By Kali Korbis
For years, Real Salt Lake’s identity was tied to Jason Kreis and Garth Lagerwey. This season — the team’s 11th in MLS — presents a new opportunity as Jeff Cassar and Craig Waibel seek to make their imprint on the club’s history. In that spirit, here are three hopes and one fear for the 2015 season:
Hope: Integration and team “chemistry”
Much has been made of the off-season departures of longtime RSL starters such as Nat Borchers (Portland), Chris Wingert (NYCFC), Ned Grabavoy (NYCFC), and Robbie Findley (Toronto). However, Real retains a strong core of experienced players, including Nick Rimando, Tony Beltran, Kyle Beckerman, Javier Morales, and Alvaro Saborio. Expectations will be high again for those players, but they’ll also be looking toward the next wave to step forward — Luis Gil, Chris Schuler, and Sebastian Jaime are all expected to play bigger parts this season. Re-introducing Jamison Olave and adding only a few new faces such as Demar Phillips, Elias Vasquez, and Pecka means that the players will be largely familiar with each other, but can they work together as seamlessly as squads past? RSL fans will certainly be hoping so.
Hope: Tactical adjustment
A new tactical system was overdue for Real — opponents had figured out how to defend the diamond midfield and exploit its lack of width on the counter long before Kreis left the club in 2013 — but Cassar generally opted to maintain the status quo last season, with a few notable departures. This season, he’ll have the opportunity to prove his tactical chops, so to speak; RSL has employed a 4-3-3 in preseason, finding some success in the Desert Diamond Cup and hoping that it will translate into an effective system for league play.
Hope: Roster depth
One of Real’s greatest strengths in the past few seasons was its depth — while the starting lineup stayed fairly consistent, there were numerous options available if someone was injured or out on international duty. The offseason saw several of those “fringe” players leave the team, however, with the likes of Carlos Salcedo, Cole Grossman, and Sebastian Velasquez departing. The strong Academy program has produced some young prospects who will be used as cover, but Joao Plata’s preseason injury and the upcoming Gold Cup highlight just how important depth might be to RSL’s playoff and Supporters Shield aspirations. Did the club do enough to strengthen its roster from the 12th-23rd players?
Fear: Patience in the fan base
RSL fans have high expectations. Momentum has been building around the team since 2008, when it moved to Rio Tinto Stadium, followed up by the 2009 MLS Cup triumph, reaching a CONCACAF Champions League final, and consistent playoff appearances. Sellouts have been de rigeur at the Riot over the last couple of seasons as Utahns have come to expect a competitive, playoff-caliber product on the pitch. In this year of transition, however, will Real be able to maintain that consistency? And if the team can’t, will community interest remain strong? As the club looks forward to building more of a presence in Salt Lake with the USL Monarchs and the possibility of an NWSL franchise, the FO will need the larger fan base (that is, beyond the supporters groups and season ticket holders) to remain patient as the first team experiences a few expected hiccups in 2015.
