For anyone who thought Real Salt Lake would be taking a leisurely vacation with its preseason trip to Hawaii for the 2019 Pacific Rim Cup, Wednesday’s training session was a splash of cold water to the face. And while it may have been the cool ocean water of Waikiki Beach, it was a strong wakeup call, nonetheless.
Head Coach Mike Petke led his team through a long and rigorous session in the first day of training in Honolulu as RSL continues to build toward the 2019 MLS regular season opener on March 2 against the Houston Dynamo. And while things got spirited in the competitive session, it was just the type of intensity that Petke wanted to see to assure him that the players weren’t taking the goals of preseason lightly despite the tropical locale.