Aaron Herrera Returns Ahead Of Expected Emotional Encounter With Seattle Sounders

SALT LAKE CITY – Real Salt Lake is off to a nearly perfect start following a scoreless draw on the road against Houston to open its 2022 account.

The road point was earned through a spirited performance with multiple key figures missing in action. Fortunately, Real Salt Lake will return Aaron Herrera to the fold ahead of this weekend’s home opener against Seattle.

Herrera Returns

Herrera was sidelined for the opening game of the season due to serving a red card suspension after he was sent off in the second half of the Western Conference Final in the loss to the Portland Timbers last year.

His return will be welcomed.

It's home opener week! 🎉

To celebrate #RSL staff and players are out in the community all day lending a hand. Our first stop was serving breakfast at the Women's Resource Center 🍳 pic.twitter.com/nlZ7IxtaqN

— Real Salt Lake (@realsaltlake) February 28, 2022

Other casualties from the opening game of the season are still questionable.

Everton Luiz is yet to receive his P-1 visa while Nick Besler and Rubio Rubin are still recovering from offseason surgeries. The extent of David Ochoa’s quad strain is unknown.

Despite the concerning roster issues to begin the season, Manager Pablo Mastroeni has his team playing a determined brand of soccer. The 0-0 draw against Houston saw a handful of goal-scoring opportunities fall by the wayside while a stern performance defensively capped off a promising evening.

Welcome Back, Dear Friend(s)

This weekend will task Real Salt Lake with a greater challenge.

Seattle, one of the more formidable clubs in Major League Soccer, enters Rio Tinto Stadium following an opening week defeat to Nashville while still ruing the painful defeat in the second round of the 2021 playoffs against Real Salt Lake.

Furthermore, the Real Salt Lake contingency continues to grow in the Pacific North West. Former captain Albert Rusnák spends his time wearing green, blue, and shale. He joins former RSL manager Freddy Juarez and former RSL General Managers Garth Lagerway, and Craig Waibel as allies turned enemies.

Naturally, the attention leading into the fixture will be placed on Rusnák and the impact he could have against his former team.

Real Salt Lake and Seattle will kickoff from Rio Tinto Stadium at 4 p.m. on Saturday, March 5, and will be available to stream for free via the KSL Sports & KSL 5 TV apps.