RSL chose patience over blockbuster as busy summer window closes

HERRIMAN — Real Salt Lake didn’t stand pat during the summer transfer window.

It sent an MLS All-Star to the Premier League in a club-record transfer, moved two midfielders, reunited with a Utah native after eight years in Europe, invested a U22 roster slot in a 19-year-old Serbian winger, added two young players from within MLS and has another reinforcement coming from the Premier League.

What RSL didn’t do was make the blockbuster signing some supporters expected after Zavier Gozo’s club-record transfer to Crystal Palace.

“We looked at a few guys that probably would’ve been a little bit more expensive,” RSL Chief Soccer Officer Kurt Schmid said Thursday. “And ultimately, we just didn’t find, or we didn’t assess, that those options were the right guys to bring in right now.”

RSL entered the World Cup break in third place in the Western Conference, in line to host a home playoff match. Since returning, results have gone the other direction, leaving the club outside the playoff line with 13 matches remaining.

Meanwhile, Gozo went from breakout RSL star and MLS All-Star to Crystal Palace in a club-record transfer Aug. 18, reportedly worth $15 million.

Nelson Palacio was traded to Toronto FC in July for $1.1 million in cash, with RSL potentially receiving another $550,000 in General Allocation Money based on performance conditions. Jesús Barea was loaned to Athletic Club Boise, and New England completed its permanent acquisition of Marcos Zambrano after initially taking him on loan in March.

Pablo Ruiz, who spent eight seasons with RSL, was traded to the LA Galaxy for $400,000 in 2027 GAM. The deal was finalized before Wednesday’s deadline and announced Thursday.

After being a full participant in training Wednesday, Ruiz was in street clothes Thursday, saying goodbye to teammates and staff.

Schmid said the Galaxy initiated the discussions.

Ruiz was once one of the central pieces of RSL’s midfield, only to have consecutive seasons derailed by major injuries.

A strong run during Leagues Cup saw Ruiz work his way back into the starting lineup, exhibiting the passing range, ability to strike from distance and control of games that had made him such an important part of RSL’s engine room before the injuries.

“They expressed a strong interest in the player, and initially we weren’t really sure that we could do that or that we wanted to do that,” Schmid said. “The more we spoke about it internally in terms of how we saw things going forward, not just for Pablo but for us in that position, but also for Pablo individually, we felt it was a good opportunity for him and for us.”

RSL’s long-term bet

RSL’s summer business began with the acquisition of Saba Lobjanidze from Atlanta United for $625,000 in GAM before the secondary transfer window formally opened.

The club later made Juan José Arias’ move from Atlético Nacional permanent, added 19-year-old midfielder Colin Guske on loan from Orlando City and acquired 23-year-old forward Jason Shokalook from Chicago Fire for $150,000 in guaranteed GAM, with another $50,000 possible through performance incentives.

On deadline day, RSL brought former academy player Taylor Booth home on loan from FC Twente. The 25-year-old’s loan runs through the remainder of 2026 and the 2027 MLS Sprint Season and includes an option to purchase.

The Booth move was hardly a deadline-day discovery. RSL had maintained contact with his representatives for roughly 18 months, dating to before Booth joined Twente.

“It lined up this one to make it work,” Schmid said.

RSL also permanently acquired 19-year-old Serbian winger Dušan Žagar from IMT Belgrade, committing a U22 Initiative designation to the player.

“In him, we see his one-v-one dribbling ability, his speed and his quickness,” Schmid said. “Those attributes sort of combined make him someone that we see a lot of potential in.”

A league source with knowledge of the transaction confirmed to KSL Sports that RSL has acquired 20-year-old Canadian international center back Luc de Fougerolles on loan from Fulham. Tom Bogert first reported the move. The loan runs through the winter with an option to extend through the summer.

De Fougerolles appeared in all five of Canada’s matches at this summer’s World Cup.

Backheeled ranked RSL’s window 17th in MLS, calling their moves “solid, but heavily unspectacular” and saying the club should have taken a bigger swing, echoing criticism from many RSL supporters.

Schmid’s answer to supporters is that RSL is looking at a longer timeline.

“When I look at the investment in this team, I don’t look at the last four or eight weeks,” he said. “I look at the last eight or nine months.”

Schmid pointed to winter additions Morgan Guilavogui, Juan Manuel Sanabria, Stijn Spierings and Lukas Engel as “tent-pole pieces” brought in to surround the club’s younger talent.

“We want to invest in, not just invest in big signings just to make a big announcement and everyone feels good on September 2nd, but invest in the right pieces to help not only us win games, but continue to develop players and keep the cycle sort of going,” Schmid said.

RSL is building for six, 12 and 24 months from now, but this team only has 13 matches to come together and climb back into the playoffs.

Winning now versus building for later

Rookie Sergi Solans has emerged as RSL’s primary goal scorer, but Gozo was second on the team with six league goals before being transferred. The club did not add a goal scorer with a proven track record in MLS or at a comparable top-flight level during the window.

Schmid acknowledged RSL worked on deals that didn’t come together, but said he remains confident in an attack built around Solans, Guilavogui and Diego Luna.

He also isn’t concerned about the traditional rookie wall catching Solans. The World Cup break, Schmid believes, gave the former UCLA forward something most rookies don’t receive during their first professional season: an extended midseason recovery period.

Victor Olatunji’s status remains uncertain.

The Nigerian forward made an immediate impact after joining RSL last summer, scoring four goals in his first eight appearances, and entered this season expected to be the club’s first-choice striker.

An unusual eye injury disrupted his season, while Solans took the opening and established himself at the position. Olatunji has since been limited largely to brief appearances off the bench.

“Victor’s had a tough year with us, and timing is everything,” Schmid said. “Coming into the year, we thought he would probably be the first-choice nine, and things happened, and injuries and different things.”

Olatunji was absent from training Thursday after working separately earlier in the week. Schmid said clubs abroad have shown interest and another move remains possible despite the MLS window closing.

“If there’s a good opportunity that makes sense for him and for us, we’ll probably do it,” Schmid said. “There’s still some windows open, so we’re looking at that.”

If no move materializes, Schmid said Olatunji will continue providing minutes off the bench. He later said there “might be one or two more exits potentially” in the short term.

There are also potential reinforcements incoming from the injury list.

Holding midfielder Emeka Eneli has returned to full training after an extended absence following surgery to repair a knee injury suffered in preseason. Forward Ari Piol is also progressing toward a return from an early-season Achilles tendon rupture.

Asked what he would say to veteran players who might question whether the club’s commitment to winning immediately matches their own after watching established teammates leave without a marquee replacement arriving, Schmid rejected the premise that help has to come from somewhere else.

“I would say that they’re our commitment to winning,” he said. “I don’t think any one of those guys needs to look at the door for where any increase in performance will come. I think those guys can look at each other because we believe a ton in them.”

Schmid said RSL believes one or two of its new arrivals could play significant starting minutes, while others can immediately improve the options available off the bench. Booth’s fitness will have to be evaluated after arriving from European preseason without playing a competitive match, while Žagar and de Fougerolles must first navigate visa processes.

Much of the roster that climbed to third place before the World Cup remains intact, and the club is betting its returning players can regain their form while the younger additions grow into larger roles.

“I don’t know if anybody hates losing more than me,” Schmid said. “Obviously I have that motivation as well, the short term. But I also have an obligation to look at the mid and long term as well and make sure that the club isn’t just good next week or next month, but the club is good in six months and 12 months after that.”

RSL summer transfer window

*De Fougerolles has not yet been formally announced by RSL; a league source confirmed the transaction to KSL Sports.