Kreis described as a light session.
Kreis said the Qwest Field surface, a high-grade brand of turf, influenced his decision to run his side through a lighter session than usual two days prior to the match.
"We didn't change anything about the way we trained today," Kreis said. "We do have to pay attention to the fact that it's a harder surface. You can't put your team through a regular session two days before the match. We went very light and just did technical stuff today."
The intricate work will help RSL adjust to a faster, harder surface that should quicken considerably with rain in the forecast for the rest of the weekend. Real Salt Lake goalkeeper Nick Rimando said he wanted to take the next two days to figure out how the surface will play and how the ball might skip off of it after playing the past four matches on grass.
"For a goalkeeper, it's a nightmare," Rimando said. "You have to adjust and look at the skipping balls, especially if it's a beautiful day like today. You have to look at the wet surface and adjust to it. I think the defenders (will), as well. We have follow every play out. We'd like to get back here tomorrow and get used to it as much as we can."
The speed of the surface will also impact how RSL's midfield, a group of four that likes to play the ball quickly along the ground through the center of the park and feed striker Robbie Findley in behind the opposing rearguard, moves the ball. Beckerman said RSL will have to gauge how to weigh its passes and lean on its experience from its former home at Rice-Eccles Stadium, a venue with an older and harder brand of turf surface than the one currently installed at Qwest Field, to keep its possession game in order.
"It has a fast feel to it," Beckerman said. "A lot of us have some experience on it back from Rice-Eccles in Salt Lake City and we did pretty well on it, so hopefully we can take some of that and bring it here."
Pondering about the turf and progressing through a training session is just another way to keep the regular routine leading into an irregular matchday. Kreis said earlier in the week that he wanted to keep his players in the same rhythm they had forged during the playoffs by traveling on the same day and training at the same times.
That normalcy will be important as RSL wades deeper into uncharted waters. Rimando, a MLS Cup winner in 2004 with D.C. United, said his side will have to treat these next two days as if they were preparing for a normal match, even though the stakes are considerably higher. If RSL can maintain its cadence and its focus, Rimando said his side can keep its focus and put itself in position to obtain its goals.
"As much as it's a final game, you want to go into the game as if it was just another game," Rimando said. "You can't put too much pressure on yourself and you can't put too much pressure on your teammates. We have to go in there and relax."
Kyle McCarthy is a contributor to MLSnet.com
