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Real Salt Lake Face Uncertain Offseason

By @DFresh39

Real Salt Lake Uncertain Offseason

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The 5-0 defeat at the hands of the Los Angeles Galaxy is going to linger well into the offseason for Real Salt Lake. They are one of the most stable franchises in MLS, but the unceremonious exit from the playoffs brings a new reality. The core players’ age is starting to become a concern. GM Garth Lagerwey is out of a contract at the end of the year. A team that is used to stability is faced with some tough questions.

RSL faced some changes last year when Jason Kreis left to coach NYCFC, but they stayed in house by hiring Jeff Cassar. It’s easy to argue that losing Lagerwey would be a bigger subtraction from the team. The former Dallas Burn goalkeeper has been the one pulling the strings in Sandy, Utah since 2007. RSL made the playoffs in his first full year as GM in 2008, and have not missed the postseason since.

They also reached the 50-point mark for the fifth year in a row in the 2014 season. Lagerwey is also behind a highly-successful academy based in Arizona.

Lagerwey and owner Dell Loy Hansen decided to table contract negotiations until the season ended, and that is how things went with Kreis as well. As MLS continues to expand, Lagerwey is a hot commodity. He has voiced his interest in being a team president in the past. The way RSL’s season ended may be more leverage for Hansen.

If the team had went on to win a championship, then the bargaining power would have been in Lagerwey’s court. Still Lagerwey’s consistency drives up interest and contract terms.

As for the core of players, it is not a revelation that they are getting older. Kyle Beckerman, Nick Rimando and Javier Morales are among the players over 30 on the team. Will team leadership try to infuse more youth or continue with what they know? Not unlike the other teams in MLS, Real Salt Lake will have to navigate a dispersal draft for Chivas USA players, and an expansion draft prior to the plethora of usual MLS mechanisms used for creating the roster. If they move toward, youth fans should expect a step back in production.

RSL have personnel decisions to make, but have a GM with an uncertain future. Losing Lagerwey would shake the foundation of the organization, but they may be leaning toward making changes regardless. The next few weeks will be interesting and important for the future of the organization. Depending on the resolutions that are reached, the painful playoff exit could linger for some time.

Douglas Smith is a soccer writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @DFresh39, “Like” him on Facebook, or add him to your network on Google.

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