Real Salt Lake Great Nick Rimando Rejoins Club As Academy Coach
Apr 21, 2021, 1:24 PM
Nick Rimando #18 of Real Salt Lake waves to the crowd during warmups before their game against the San Jose Earthquakes at Rio Tinto Stadium on September 11, 2019 in Sandy, Utah. (Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)
(Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Real Salt Lake announced that MLS legend Nick Rimando was rejoining the club as a youth development academy coach.
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The club announced the addition of Rimando on Wednesday, April 21.
“It is with great pride that the Club welcomes Nick to his new role within the organization,” Real Salt Lake assistant general manager Tony Beltran said in a statement. “The name Nick Rimando is synonymous with Real Salt Lake, and now, our academy boys will have the opportunity to learn from one of Major League Soccer’s greatest players. Both on the field and beyond, we look forward to all future collaboration with Nick, as we together strive to lead and inspire the soccer culture in Utah.”
Rimando reunited with the club after retiring from MLS after the 2019 season.
He retired as MLS’s all-time leader in games played, wins, saves, and shutouts.
Extremely excited about this opportunity. Looking forward to sharing my experience with these young men and learning the ropes from Arnold and the rest of the academy staff. https://t.co/F2Hya4APRm
— Nick Rimando (@NickRimando) April 21, 2021
RSL said that in Rimando’s on-field role, he will “work directly in collaboration with coaching and technical staffs from the RSL Academy, Real Monarchs and RSL, and report directly to RSL Academy Director of Coaching Arnold Rijsenburg to aid in the development of the academy goalkeeper’s technical on-field initiatives and philosophies.”
The 🐐 on his new #RSL role pic.twitter.com/WZifFKd7nG
— Real Salt Lake (@realsaltlake) April 21, 2021
“I’m excited to join the RSL Academy staff to help develop and mentor these young men. Every player has their own journey, and I am looking forward to using my experience to guide and help them reach their goals,” Rimando said. “RSL has been a big part of my life on and off the field. After taking some time off and seeing the direction of the club I’m thrilled to join RSL in an ambassador role. I’m excited to bring that buzz back to RSL Nation and to connect with our fans and build a strong relationship with all of our communities.”
One of the best to ever do it!
Congrats Coach @NickRimando. 👏 https://t.co/v28svCHRJj
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) April 21, 2021
In addition to Rimando, RSL hired Andrew May, Jamie McGregor and Ronny Charry as coaches for the club’s youth development academy.
The club named May as academy head coach.
Real Salt Lake opens its 2021 schedule against Minnesota United FC on Saturday, April 24 at 6 p.m. (MDT). The match will broadcast on sports.ksl.com, the KSL TV app, and ESPN+.
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