Real Salt Lake Technical Director Craig Waibel sat down with David James at KUTV for a two-part interview that ran over the weekend. In the first part, here, James explored Waibel’s background as a player and how it molded his path to his new role with RSL. In the second part, he talked much more about the shaping of RSL for the 2015 season and beyond.
First was the much talked about formation change. Waibel clarified that the team isn’t taking a hard and fast change from the diamond to a 4-3-3, but rather taking a chance to examine other formations that may better support the talent on the roster.
“I think we’ll see some difference in formation. I think we’ll continue to employ the diamond, but I think we’ll also develop a few more options that our fanbase will appreciate and will continue to make us attacking, but will also facilitate the personnel that we have on the roster,” Waibel said. “We’re much more talented than we have been. So we need to figure out a way to make sure those players are on the field at the same time.”
While RSL has had its share of Designated Players on the roster, it has done more to develop players into that roster designation than signing big-name players from abroad. While players like David Beckham, Robbie Keane, Obafemi Martins and Thierry Henry have been driving factors for some of the top teams in the league, Real Salt Lake has brought in players like Javier Morales and Alvaro Saborio who have shown their talents in the league before earning big Designated Player contracts.
Although Owner Dell Loy Hansen has expressed an interest in bringing in the type of impact difference-maker that could potentially put RSL over the top, Waibel emphasized that any player the club signs has to fit into the culture of the club, first and foremost.
“I think Dell Loy’s committed. We have to find the right guy. I think that search, when you’re talking about that type of player … you’ve got to bring in the right guy that, in our locker room, has the humility to fit in,” Waibel said. “Our locker room is humble. And our locker room is honest. And our locker room is united. You can’t just bring in a guy based on talent alone and expect everyone to be on board with it. We’ve got to do our research and bring the right player in. He’s got to fit what we do and we won’t be forgiving on any of that.”
Finally, Real Salt Lake maintains high expectations for the 2015 season. With the MLS Cup, Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup and CONCACAF Champions League all in play, Waibel pulled no punches in stating the club’s goals for the new season. And while roster congestion may dictate some lineup changes during different portions of the season, he expects to have the team fighting for all three titles.
“There are three cups that we’d like to lift and those are the three. If we can get Supporters’ Shield, that’s great. But there are three championships we’re playing for and we’d like to lift all three,” Waibel said. “Realistically, it’s proven in time that that’s difficult to do. We won’t take any one of them more seriously than the others.”
To watch the second part of the interview, click here.
