Real Salt Lake is one match away from the conclusion of the 2015 season and Sunday’s regular season finale against Seattle Sounders FC will conclude an up-and-down year for the Claret-and-Cobalt.
On the one hand, RSL reached the semifinal round of the U.S. Open Cup, rallying past the Portland Timbers and LA Galaxy along the way. They were at times dominant and other times economical with their patience in earning three victories. That same tenacity and grittiness earned a 3-0-1 record in the CONCACAF Champions League Group Stage to land a berth in the Quarterfinal Round in February; one of four MLS teams to reach that level of the tournament this year.
However, inconsistencies in the 34-game regular season left RSL on the outside looking in on the MLS Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2007. Injuries that knocked players like Joao Plata, Sebastian Jaime, Jamison Olave and Chris Schuler out for extended periods while international call-ups throughout the squad and untimely suspensions forced Head Coach Jeff Cassar into lineup limbo for the majority of the season.
That leaves General Manager Craig Waibel of several minds when analyzing the season.
“Ultimately we set out with three goals in the year. We were in three competitions, so we want to advance in Champions League, to win the Open Cup and to win the MLS Cup. Anytime you fall short it’s a disappointment,” Waibel said in his weekly segment on The Bill & OC Show on Wednesday. “But overall with the season it was the semifinal of the Open Cup tournament that’s a single elimination tournament. I thought we did a good job of advancing in a really tough part of our season through some tough games. To advance in Champions League is huge. It’s exposure in our region and it’s the pride of being one of the top eight teams to represent the region of the world in this tournament. And you have to acknowledge missing the playoffs. It’s a bit of a head-scratcher how you do so well in the two and you fall in the one. There are just so many elements that play into a difficult season.”
RSL still has Sunday in a difficult match with Sounders FC to contend with, then the offseason preparations for 2016 and the Champions League quarterfinals starting as soon as February 23.
In what could be a winter of several changes, but certainly a time of transition, Waibel was poignant with his words on Wednesday about his approach to the off-season.
“Delicate is a really good word to use. The balance of all of it – ego and direction – is a tough one sometimes,” he said. “The opportunity to rebuild quicker is there. We still operate with a salary cap and a lot of things that don’t allow us to change everything into a perfect-world scenario. But the planning and the execution of it is all on paper.”
To hear the full interview on ESPN 700, click here.
