For the last 10 years, three players have been synonymous with Real Salt Lake – Kyle Beckerman, Nick Rimando and Javier Morales. At different stages, all three have been pivotal figures and the club’s MVPs.
Now, after RSL announced his transfer from Spartak Moscow on Monday, Yura Movsisyan also fits that “Face of the Franchise” tag, as his price tag becomes the largest transfer in the club’s history. That new position of prominence wasn’t just ushered in overnight though – it’s been a process over the course of the year as Movsisyan first arrived on loan from the Russian giants, then established himself among a unique set of strikers in Major League Soccer.
As he looks to elevate his profile in the locker room, in Salt Lake City and around the country in MLS, he could hardly have a better trio to mimic than the ones who have been the leaders for the Claret-and-Cobalt over the last 10 years.
“It’s a big responsibility and I’ve got perfect people here to learn from in Kyle, Javi and Nick,” Movsisyan said. “I’ve got great examples of how to be an important part of a club and more of a leader. Hopefully one day I can do as good of a job as they have done.”
His nine goals have been crucial in helping Real Salt Lake rise from missing the playoffs for the first time since 2007 a year ago to being a serious contender in the Western Conference. With a strong showing in June, Movsisyan became the second RSL player this year to win Etihad Airways MLS Player of the Month honors, joining Joao Plata who took home the honors in March.
It isn’t just the scoring that has been important for RSL. While his style of play lends itself to creating opportunities for his teammates, either through his hold up play or simply by creating space by occupying two defenders at nearly all times, he has also taken on more responsibility in the locker room. It’s a tremendous growth from the 22-year-old who scored 15 goals over two seasons for RSL in 2008 and 2009 before departing for Randers in Denmark following RSL’s MLS Cup win in 2009.
“He’s taken on a leadership role with this team and it’s something that he spoke with me about and he wants to even raise the level next year,” RSL Head Coach Jeff Cassar said. “He not only leads by example, but he’s also vocal in the things that he wants to see the team do. That’s what you need – you need good strong voices out there that are comforting, but also stern at times. He gives you both of those.”
Whether it is offering advice to teammates – sometimes in the form of quiet suggestions and others in boisterous demands – or simply elevating the level of training, he has been immeasurably impactful on and off the field. Add it all together and it becomes clear why he is such a popular figure in the RSL locker room and a personality that will be influential for the club for many years.
“Yura in particular is a very, very giving person. He takes care of all of his teammates, whether it’s going out to dinners or lunches, he’s a very giving person,” Cassar said. “He lives with the theory that you give to people and you get it back in different ways. That’s the kind of character that he has.”
RSL will lean on Movsisyan for years to come after his transfer, but it will be vitally important for the club over the final two matches of the season. Currently fourth in the Western Conference at 12-11-9, Salt Lake is looking to cement a playoff berth and climb the West standings on Sunday when it hosts Sporting Kansas City at Rio Tinto Stadium. In addition, building momentum before the postseason could prove crucial as the playoffs approach.
That mounting pressure only serves to fuel Movsisyan more.
“These are the exciting times. These are the times when games really matter,” he said. “I like pressure games and I like games that are high-tempo. This is what you wait for the whole season. It’s crunch time.”
