Opinion: Real Salt Lake Must Try To Sell Goalkeeper David Ochoa Now

SALT LAKE CITY – Real Salt Lake should do everything in their power to sell goalkeeper David Ochoa during the Secondary Transfer Window which ends at midnight on August 4.

Ochoa, 21, suffered an injury in the final preseason game against Portland and has since only played in one match for Real Salt Lake in 2022, despite starting 25 games for the Claret and Cobalt in 2021.

His only start came in the 1-0 loss against Northern Colorado Hailstorm during the U.S. Open Cup on April 20. Since then, Ochoa has rarely been seen. He has not been present at Real Salt Lake training sessions and neither he nor the club has made any public statement regarding his status at Real Salt Lake.

David Ochoa & Real Salt Lake Saga Continues

That is, until last night (Tuesday, July 12) when Ochoa answered questions from fans on Instagram after posting two stories suggesting the club is not allowing him to “train with the team” and will not let him leave.

The announcement added further confusion to a fanbase that was already puzzled by the situation.

Ochoa went into further detail when a fan asked why he is not allowed to train with Real Salt Lake.

“No clue. I can only train with the [Real] Monarchs. I thought after representing this crest for 6 years they would have some time of love for me,” he answered.

Fortunately, Ochoa also added that he is “grateful” for Real Salt Lake for turning him into the man he is today, suggesting that the issue between both parties is salvageable.

Sell Now Before It Is Too Late

Regardless, it appears as though that Ochoa’s stint at Real Salt Lake is coming to an end. His contract expires at the end of the year and he will likely pursue a move elsewhere considering the chaos that has taken place so far in 2022.

For Real Salt Lake, they would ideally like to make some money on a very talented, young, goalkeeper.

Reached out to David Ochoa for comment moments after his IG post- initially he agreed to a phone interview with a, “let’s do it.”

Has gone dark since. #RSL

Don’t worry everyone, not the first time I’ve been ghosted.

I really hope the club & David can sort this one out.

— Andy Muñoz (@andyxmunoz) July 13, 2022

Considering the lack of playing time for Ochoa in 2022, it remains unknown if the departure of Ochoa during the Secondary Transfer Window is likely. Would teams be interested in purchasing a player that has not played or trained at a professional level for months when they could potentially wait until the end of the year to pick him up for free and take the risk out of the acquisition?

International Future?

Ochoa has yet to make an appearance for the Mexican National Team after announcing his affiliation to El Tri in 2021, much to the despair of USA fans, but he has been called into the Mexican National team camp on a handful of occasions. The Mexican goalkeeper ranks are aging, making the likelihood that Ochoa represents Mexico over a long stretch of time high.

Ochoa was most recently called into National Team duty in June of 2022.

David Ochoa Market Value

According to Transfermarkt.com, a soccer information website trusted by soccer fans around the world, Ochoa currently has a market value worth $880K. Real Salt Lake could benefit greatly from a sale price close to a million dollars.

If Real Salt Lake can not come to an agreement with any club for Ochoa’s services, they will likely lose him for free in December when his current contract expires. This would be a blow considering the six-year investment the club has put into Ochoa.

Next RSL Match Info

Real Salt Lake and Atlanta United will kick off from Mercedes-Benz Stadium at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 13.

The match will be available to stream via the KSL Sports and KSL 5 TV apps or on KSL Sports dot com.