Vacancies Created for 2026 First-Team Staff Under Mastroeni Guidance
HERRIMAN, UT (Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025) - Real Salt Lake has parted ways with a pair of first-team assistant coaches, including legendary former player Jámison Olave and long-time Monarchs/RSL coach Joel DeLass. The entire Claret-and-Cobalt community thank the coaching duo for their dedication, energy and competitive nature that has made a lasting impact on the Club.
"On behalf of everyone at the Club, we extend our deepest gratitude to Jmison and Joel for their years of dedicated service to the Real Salt Lake organization,” said RSL Sporting Director Kurt Schmid. “They will forever be valued members of the RSL family, and we wish them all the best.”
Arriving on the Wasatch Front in 2008 on loan from Colombian side Deportivo Cali, the physically-imposing Olave burst onto the scene that year, immediately stepping into former head coach Jason Kreis’ lineup and eventually scoring Real Salt Lake's inaugural goal at its permanent Sandy venue, then known as Rio Tinto Stadium (now America First Field). Following a successful 2008 campaign that saw RSL advance to the Conference final, the Utah side elected to permanently transfer Olave, signing him to a contract through the 2012 season.
The Colombian centerback made 126 appearances in that time en route to a 2009 MLS Cup victory, selections to both the MLS Best XI and MLS All-Star Game in both 2010 and 2011, while also being named Major League Soccer’s Defender of the Year in 2010, a campaign in which he partnered with Club icons Nat Borchers, Nick Rimando, Tony Beltran, Chris Wingert and Captain Kyle Beckerman to establish a new league standard for goals allowed, conceding just 20 goals in 30 reg. season contests.
Following a two-year stint with the New York Red Bulls - where he also achieved another Best XI campaign - Olave was traded back to the Beehive State, where he would don the RSL crest for the 2015 and 2016 campaigns before hanging up his playing boots. With RSL, the stellar centerback scored 15 goals in 189 RSL matches, adding another four in 63 games with Red Bull New York.
Following his retirement, Olave was hired as an assistant coach in 2017, a part of Mike Petke’s Real Monarchs staff for the Club’s second team, then competing in the USL Championship and winning the 2017 regular-season USL title. After the Mark Briggs suspension midway through the 2018 Monarchs campaign, Olave assumed the reins as interim head coach for the remainder of that season, promoted permanently as the full-time head coach midway through the 2019 season after the dismissal of Martin Vasquez, Olave and staff leading the Monarchs to its first and only league title, capturing the USL Cup.
Olave would then lead Real Monarchs into the MLS Next Pro Era, managing 134 total games for the developmental side while posting a 42-77-15 (W-L-T) overall mark before being hired onto current RSL manager Pablo Mastroeni’s staff as an assistant coach prior to the 2024 season.
DeLass arrived within the Utah Club prior to the 2021 season, joining Olave’s Monarchs staff. Before coaching, DeLass pursued a collegiate playing career at Wheaton College (Ill.). After earning College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Player of the Year and NSCAA Division III All-American First Team honors his senior year, DeLass turned pro, signing with the Charlotte Eagles of the USL Second Division in 2010. After spending one season with the Eagles, the midfielder transferred to Dayton Dutch Lions (USL Pro) in 2011. DeLass spent the remainder of his career with Dayton in the USL Pro, now known as the USL Championship.
After retiring, DeLass joined Lansing Ignite in 2019 as an assistant coach before joining the Union Omaha staff in 2020 and ultimately arriving in Utah with Real Monarchs’ staff in 2021. After spending another season with the MLS NEXT Pro Monarchs in 2022, DeLass joined Mastroeni’s staff as a first-team assistant, holding that RSL role from 2023-25.
In late November, RSL’s 2026 schedule was revealed, with the Club’s America First Field venue in Sandy slated to welcome global soccer icon Lionel Messi and Inter Miami CF to Utah for the first – and perhaps only – occasion on Wednesday, April 22, 2026. Join the 2026 RSL ticketing waitlist at www.RSL.com/tickets.
The Claret-and-Cobalt also released its complete 2026 preseason slate, various key dates during the celebratory 2026 FIFA World Cup year, and most importantly, the entire 34-game MLS regular season schedule (17 home games, 17 away in MLS), which features multiple international soccer legends who are expected to visit Sandy throughout 2026.
Top visiting athletes in addition to Messi and Co. expected to provide highly-anticipated moments include: Korean superstar Son Heung-min (Los Angeles Football Club, Sept. 5), German trophy king Thomas Müller (Vancouver Whitecaps FC, Sept. 19), beloved Mexican cult figure Chucky Lozano (San Diego FC, April 18) and another storied German star, Marco Reus (LA Galaxy, Nov. 7).
RSL’s complete 2026 regular season schedule is available at www.RSL.com.
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