A somewhat new-look Real Salt Lake stepped onto its new practice field for the first time on Wednesday. With the return of U.S. U-20 stars Freddy Adu, Chris Seitz and Nathan Sturgis -- who's barely had a chance to train with RSL since arriving with Robbie Findley on June 21-- and the addition of defensive midfielder Kyle Beckerman and defender Chris Wingert in a pair of trades earlier in the week, a much younger-looking and feeling RSL is getting their first chance to know one another.

Aside from the new digs, the new-look team will be getting more practice before from the visits of Everton of the English Premier League on Saturday and then South American champion Boca Juniors on Wednesday. The Salt Lake Tribune calls these tough contests "a dress rehearsal" for the second half of what's been "a disastrous season" so far.

"We have a real good chance to get back in the playoff race," Beckerman said, to which the paper responded: "Give him a break, he's new." RSL has the worst record in the league, with one win, eight losses and six draws. The point Beckerman was trying to make is that the team has the opportunity to pick up points with three straight home games to start the second half of the season. In all, the team has seven new players since the beginning of the season -- four of which arrived in the last month.

Read the original story...