SANDY, Utah – Real Salt Lake are looking especially thin at the forward position and got some more bad news on Thursday.
But the news was worse for forward Alvaro Saborio.
The Costa Rican forward fractured the fifth metatarsal in his right foot while training with the Costa Rican national team. According to RSL, Saborio will be out for three to four months, and that means he will be unable to participate in the World Cup, much less most of the rest of the MLS season.
RSL's all-time leading scorer will be back in Utah in the next few days, where he'll be evaluated by team doctors.
Saborio and Joao Plata each have six goals this season to lead the Claret-and-Cobalt, and Plata went down during Saturday's scoreless tie with Dallas – the second time this season he's strained his hamstring. But RSL head coach Jeff Cassar told reporters it appears far less serious this time around.
“He's doing really well,” Cassar said. “He's going to be traveling with us and it's a day-to-day thing.”
Plata hasn't been entirely ruled out for Saturday's game in Seattle (4 pm ET, MLS Live), but an appearance by the diminutive striker is “doubtful.”
“But he's going to come with us to Columbus [after the Seattle game] and see how it goes,” Cassar added.
Devon Sandoval is expected to start alongside Olmes Garcia, and Sandoval – who took “a knock” againt Dallas and sat out training earlier this week – said he's ready.
“I'm good,” he said. “I was a little sore after the game, but should be good to go this weekend.”
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Robbie Findley, still trying to get back into form after undergoing major knee surgery in December, is expected to be available off the bench. And Sandoval said he, Garcia and Findley “are pretty familiar with each other.”
“We just go out there and play our game and everything will fall into place.”
Despite an improving bill of health for Sandoval and Findley, the team is looking at all its options when it comes to putting players at the forward position, including midfielder Luis Gil and even defender Abdoulie Mansally, who played forward for the New England Revolution before joining RSL
“Everyone's an option,” Cassar said. “You can always put different players up there. Obviously, Mansally's fast,” Cassar said. “He's got a pretty good shot. So that could be an option.”
