Pablo Mastroeni To Meet With Kyle Beckerman Following Permanent Appointment

SALT LAKE CITY – A new era in Real Salt Lake has begun with the permanent appointment of Pablo Mastroeni, he becomes the sixth manager in the clubs history.

How will the Mastroeni announcement impact the immediate future of the club?

“A Lot Of Long Days Ahead”

Firstly, during Mastroeni’s first press conference as the permanent manager he told reporters that he plans on being heavily involved in a number of key short-term decisions within the club. Mastroeni will immediately start working on putting together his roster.

He, alongside the front office, must come to an agreement on the playing future’s of key club figures including 2021 captain Albert Rusnák, winger Justin Meram, midfielder Everton Luiz, and Anderson Julio.

Furthermore, Mastroeni will look to solidify his coaching staff.

It's official. We're dropping that interim title.

— Real Salt Lake (@realsaltlake) December 13, 2021

In 2021, Mastroeni was joined by Assistant Coach Matt Taylor and Director of Goalkeeping Ignacio “Nacho” Hernandez.

It remains unknown if Mastroeni will look to hire both Taylor and Hernandez for full-time roles in 2022.

“That is apart of the work for the next week to 10 days to make sure we secure 1, 2, maybe even 3 members of the staff,” Mastroeni said when asked about the immediate future of the coaching staff. “So there are going to be some long days ahead but that is as important as making sure we continue to solidify the roster.”

Could Beckerman Return To RSL?

Mastroeni has a long friendship and relationship with former Real Salt Lake captain and current University of Utah Valley men’s soccer coach Kyle Beckerman. The two played alongside one and another during their days with the Miami Fusion FC and later with the Colorado Rapids and have since stayed in close contact. Mastroeni served as a mentor to Beckerman as a player.

Could Mastroeni attempt to lure Beckerman back to Real Salt Lake and serve as one of his top assistant coaches?

“We had a chat last week and we plan on going out to dinner either tonight or tomorrow but again I really think he enjoys his position at UVU, he did a fantastic job last year and really wants to continue building on that so I think it has been a while since we have gotten some dinner so we will do that and see where the conversation goes,” he said when asked if he will reach out to Beckerman in an attempt to bring him back to the club.

Would you want to see @KyleBeckerman back at @realsaltlake?

Newly appointed manager Pablo Mastroeni will get dinner with Beckerman either tonight or tomorrow 👀#RSL pic.twitter.com/9A3SbZyAwe

— Tom Hackett (@TomCantHackett) December 13, 2021

The return of Beckerman would only help the club’s endeavor of bringing stability and excitement back. A return of Beckerman would certainly reinvigorate a fanbase that has endured a lot of heartache and misery over recent years.

However, Beckerman has recently stated that he is really enjoying his time at UVU and has no immediate plans on making a coaching move. Those comments were made prior to the club’s “Kyle Beckerman Appreciation Night” when Real Salt Lake hosted Portland Timbers in the final regular-season game of 2021.

KSL Sports will speak to Mastroeni in an exclusive interview this Thursday December 16. More information on Beckerman’s potential return to Real Salt Lake will be discussed then.