Young Player of the Year Diego Luna | Image Credit: Real Salt Lake/Instagram
Real Salt Lake had an up-and-down season and will hope to bounce back.
Real Salt Lake had quite an interesting season last year. They had a club-record 15-match unbeaten streak before a 4-2 loss to New Mexico United in the US Open Cup threw everything out of balance. RSL ended the season in second place in the Western Conference and was knocked out of the MLS Cup Playoffs in the first round. Since then there have been departures of several players, notably Gavin Beavers (Brøndby IF), Chicho Arango (San Jose), Anderson Julio (FC Dallas), and Matt Crooks (Hull City).
Real Salt Lake has some good things in their favor, with Diego Luna on the rise, Emeka Eneli having a breakout performance last year, and young academy talent coming up to the first team. RSL has a lot of talent in the Monarchs and Academy, and the future looks bright for both the youth and the club. Take Justen Glad for example. He started in the academy system as a teenager and still plays for the club on the First Team.
RSL is looking like they are going to rebuild this year. There are plenty of new pieces, including a few goalkeepers. The Claret and Cobalt are a good team and hopefully, the new signings can lead to big moments. When Diego Luna returns to the squad from a broken nose, the team will be dangerous.
Last year, RSL’s biggest struggle was with a lack of depth in the backline. The club has players like Pablo Ruiz and Erik Holt back plus some great new additions to bolster the defense. RSL’s attack has taken a hit but the combination of Luna and Ruiz in the midfield, joined by Matthew Bell and Elias Manoel in the attack looks promising. RSL has a lot of potential and could make a deep playoff run if they work hard enough.
