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
KYLE REYNISH
GOALKEEPER
HEIGHT: 6-3 WEIGHT: 190 DOB: 11/3/83 HOMETOWN: Valencia, CA ACQUIRED: 2007 MLS SuperDraft LAST SEASON: Played 3 games (all starts) in goal for RSL, registering 2 wins, 2 shutouts and a 0.67 GAA LAST MLS WIN: 05/26/12 v DAL (2 career wins) LAST MLS SHUTOUT: 5/9/12 @ CHI – 3nd career clean sheet LAST GAME: 5/26/12 - start/90’ in 3-2 W v DAL With the retirement of Andy Williams this past offseason, goalkeeper Kyle Reynish becomes the recipient of the “current longest tenured RSL player” title, as the netminder drafted on Jan. 18, 2007 will begin his sixth full season with the squad in 2012. As the back-up to the 2nd-longest tenured player, Nick Rimando, the UC-Santa Barbara native hasn’t had many occasions to show his stuff in recent seasons, but when he was able to in 2011 he would deliver, notching two shutout wins in his three first-team appearances. The 27-year-old ‘keeper will not only continue to be perhaps the league’s most underrated understudy, but will also be looked at to help mentor young Lalo Fernandez, RSL’s latest Homegrown addition to the roster.
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CODY ARNOUX
FORWARD
HEIGHT: 5-10 WEIGHT: 170 DOB: 4/13/88 HOMETOWN: Wilmington, NC ACQUIRED: via special MLS lottery in March, 2011 PRONOUNCIATION: arr-KNOW LAST SEASON: Played 2 games (0 starts) in all competitions for RSL, totaling 69 minutes LAST MLS GOAL: yet to score LAST MLS ASSIST: yet to assist LAST GAME: 3/20/12 - start/45’ in 1-1 T v KC (reserves) The 2012 season can almost be considered a fresh start for forward Cody Arnoux, who was injured upon joining Real Salt Lake last February and couldn’t return to the field from injuries until the season was mostly through. However, with a year of seasoning in RSL’s system under his belt, a completely clean bill of health and plenty of work ethic in tow, the former Wake Forest standout will be ready to make up for lost time and contribute major minutes off the bench during the Claret-and-Cobalt’s busy campaign.
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SANDY, UT
SEBASTIAN VELASQUEZ
MIDFIELDER
HEIGHT: 5-7 WEIGHT: 140 DOB: 2/11/91 HOMETOWN: Greenville, SC ACQUIRED: 2012 MLS SuperDraft LAST MLS GOAL: none in 6 career MLS appearances LAST MLS ASSIST: none in 6 career MLS appearances LAST GAME: 05/26/12 - sub/1’ in 3-2 W v DAL
If you were not aware of Sebastian Velasquez when Real Salt Lake selected him towards the end of the 2012 MLS SuperDraft, well, you weren’t alone … the plucky playmaker was the first Junior College player to be selected on draft day since Kansas City took another member of the RSL family, Yura Movsisyan, six years earlier. The Wasatch Front is a long way from Spartanburg Methodist College in South Carolina, but when word from collegiate scouting contacts about the “diamond-in-the-Upstate” came across RSL’s attention, due diligence by assistant coach Miles Joseph paid off for the now-21-year-old midfielder via an invite to the club’s December combine in Arizona. Velasquez impressed enough there to earn the nod to the next level, where he will be allowed plenty of time to learn how pull the strings on the top of RSL’s midfield diamond behind Javier Morales and Luis Gil.
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CHRIS SCHULER
DEFENDER
HEIGHT: 6-4 WEIGHT: 185 DOB: 9/6/87 HOMETOWN: Aurora, IL ACQUIRED: 2010 MLS SuperDraft (37th) PRONOUNCIATION: SHOO-ler LAST SEASON: Played 23 games (18 starts) in all competitions, scoring 2 goals LAST MLS GOAL: 9/3/11 v PHI (26’) - 15 games ago LAST MLS ASSIST: 4/28/12 v TOR (7’) - 2 games ago LAST GAME: 05/12/12 - sub/70’ in 1-0 W @ SEA What a difference a year made for defender Chris Schuler. After showing a glimpse of promise that was cut short due to injury in 2010, the Chicagoland native returned to the field with a vengeance in 2011, playing in 27 matches across all competitions as injuries and suspensions wrecked havoc at times on the RSL backline. Five months after breaking his foot just the day after RSL clinched a spot in the CONCACAF Champions League knockout phase, it was perhaps fate that Schuler would be called upon to serve in place of the suspended Nat Borchers right off the bat against Columbus in the CCL Quarterfinals. The 24-year-old would pass that test with flying colors, and, as the RSL Technical Staff began to grow more and more comfortable with him, Schuler would also begin to draw assignments at outside back as situations dictated. While some may think it unfortunate to sit behind one of the best center back tandems in league history on the depth chart, it is clear during the 2012 preseason that Schuler has been soaking up knowledge from Borchers and Jamison Olave over the course of his first two pro seasons. Learning the tricks of the trade from those pillars both technically and leadership-wise will certainly pay off with even better performances when called upon down the road, which may occur just as much this season with another congested schedule on the docket for the Claret-and-Cobalt.