On Wednesday afternoon, Real Salt Lake General Manager Craig Waibel graciously admitted that he was wrong. All through the preseason this year, Waibel was open with his club’s desire to sign a veteran center back that could help ease along younger talents Aaron Maund and Justen Glad as the duo continued to develop as starting caliber players.
As the summer transfer window closed on Wednesday night and Waibel did not, in the end, sign that type of player he was talking about, he pointed to the rapid success that Maund and Glad have found in 2016 as a reason the urgency decreased to make such a move.
“Being humble in my position is I think key,” Waibel said in his weekly segment on ESPN 700 on Wednesday. “It’s players’ jobs sometimes to prove us right and it is also players’ jobs to prove us wrong. Quite often that’s what happens and we just have to have the courage to admit when we’re wrong and a player has done more than enough to show that. I think Aaron and Justen have both proven to be very capable of starting consistently in this league and playing at a high level.”
Maund and Glad have now started in 20 and 17 games, respectively, for RSL this season, showing an affinity toward slowing down high-scoring opponents throughout the year. At 25 years old, Maund is the elder statesmen in the tandem alongside the 19-year-old Glad. And while they still have progress to make, the things they’ve learned in the shown themselves capable of in the first 23 matches of the season changed Waibel’s approach somewhat in the summer transfer window.
“I was dead wrong on a couple of players on our roster and I didn’t think they’d perform at the level that they have. If you would have asked me three months ago, I would have considered moving guys that today I won’t. That’s sports,” Waibel told The OC and Swinney Show. “I think what Aaron and Justen have done is challenge my thought process. They’ve formed a great relationship and really a great bond on the field. They’re starting to communicate more and take ownership of that position. They’re starting to lead the backline vocally and physically they are starting to match up better with opponents.”
Although the transfer window is closed, that doesn’t prevent Waibel from making additions to the RSL roster. Until the MLS roster freeze date of September 15, the club can add out of contract players or sign players from within the US – making available still the entire Real Monarchs roster.
Those free agents now become high priorities for Waibel and other GMs around the league and he anticipates that there will be additions to the RSL roster before September 15.
“We’ve had multiple conversations with multiple players. It’s been no secret in terms of where we are with our cap space,” Waibel said. “We’re certainly on the route to signing one or two more guys here in the next couple weeks – hopefully sooner than that.”
To hear Waibel’s full interview, click here.
