Over the course of the last nine years, Real Salt Lake’s identity has been defined by three key players. If goalkeeper Nick Rimando is the persona that brings the confidence in any situation and environment and midfielder Kyle Beckerman is the heartbeat that drives the passion of the organization, then Javier Morales is the imagination that ignites the spark of artistic brilliance.
The last line of defense, the captain and the creative mastermind.
In re-signing Morales on Thursday, Real Salt Lake and General Manager Craig Waibel ensured that the three pillars of success for the club will be intact for a tenth consecutive season in 2016.
“Every organization clamors and talks about identity. Keeping guys like Javier here who understand what this club has been through is important to that identity because for 10 years Javi has helped establish this club and build a stadium and build a fanbase and identify with that fanbase,” Waibel said. “He really encompasses everything we are.”
In the club’s history, nobody has played more games than that trio as Rimando is the all-time leader with 249 games, Beckerman is close behind with 231 and Morales is third with 211 – eighth all-time for an MLS player who has played with only one team.
After going to the 2014 World Cup with the U.S. National Team, Beckerman and Rimando both agreed to new contracts. Now with Morales locked in as well, the clear emphasis on keeping that core intact has played out as RSL enters a new phase for the club. All three saw a harrowing 2007 season play out as RSL took shape through the 2008 season as it made the playoffs for the first of seven consecutive seasons.
In 2015, Salt Lake missed the postseason for the first time since the trio was brought together in earnest in 2007, but the key to getting back isn’t moving on from the veteran players, instead continuing to build around them.
“Any time you talk about Real Salt Lake, you talk about those three players. And those three players have really bought into what Real Salt Lake is all about,” Head Coach Jeff Cassar said. “It’s family, trying to win championships and those three players aren’t from Utah, but consider Utah their home now. That’s where you get the connectivity between the team and the community. Those three players have been instrumental in RSL, in MLS and also in Salt Lake City.”
For Morales, that family atmosphere in the organization and with his teammates was a key component to his longevity with RSL. He was also quick to defer to Beckerman and Rimando in heaping the praise for the trios success through the years that has included one MLS Cup title in two final appearances as well as final appearances in the CONCACAF Champions League and Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.
“They are the faces of the club. The battles with them … it’s a good feeling and it’s something that I want to keep doing,” Morales smiled. “I’m so happy that they are still with the team. I love playing with those guys.”
