REAL SALT LAKE NAMES ELLIOT FALL GENERAL MANAGER
USL Championship-Winning GM Dan Egner Promoted to Technical Director and RSL Legend Tony Beltran Named Assistant General Manager
SANDY, Utah (Tuesday, December 3, 2019) - Real Salt Lake today announced that Elliot Fall has been named the fourth General Manager in the club’s history after five years as Assistant General Manager. USL Championship-winning Real Monarchs General Manager Dan Egner has been promoted to Technical Director and two-time MLS All-Star and RSL legend Tony Beltran has also been hired as Assistant General Manager.
“Today is a big day for Real Salt Lake and we are excited at the development of Elliot, Dan and Tony. All three also have a great passion for the organization and a drive to see Real Salt Lake succeed,” Real Salt Lake Owner Dell Loy Hansen said. “Elliot and Dan have been instrumental in constructing our vision and their progression up the ladder at Real Salt Lake makes them uniquely qualified to continue building our teams moving forward. Tony is a fantastic addition to the staff, bringing with him years of MLS experience. His humility and work ethic are unmatched and his knowledge of the league inside and out really complements the staff we have in place."
Fall has served in different capacities at Real Salt Lake since 2007. During the 2013-2014 seasons, he worked closely with former General Manager Garth Lagerwey as Director of Soccer Operations. In November of 2014, Fall was named Assistant General Manager and has held that position for five seasons. In each of those roles, he assisted in player acquisition and retention as well as in player development, overseeing the Real Monarchs and the RSL Academy at different stages.
A graduate of the University of Utah and Salt Lake City’s Judge Memorial Catholic High School, Fall is a lifelong Salt Lake City resident. At 34 years old, he is the youngest General Manager in Major League Soccer.
“It’s a huge job. It’s a lot of responsibility. This is a club that I’ve grown up in, a club that I’ve been a fan of and a club that I’ve worked my entire career in. I’m really excited to get going and start building a winner,” Fall said. “I’ve had the honor of working under a lot of special people here. Working directly for Garth Lagerwey, Jason Kreis, Bill Manning and Craig Waibel, I’ve had a lot of people to learn from and seen a lot of success along the way. I feel like I have a good idea of what success looks like and now we’ve got to keep pushing ourselves forward.”
Egner joined the Real Monarchs staff in 2015 as the Director of Business Operations with the USL club in its inaugural season. After the 2015 season, he was promoted to Director of Soccer Operations for one season and then Assistant General Manager for one season before moving into the role of Real Monarchs General Manager in 2018. The Monarchs won the USL Regular Season Shield in 2017 and the USL Championship title in 2019.
Originally from Vacaville, California, Egner, 30, earned his bachelor’s degree from UCLA and his Master’s in Sports Management from Southern New Hampshire University.
Egner will oversee the talent identification and scouting department and developmental progression plans for young players with RSL and Real Monarchs and work with the RSL and Monarchs coaching staffs on a day-to-day basis to manage weekly planning and player integration.
“I could not be happier than to step into this role and continue on with Real Salt Lake. I’d like to thank Dell Loy and everyone else at the club who has given me this opportunity. It is not an appointment that I take lightly, and I can’t wait to get to work,” Egner said. “Utah is my adopted home, and this club holds a special place in my heart. With the staff we have in place, in the front office and coaching roles, I believe we are poised to accomplish great things at the MLS, USL, and Academy levels. We have accomplished quite a bit the past few seasons, but the best is yet to come.”
Originally selected by Real Salt Lake with the third overall pick in the 2008 MLS SuperDraft, Beltran spent his entire 12-year MLS career with RSL. Since making his debut in April of 2008, he was a staple in the RSL lineup, starting in 230 of his 245 regular season appearances. From 2012-2016, he averaged 28 starts and over 2,500 minutes per season, making him a mainstay in Salt Lake’s starting XI over that stretch. In his career, he had one goal – which came in 2017 - and 12 assists while establishing himself as one of the premier 1v1 defending outside backs in the league. He was part of the MLS Cup-winning team in 2009 and helped RSL reach finals in the 2010-2011 CONACAF Champions League, 2013 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup and 2013 MLS Cup. For his efforts, he was named to the MLS All-Star teams in 2013 and 2015 and made three appearances for the U.S. National Team in 2013 and 2014.
A native of Claremont, California, Beltran, 32, played collegiately at St. John’s University and UCLA. He earned his degree from Southern New Hampshire University.
Beltran will be responsible for assisting Fall and Egner in player personnel decisions, managing the coaching staff at all levels including coaching development, game day analysis and training session analysis and in designing, implementing and supervising integration of team curriculum at all levels.
“Staying in soccer and continuing to work with RSL is the right thing for me to do beyond my playing career. The club has been my home for twelve years, and I care deeply about its future. Discussions with Mr. Hansen and the front office staff about their vision for the organization cemented this truth; I want to remain part of where RSL is heading,” Beltran said. “I’m thankful to all involved in entrusting me with the opportunity to do so as Assistant General Manager. In this new role I will continue to always value the wellbeing of the organization, while never forgetting the club’s responsibility as an heir of pride for the community.”
Real Salt Lake has led Major League Soccer in minutes played by Academy products in each of the last two seasons and reached the Western Conference Semifinals in both seasons. With Real Monarchs reaching the USL Championship Final in 2019 and the USL Regular Season Shield in 2017, RSL’s youth development structure has shown an ability to develop young players coming through the RSL Academy as well as those joining from other organizations.
RSL has reached the postseason 10 times in the last 12 seasons, winning MLS Cup in 2009 and advancing to the MLS Cup Final in 2013. Originally established in 2004, Real Salt Lake opened its inaugural season in 2005 at Rice-Eccles Stadium on the University of Utah campus before moving to Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah, late in the 2008 season, where it has established the best home record in MLS.
