Real Salt Lake midfielder Emeka Eneli has been all over in the past month.
From training camps on both coasts to games in both San Jose, Costa Rica, and San Jose, California.
The only place he hasn’t been lately? Home.
“It’s been a long month since we’ve been back home,” Eneli said Tuesday morning at America First Field in Sandy. “To feel the atmosphere here, even without any fans, it felt amazing.”
On Wednesday, RSL will play in front of its supporters for the first time this year, hosting C.S. Herediano in a Concacaf Champions Cup knockout game.
The two teams played to a scoreless tie last week in Costa Rica. RSL followed that performance up with a 4-0 defeat in its Major League Soccer season opener against the San Jose Earthquakes.
So head coach Pablo Mastroeni and his team hope that home field will also come with their first real goal of 2025.
“We’ve seen the group that we had in preseason and we scored goals in preseason, so that hasn’t been an issue,” Mastroeni said. “But when the chips are on the table and the first game is a knockout competition, all of a sudden, the expectations got up and the nerves go up. So some of these younger players that were playing free now realize that there’s something to play for, and all of a sudden, we just get a little bit tight.”
The coach said that his job “is to make sure I take the pressure off them.”
(CONCACAF) Real Salt Lake's Braian Ojeda takes on CS Herediano on Feb. 19, 2025, in San Jose, Costa Rica.
Mastroeni said he felt his team took a step forward and created more scoring chances in Saturday’s 4-0 loss than it did against Herediano.
“Now it’s just about burying it,” he said.
Salt Lake traded away its leading scorer, striker Chicho Arango, in the offseason and is looking for someone to step up and fill that void. But there have been some early season issues with the team’s attacking corps.
Brazilian forward Elias Manoel has refused to come to Salt Lake after being acquired in a trade from New York Red Bull. The team is reportedly working on a transfer to sell the disgruntled striker.
Another offseason acquisition, Australian forward Aright Piol, has been dealing with an injury.
Elsewhere on the roster, Mastroeni sees youth and inexperience that will take some time to find its way.
“These are young players that don’t have a lot of experience in this league or in their careers, really,” the coach said. “So if your expectations are that they’re going to go out there and kill it day one, you’re going to be disappointed.
“My expectation is that they continue to improve. They’re very good players that can score and create. But it’s going to take a little bit of time to get that chemistry right. In the meantime, they’re doing everything that’s being asked. And you know, I think [Wednesday versus Herediano] is a great opportunity for these guys at home to really be able to express themselves right away.”
How to watch RSL vs. C.S. Herediano
Kickoff • Wednesday, 6:30 p.m. MT
Location • America First Field
Streaming • Fox Sports 2, Vix+ and CONCACAF YouTube
