REAL SALT LAKE v MINNESOTA STARS FC - U.S. OPEN CUP TUESDAY
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MAY 29 2012 7:00PM MT RIO TINTO STADIUM
NICO MUNIZ
MIDFIELDER
HEIGHT: 5-10 WEIGHT: 155 DOB: 10/18/92 HOMETOWN: Albuquerque, NM ACQUIRED: Signed as Home Grown player in Sept. 2011 PRONOUNCIATION: MOON-yees LAST GAME: 3/27/12 - sub/17’ in 0-1 L @ CHI (reserves)
NICK RIMANDO
CHRIS WINGERT
DEFENDER
HEIGHT: 5-11 WEIGHT: 170 DOB: 6/16/82 HOMETOWN: Babylon, NY ACQUIRED: Trade with COL, 6/14/07 LAST SEASON: Played 29 games (28 starts) in all competitions, tallying one assist LAST MLS GOAL: 05/22/10 @ CHV - 52 games ago LAST MLS ASSIST: 08/26/09 v. CHV (85’) - 62 games ago LAST GAME: 05/12/12 - start/20’/ hamstring strain in 1-0 W @ SEA
Real Salt Lake broke new ground last fall when it agreed to terms with Nico Muñiz, making the midfielder the first RSL-Arizona Academy member to jump straight to the “big club” from Casa Grande. While technically unable to perform for the MLS outfit until the new year, the now 19-year-old Muniz joined the first team in Utah upon the announcement in September, giving him a leg up on preparations for his first professional campaign with what amounted to a seven week “sneak peek.” Muñiz started three of his six appearances (346 min.) as a regular call-up for the RSL Reserves in 2011, and the Albuquerque native should expect to see his development continue largely through opportunities in MLS Reserve League fixtures during the 2012 campaign.
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SANDY, UT
GOALKEEPER
HEIGHT: 5-9 WEIGHT: 185 DOB: 6/17/79 HOMETOWN: Montclair, CA ACQUIRED: Trade with NY, March, 2007 LAST SEASON: Played 39 games (all starts) in all competitions in goal for RSL, with 16 wins and 15 shutouts and a 1.08 GAA LAST MLS WIN: 05/12/12 @ SEA - ACTIVE (3-gm streak) LAST MLS SHUTOUT: 05/12/12 @ SEA - ACTIVE LAST GAME: 05/12/12 - start/90’/0 saves in 1-0 W @ SEA Nick Rimando would have been hard-pressed to duplicate the record-setting 2010 campaign he presided over between the posts for Real Salt Lake, but his 2011 season was not all that far behind. Once again finishing at or near the top of Major League Soccer in goals against average, shutouts and wins, Rimando’s 12th MLS season gave credence to the theory that the shelf life of the American goalkeeper is almost limitless … a good sign now that the 32-year-old Rimando is the elder statesman of the Claret-and-Cobalt after the offseason retirement of Andy Williams. That being said, it takes more than age to climb towards the top of MLS’ record books, which is exactly what Rimando has done by ranking second in all-time shutouts (87) and third in wins (121), games played in goal (288), starts in goal (also 288) and minutes in goal (26,073). Much like teammate Kyle Beckerman, Rimando’s international career has also picked up steam once again, as the Southern California native has been a regular call-up under the new regime of Jurgen Klinsmann since his appointment as USMNT’s sideline boss last summer. If Rimando can continue to produce sparkling performances like the first half he turned in against Panama in January, it will be a busy year of shuffling between club and country for the RSL fanbase’s favorite “homeboy.”
The outside back position in RSL’s 4-4-2 system is perhaps one of the most challenging spots in Major League Soccer – to call them “defenders” is simply not doing them justice. The role requires players to have the physicality to defend one-on-one, the speed and stamina to make run after run up and down the flank to provide width in attack and the technical acumen to make things happen with the ball, be it by providing crosses into the area or quick combinations with the midfield. You have to be smart, disciplined and in ridiculously good shape … in other words, you almost have to be Chris Wingert. The 29-year-old Wingert will enter the 2012 season as RSL’s longest-tenured field player, beating out his former ex-Colorado teammate Kyle Beckerman for the honor by three days courtesy of their back-to-back trades in mid-July 2007. That longevity has not only shot him up the RSL all-time rankings in numerous categories, but it’s also allowed him to master the abilities necessary to thrive on the island that can sometimes be the outside back position in Jason Kreis’ preferred line-up. To protect against the wear-and-tear that saw nagging injuries effect the three-man rotation of Wingert, Tony Beltran and the departed Robbie Russell last season, the Claret-and-Cobalt will hope Wingert can mentor whichever two players emerge in the back-up battle out wide during preseason to increase the rotation to four by midseason. If there’s anyone up for the task of mentoring it would be Wingert, a locker room leader who also has the NSCAA Scholar-Athlete of the Year honor from his Senior season at St. John’s in his back pocket.
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ENZO MARTINEZ
MIDFIELDER
HEIGHT: 5-7 WEIGHT: 160 DOB: 9/29/90 HOMETOWN: Rock Hill, SC ACQUIRED: 2011 MLS SuperDraft, 17th overall pick, 1/15/12 PRONOUNCIATION: ENN-zoh LAST GAME: 04/08/12 - start/45’ in 0-1 L v COL (reserves)
Some things are just meant to be, and that seemed to be the general consensus when highly-touted midfielder Enzo Martinez fell right into the lap of Real Salt Lake late in the first round of January’s MLS SuperDraft in Kansas City. Why the key cog for North Carolina’s College Cup-winning side slid to the 17th overall pick will never be known, but what is for certain is that the motivated midfielder’s savvy on the ball, mature decision-making and industrious workrate will make the native Uruguayan a perfect fit in the diamond midfield RSL has perfected under Jason Kreis. While the RSL Technical Staff gushed about the Generation adidas product’s production and ability, it was even more impressed with his maturity off the field, forcing many of the pundits who questioned where the 21-year-old might fit on the field for many teams to also admit that the Claret-and-Cobalt might just have come away with the steal of draft day.