The front office last year was a little quiet from my vantage point. There was news, such as the Beckerman trade - that we heard from Rapids fans. There were unaddressed problems. And there was little information in general flowing out to the fans. The result was the fans were left feeling like they were unimportant. This, along with the miserably unsuccessful season, was a combination that caused many loyal fans questioning their ongoing support for the club.
Oh what a difference a year makes! There has been a remarkable change since the end of last season. The front office has had several meetings with the fans, has improved greatly their updates to the fans, and in general seems to care about us. The recent involvement with the fans in organizing a tailgate for the opening match is a good example of this.
For those who have complaints about the front office, take advantage of these opportunities and face the issues head on. The only way to bring about change is to be involved, let your voice be heard in the proper setting, and try to make a positive difference.
This is a recent development. If you haven't already done so, take the opportunity to visit http://rsltothecore.com/rslblog/. It's really too early to tell, but this could turn out to be a tremendous positive for the fans of Real Salt Lake. This appears to be a good outlet for the team to get the word out to the fans in a timely manner, and in a format that fits the times. I also like the possibility of having more photos than we've had in the past, such as the ones featured here http://rsltothecore.com/rslblog/?p=16. So far, so good. Judge for yourself.
I'll let you decide this one. The fact is that we don't fully know what to expect from any of the incoming players, except Beckerman. We've had glimpses of Findley, Mantilla, Morales, Espindola, Sturgis, and Movsisyan from the last half of last year. We also know what Kovalenko and Borchers have done in the past with different MLS teams. But we have only heard about Olave, Cordoba, Joy, and Deuchar.
We know what the retired Eddie Pope meant to us last season. We also know what Cunningham, Klein, Brown and Atiba were capable of. Unfortunately, we are also often reminded of how disatisfying Adu's performance was in his short time here. The rest? Mostly role players.
My belief? I think the group of incoming players will ultimately prove as a group to be a significant upgrade over the outgoing players (not that Eddie Pope's shoes are going to be easy ones to fill). The question in my mind is will they perform like this from Day1? Or will it take time? Even if they individually show their capabilities right from the start, I think they will need some time to "gell" as a group.
Below I've listed where the incoming players have played in recent years. This may give you a bit of an idea of their pedigree. In addition, I've listed where the outgoing players have gone, and used my own opinion of whether or not they have gone on to an inferior or superior league. You can track their precise movement in this thread http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?t=508792.
PLAYERS IN
Matias Mantilla: Defensores de Belgrano, Argentine 3rd Division/Club Atletico Huracan, Argentine 2nd Division/Argentinos Juniors, Argentina Primera Division
Javier Morales: UD Vecindario, 3rd level Spain/Instituto, Argentine 2nd Division/Arsenal de Sarandi, Argentine Primera Division/Newell’s Old Boys, Argentine Primera Division
Fabian Espindola: LDU, Ecuador 1st Division/Aucas, Ecuador 2nd Division/Talleras de Cordoba, Argentine 2nd Division/Boca Juniors, Argentine 2nd Division
Nathan Sturgis: LA Galaxy, MLS
Dema Kovalenko: NYRB, MLS/DC United, MLS/Chicago Fire, MLS
Kyle Beckerman: Colorado, MLS/Miami, MLS
Robbie Findley: LA Galaxy, MLS
Yura Movsisyan: Kansas City, MLS
Chris Wingert: Colorado, MLS
Kenny Deuchar: Gretna, Scottish Premiere League/St Johnstone, Scottish 2nd Division/Northampton, Third League England/East Fife, Scottish 3rd League
Ian Joy: FC St. Pauli, Bundesliga 2nd Division/Hamburg SV, Bundesliga/Kidderminster, 5th level England/ Montrose FC, Scottish 3rd Division
Matias Cordoba: Tigre, Argentine 2nd Division/Argentinos Juniors, Argentine Primera Division
Nat Borchers: Odd Grenland, Norweigan 2nd league/Colorado Rapids, MLS
Jamilson Olave: Deportivo Cali, Columbian 1st division
PLAYERS OUT
Jeff Cunningham: Toronto FC, MLS; starter
Chris Klein: LA Galaxy, MLS; starter
Mehdi Ballouchy: Colorado, MLS; reserve
Atiba Harris: Chivas, MLS; reserve
Kyle Brown: Houston, MLS reserve
Jason Kreis: retired
Eddie Pope: retired
Freddy Adu: Benfica, Portugal, superior league
Jean-Martial Kipre: Sounders (trial), USL, inferior league
Willis Forko: Vancouver, USL, inferior league
Luis Tejada: America de Cali, Colombia, inferior league
Danny Torres: Bodens BK, Sweden, inferior league
Chris Brown: Portland Timbers, USL, inferior league
Jamie Watson: unknown
GARTH LAGERWAY
The addition of a general manager was a critical one for the club. Jason Kreis was in the middle of trying to put together a team, putting in his own system, putting together a coaching staff, searching for upgrades to the talent on the team, and learning how to be a coach in professional soccer while doing it. Simply put, he was trying to do too much and their were several signs that he was in over his head. First, the lack of a GM is likely the reason for the feeling of neglect by the hardcore fans, who received little attention from the front office. Second, there were a couple of high profile procedural errors that led to sanctions by the league. Finally, the product on the field just did not yield results despite some seemingly positive additions in personnel.
Garth's selection was initially criticized. After all, his background amounted to being an announcer for DC United, after retiring from the MLS as a goal keeper. My impression of him has been very postive to this point, despite some limited ongoing criticism. I feel like his approach to the fans has been very positive, his dedication to upgrading the talent, and developing depth on the club has been great. We will see what this produces on the field, but I think he has helped put the club in a good situation to be successful.
STADIUM
There might not be a more significant change for the club this season than the opening of the magnificant stadium currently under construction in Sandy. You can see photo's of the progress here http://www.rslstadium.com/construction.html
Stepping into this fabulous stadium, right here in the heart of the Salt Lake valley in just a few short months will be a moment for many of us to remember for the rest of our lives. It really will be a special moment. One that seems like a dream that is about to finally come true.
NOW LET'S COME TOGETHER
I think everything has been put in place for us. Just one thing remains... the club, the players on the pitch, the organization, the stadium and the fans...Now Let's Come Together. Join me in hoping for a very successful 2008 Real Salt Lake campaign.
