On Thursday, Real Salt Lake announced that Craig Waibel has been promoted from Technical Director to General Manager and that Rob Zarkos will now serve as Vice President of Soccer Administration.
The move was well-received in local media and here is a sampling of the coverage.
Salt Lake Tribune: Q&A transcript of chat with new RSL GM Craig Waibel
What's your relationship with Dell Loy like?
Waibel: "I have a good relationship with Dell Loy. He has high expectations at all times in every thing he does, be it business, whatever it is, he has high expectations. That's the driving force that I think people need to continue to give credence to and give time to. He has a vision and much like my evaluation of players, he's got to evaluate what he's doing within his own business. He believes in it wholeheartedly, just like I believe in my decisions.”
Salt Lake Tribune: Craig Waibel’s moment has arrived — he’s now RSL’s new GM
Waibel's latest role in the "entertainment business," as he calls it, is conducted in slacks and a polo shirt. The cleats are long gone. The days of cleaning out guys at midfield to slow down a counterattack or jawing away on the pitch? Also gone. …
"The fans get to have a game-by-game vision of our team," Waibel said. "That's exactly what I do when I watch basketball, when I watch baseball, when I watch football; it's exactly what I do when I go to a movie, when I go to a concert."
Deseret News: RSL owner Dell Loy Hansen promotes Rob Zarkos and Craig Waibel
“We will live up to our motto ‘RSL As One’ as we forge ahead to build a fully integrated organization,” said Zarkos. “With improved communication and sharing greater responsibilities across the club, our team-oriented approach is expected to pay massive dividends for the sport at all levels in the great state of Utah and across the region.”
