Reinforcements Incoming: RSL acquires Saba Lobjanidze from Atlanta United

SANDY — Real Salt Lake didn’t wait for the secondary transfer window to come to them.

Although MLS clubs can’t register new signings until the window opens on July 13, RSL moved early, agreeing to acquire Georgian international winger Saba Lobjanidze from Atlanta United nearly two weeks before the registration period begins. The secondary transfer window runs through Sept. 2.

That timing matters.

Real Salt Lake doesn’t return to league play until after the window opens, giving Lobjanidze time to arrive in Utah, acclimate to the altitude, train under Pablo Mastroeni and begin building chemistry with his new teammates before he’s eligible to make his debut.

Lobjanidze is expected to train with RSL on Wednesday morning and could make his first club appearance in the July 15 exhibition against EFL Championship side Burnley FC.

Just days after MLS Insider Tom Bogert broke the news that RSL was sending midfielder Nelson Palacio to Toronto FC in exchange for cash — the first reported intra-MLS cash transfer in club history for RSL — the club addressed an area of need, signing Lobjanidze for the remainder of the 2026 season.

While the reported fee is $625,000 in general allocation money, the deal was structured around Lobjanidze arriving on a significantly reduced budget charge because of MLS roster mechanisms.

Why RSL targeted him 

The move gives Mastroeni’s side proven MLS production on the wing while adding valuable depth for the stretch run.

Sporting director Kurt Schmid said RSL wasn’t simply looking for another winger; the club was looking for another starter.

“I feel strongly that to be a good team in this league, you need more than 11 good players,” Schmid said. “You essentially need more than 11 starters.”

Schmid said RSL views Lobjanidze as a player capable of filling multiple attacking roles while adding qualities the club felt were missing.

“We see his ability to play in either side pocket, provide us a lot of verticality, running in behind and being able to stretch the defense,” Schmid said. “We didn’t feel that we had enough of that in the current group.”

The move also gives Mastroeni another experienced option to rotate during congested stretches of the schedule.

“We’re trying to give ourselves someone who can come off the bench and make a difference,” Schmid said, “and someone who can rotate into the lineup in those three-game weeks and give us quality.”

Who is Saba Lobjanidze?

Atlanta originally signed Lobjanidze as a designated player midway through the 2023 season after several productive years in Denmark and Turkey. He announced himself immediately, scoring in his MLS debut just days after arriving.

After that dream start, Lobjanidze quickly established himself as one of Atlanta’s most threatening attacking players. His breakout campaign came in 2024, when he scored 10 goals and added seven assists, finishing among the club’s leaders in both categories. Across all competitions, he recorded 15 goals and established himself as a dangerous man in the final third.

Internationally, the 31 year old has earned 40 caps for Georgia, helping his country qualify for UEFA Euro 2024 — the first major tournament in the nation’s history — while also featuring extensively in World Cup qualifying, European Championship qualifying and the UEFA Nations League.

He’s played against Spain, Portugal, Norway and Turkey, giving him experience against some of Europe’s strongest national teams. He also holds a U.S. green card, meaning he does not occupy one of Real Salt Lake’s precious few international roster spots.

Lobjanidze’s résumé is impressive, but Schmid believes one of his biggest strengths is also one of his most overlooked.

“I think people underestimate his technical quality,” Schmid said. “He’s so active and always on the move that I think people underrate his ability to receive in the pocket, turn, find passes. … He’s a special player.”

RSL supporters have already seen his quality up close.

Lobjanidze scored at America First Field on July 6, 2024, pulling Atlanta level before Real Salt Lake eventually claimed a 5-2 victory. Watch his movement in the box, and his clever flick to Rios to start the give-and-go before finishing first time with his less favored right foot. 

Watch the goal

Film room: Why RSL wanted Lobjanidze

Watching Lobjanidze over his time in MLS, several traits emerge. 

He is left-foot dominant but not left-foot dependent. Many of his goals come after receiving on the right side, cutting inside and curling or driving a shot to the far post with his left foot. This is probably his signature finish.

But his right foot is better than people might expect, and he’s comfortable finishing first time with his right when arriving centrally, as he did against RSL.

His brace against Inter Miami shows both sides of his game: a powerful right-footed strike from distance followed by a composed left-footed finish after a transition attack.

His ability to head the ball is probably underrated, and at only 5-foot-9 he attacks the back post aggressively.

Watch enough of his attacking play, and you’ll see the same tendencies and movements showing up again and again in different areas of the pitch.

1. Vertical directness

A word that Schmid used repeatedly while describing Lobjanidze was “verticality.” The moment Atlanta wins possession, he instinctively attacks space, forcing defenders into retreat.

His first goal against Inter Miami in May 2024 is one of the best examples, as he collects the ball in the defensive half and gets vertical quickly, then punishes defenders for allowing him shooting room, even on his “weaker” right foot.

 2. Isolation

Some wingers receive the ball and immediately recycle possession.

Lobjanidze usually doesn’t; he relishes one-versus-one situations and seeks them out.

Rather than racing to the sideline and delivering an early cross or giving it back to an overlapping fullback so he can do so, Saba will square up the fullback, shift onto his preferred foot and attack the gap between defenders.

His second goal on the night against Inter Miami, this time with his left foot, is a textbook example.

Watch the goal

3. Off-the-ball intelligence

Schmid described Lobjanidze as “always on the move.” Although listed as a winger, Lobjanidze is not a “chalk on his boots” wide player who stays glued to the touchline.

When play develops on the opposite flank, he’ll quietly drift toward the far post, arriving just as defenders lose track of him.

This headed equalizer for Atlanta wasn’t about height.

It was about off-the-ball movement, floating away from his defenders and beating them through timing rather than aerial dominance.

Watch the header

4. Late arrivals

Another trait that appears repeatedly on film is patience.

Rather than sprinting onto the back line too early, Lobjanidze delays his run until defenders commit to someone else.

Those extra few steps often create cleaner shooting opportunities.

On this goal against Orlando, watch Saba before the finish. He waits as the play develops and as the back line shifts toward the ball, he times his movement into the opening so that he arrives just as the passing lane opens.

He doesn’t have to be the first attacker into the box if he’s the smartest.

Big players show up in big games

Another encouraging trend for Real Salt Lake is that Lobjanidze has consistently produced when the stakes were highest.

He scored in his MLS debut. He scored on Decision Day to help Atlanta clinch a playoff berth.

And in the opening round of the 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs, he found the net against Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami as Atlanta pulled off one of the biggest postseason upsets in recent MLS history.

For a team looking to add another starter, proven MLS production and a player capable of stretching defenses, Real Salt Lake believes it has found exactly that.