Keepin' It Real: Hashimoto

Real Salt Lake goalkeeper Nick Rimando was voted MLS Player of the Month for July after posting three shutouts in four matches as RSL went undefeated in July.

MLS: Rocky road ahead for RSL -> The Salt Lake Tribune/ Michael C. Lewis
Although RSL still doesn't play for another two weeks, it knows that once it returns to the field, it will have a challenging path to the first playoff appearance in franchise history - no matter where it's sitting in the standings. Six of its next eight games are on the road, meaning that the team probably is going to have to shed its historical reputation as an awful road team to avoid being overtaken during the stretch run.

Weekly Update: First-place RSL get break -> Real Salt Lake Media Relations
Findley provided the dramatic finish for Real Salt Lake three minutes later, as his sliding finish from 14 yards out allowed RSL to climb above .500 for the first time in club history and head into an 18-day break with a four-point lead in the Western Conference standings over second-place sharers Houston and Los Angeles.

Is Real Salt Lake’s Game for Real? -> bleacher report/David Wilson
Toronto FC watched an opportunity for a precious away point dissolve with Robbie Findley’s late strike during Major League Soccer’s recent edition of Monday Night Football.

The 'Duke of Soccer' makes appearance in North Augusta -> aikenstandard/Mac
Banks
Hashimoto is currently rehabbing a left knee injury and is training in hopes to get back to the professional level. He tore his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his left knee in June 2007 and reinjured it in September of that same year.

Russell sees perfect fit in U.S. return -> MLSnet/John Coon
"I really feel like this is a place where the management and coaches have a specific goal in mind," Russell said. "In my experience with clubs in Europe, that's usually the teams that do the best -- teams that have plans."

A few brief observations from training at Rice Eccles:

Missing in Action: Deuchar (Scotland - work permit), Kovalenko (New York - citizenship), Findley/Seitz/Sturgis (Nashville - Olympic qualifying)

Surprise guest: Duke Hashimoto

Practice format: running, calisthenics, beep drills, 2-touch, team keepaway, scrimmage

Injury update:

Wingert - participated in half of the fitness portion of practice, and then ran the rest of the time. Looks quite mobile.
Rimando - participated through most of practice with Reynish, but sat out of the scrimmage.

Notable #1: Beltran blew the rest of the team away in the beep drill, which is an endurance test. He lasted long after most of the team had dropped out. Javi Morales was the only one who came close, but Beltran lasted a few rounds past him.

Notable #2: Scrimage seemed focused on making good passes and keeping form. Still somewhat defensive focus.

Notable #3: Olave does look like a monster. I can only imagine a centerback core of him and Horst.