Two things were evident in Jefferson Savarino’s first season with Real Salt Lake.
First was that he was a special talent, showing a rare ability to be dynamic and dangerous in the attack with or without the ball while also making defenders look like spectators to the show he was putting on each week.
Second was that he was having a blast doing it.
After scoring six goals to go with five assists in 22 matches during his first year, he was one of the brightest young standouts in MLS during a year that saw a movement towards younger top-flight attacking players around the league.
When Real Salt Lake announced that the club had exercised the purchase option on Savarino in November after he spent the first season on loan from Zulia in his native Venezuela, RSL Head Coach Mike Petke made a bold declaration.
“In the long run, I think Jefferson is going to go down as one of the best that we’ve had,” Petke said at the time.
Now approaching his first full season with the club, Petke expanded on that thought, making note that in addition to the two aforementioned qualities, a third was clear to the coaches – that he’s not anywhere near done impressing.
“I could see him, for sure, going down as one of the all-time greats if he continues how he’s been going. He just does it with such ease,” Petke said. “I actually think he has another one or two gears above what he’s been playing. He just goes through things with such ease and joyfulness.”
RSL General Manager Craig Waibel expressed similar sentiments. When Savarino arrived in May, it was with an eye on the future. However, he paid almost immediate dividends, picking up an assist in each of his first two starts in home victories over New York City FC and the Philadelphia Union. He was also goal-dangerous throughout the stretch that led up to his first goal when he bagged two in RSL’s 6-2 win over the LA Galaxy on July 4.
On a team stocked with rising young talent, he is one of many that has RSL coaches and fans eager to get the 2018 season started.
“Savarino has the technical abilities to be very, very special,” Waibel said. “I’m always going to be a bit conservative, but we have a lot of players right now that could go down as the best we’ve ever had. Right now they’re chasing a few other guys that hold that title. Hopefully we build a roster that will challenge them.”
Savarino is an inventive and exciting player, explosive on the dribble and creative in his runs. It made him a force with RSL and also earned him his first cap with the Venezuelan National Team on June 3 at Rio Tinto Stadium. He was later called in for World Cup qualifiers, but injuries kept him off the field for the matches in October.
He is also part of the changing face of Real Salt Lake, bringing a mixture of creative flare with the grit on the defensive end of the field that has long been a staple at the club.
“He’s one I don’t see a lot of that bite … and I’m ok with that. It’s a fun game to him,” Petke said. “It’s a very good combination and a good mix. It is an evolution. The amount of talent in this league now is incredible. It’s amazing to me and I think it’s only going to get better.”
