SANDY, Utah (Friday, December 28, 2018) – Real Salt Lake announced on Friday that the club has retained General Manager Craig Waibel with a new multi-year contract. Real Salt Lake has reached the postseason in two of the last three seasons since Waibel’s first full season in the role of General Manager and has increased the club’s win total in each season since his appointment as GM in 2015.
“In speaking with Craig about the future of the club, we are collectively very optimistic and excited about the direction of RSL,” Real Salt Lake Owner Dell Loy Hansen said. “We share the same commitment to creating the best Academy and player development system in MLS and Craig has been successful in advancing that vision while signing key international players that create a playoff side. We are excited about the future of Real Salt Lake.”
Waibel originally came to Real Salt Lake to join the coaching staff prior to the 2014 season and saw a meteoric rise in the years that followed. After his first season, he was promoted to Technical Director and then General Manager and under his guidance, Real Salt Lake made the playoffs in 2016 and 2018.
“I want to thank Mr. Hansen for putting the faith and trust in me over the last four years and continues to put in me moving forward. I’ve learned a lot in my time with RSL about how to build a team that is reflective of our club’s vision and the passion of our fanbase,” Waibel said. “We will continue to pursue the perfect storm where every movement of the team on and off the field is representative of the character of the fans that have been so supportive of Real Salt Lake since the inception. Together we will define the identity of who we are as a club on the pitch, in the stands and in the community.”
Over the last four years, RSL has seen an increase in player development, with six products of the Real Salt Lake Academy seeing significant playing time in the 2018 season. Over the course of the season, RSL Homegrown players accounted for 10,826 minutes in the regular season, most of any team in Major League Soccer. This month, two of those players, DF Justen Glad and FW Corey Baird, received call-ups to the upcoming U.S. National Team January camp in 2019. Baird also was voted 2018 AT&T MLS Rookie of the Year, the first RSL player in club history to achieve that honor.
Additionally, RSL has had young players representing the club in the annual MLS 24-Under-24 list each year. In 2015, FW Joao Plata was ranked No. 9. In 2016, DF Justen Glad (15) and DF/FW Jordan Allen (16) were both on the list. Then in 2017, Glad (18) was joined by newcomers MF Albert Rusnák (15) and FW Jefferson Savarino (22). This year, the list was reduced to 22-Under-22 and RSL had three players on the list – Savarino (5), Glad (9) and DF Brooks Lennon (15), who earned RSL Defender of the Year honors in his first season as a right back in 2018.
In total, RSL has signed 10 Homegrown players in the last four years, continuing the club’s philosophy of developing players from within the organization. Along with Rusnák and Savarino last year, other key international additions have included MF Damir Kreilach in 2018 and DF Marcelo Silva in 2017, while the club has high hopes for DF Nedum Onuoha as well. Rusnák has been the club’s leader in goals and assists over the last two seasons, winning club MVP and Golden Boot honors in 2017. In 2018, Kreilach stepped into the lineup and earned club MVP and Golden Boot honors.
Prior to his work with Real Salt Lake, Waibel had a decorated 12-year playing career. In his time with the LA Galaxy, San Jose Earthquakes and Houston Dynamo, the hard-nosed defender won four MLS Cup titles, one Supporters’ Shield and one Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup championship. His four MLS Cup titles ranks tied for fourth in MLS history, trailing only Landon Donovan, Jeff Agoos, Todd Dunivant and Brian Mullan.
2019 Real Salt Lake season tickets are available now at RSL.com/Tickets or by calling 844-REAL-TIX (844-732-5849).
Waibel will be available for comment via conference call on Friday afternoon at 1 p.m. MT. For call-in information, contact Matt Gaschk at mgaschk@rsl.com.
