Positions Real Salt Lake Could Upgrade As Secondary Transfer Window Opens
Jul 7, 2022, 5:25 PM | Updated: Jul 22, 2022, 11:10 am
Gustavo Cuellar of Colombia celebrates after scoring the first goal of his team during the Copa America Brazil 2019 group B match between Colombia and Paraguay at Arena Fonte Nova on June 23, 2019 in Salvador, Brazil. (Photo by Wagner Meier/Getty Images)
(Photo by Wagner Meier/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY – The secondary transfer window has officially opened for MLS, what positions should Real Salt Lake look to upgrade?
Manager Pablo Mastroeni admitted that he has spoken to management about the possibility of adding new faces to the roster during the secondary transfer window which opened today (July 7) and closes on August 4.
Mastroeni Hints
Mastroeni hinted at potential position groups that may be upgraded.
“We [the coaching staff] have talked with management about the possibilities regarding a couple of positions,” Mastroeni said during his Thursday press conference. “But we are in a little bit of a holding period, we want to see how quickly Bobby [Wood] recovers and gets back into the group…obviously Justen Glad has been out dealing with a hamstring but as far as the roster is concerned we have been really challenged all year and have found ways to find some good results and play some good stuff so I think if we were to make any changes it would be icing on the cake but I think we are in a really good way with the group that we have,” he added.
Upgrades?
Based on the quote above, the club may be looking to bring in more depth at both the striker and center-back positions. Wood’s injury has slowed down the creativity in the attacking third as Rubio Rubin has yet to assert himself as a comfortable figure alongside Sergio Córdova. Anderson Julio is likely to see the majority of minutes alongside Córdova this weekend against Colorado and his performance may determine whether the club becomes serious about signing another striker.
The hamstring injury to Glad also exposed the depth at center back. Johan Kappelhof, who joined the club during the offseason has only managed 180 minutes of playing time in 2022 and is yet to suggest that he is a capable and sturdy backup plan for when injuries or suspensions occur to Glad or Marcelo Silva.
Other positions groups that Real Salt Lake could look to provide further depth at is left-back, where Andrew Brody, who is naturally a right-footed player, has impressed.
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Finally, the central midfield position is also another group that could use improvements. The partnership of Pablo Ruiz and Jasper Löffelsend has been marvelous to date. Scott Caldwell was superb at the start of the year but has failed to find consistent minutes as of late while Everton Luiz and Nick Besler have been virtually inexistent in 2022.
خاص :
نادي #الهلال يمتلك عرض مغري وكبير للاعب الكولمبي كويلار من نادي امريكي pic.twitter.com/2humGGX2WZ— خالد بن عبدالعزيز (@0ytrb) July 6, 2022
The best-case scenario for Real Salt Lake would be to sign Colombian international Gustavo Cuéllar. The 29-year-old was linked with Real Salt Lake earlier in the year but the momentum of a potential deal fizzled out as time went on.
Cuéllar is a dynamic player that is best utilized as a defensive midfielder. The partnership he would form with Ruiz would be powerful and would aid the structure that Real Salt Lake employs.
Next RSL Match
Real Salt Lake will return home for a Rocky Mountain clash against Colorado Rapids on Saturday, July 9 with kick-off scheduled for 8 p.m.
The fixture will be available to stream for free via the KSL Sports and KSL 5 TV apps or on KSL Sports dot com.
