How Urgent Should Real Salt Lake Be To Appoint New Full-Time Manager?

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – FC Dallas is the latest club to fire their manager as Luchi Gonzalez was sacked late on Sunday afternoon after being at the helm for three seasons.

FC Dallas joins Vancouver Whitecaps and Real Salt Lake as clubs without a permanent manager with other clubs expected to join that growing list as the 2021 MLS season winds down.

Real Salt Lake Coaching Search

The tension continues to rise around Utah as Real Salt Lake fans wait anxiously to hear how they will handle the immediate future of the club’s current coaching vacancy. Speculation has been high, with reports suggesting multiple potential candidates have already been interviewed including US soccer legend Landon Donovan.

Here is the video all #RSL fans need to see. I asked Pablo if he is at all interested in becoming the full-time manager at @realsaltlake.

His response is fascinating.

(Sorry for how long it took me to upload this) pic.twitter.com/3WbhiR4qMK

— Tom Hackett (@TomCantHackett) September 16, 2021

Regardless, with more coaching vacancies occurring across the league, and more expected in the near future, should Real Salt Lake feel rushed at making the appointment? Or will they remain calm and poised in search of their number one target?

With how the team has reacted to Pablo Mastroeni’s interim takeover, general manager Elliot Fall should be in no rush to find his next manager. Rather, Fall would be apt to take his time and process the job Mastroeni is doing as an interim. If results continue to favor Real Salt Lake down the stretch, and Mastroeni leads his team into a playoff picture playing a good style of football, Mastroeni should be rewarded with the full-time position.

Mastroeni is playing an entertaining style that has regenerated life back into the Real Salt Lake faithful. At the game over the weekend against Seattle, Rio Tinto Stadium was home to 19,350 fans that helped carry the team to a prolific victory.

Without question, with how Mastroeni has lead this group he must be favored to take over on a full-time basis. However, soccer is a sport in which momentum and results can change within the blink of an eye.

If Real Salt Lake starts to perform poorly and Mastroeni loses his grasp at the helm, then Fall and the front office should pursue other avenues.

No Owner, No Thanks

The other dilemma working against Real Salt Lake at the moment is that they are the only club in the league without an owner. There is a reasonable chance that Real Salt Lake will struggle to find a qualified candidate that accepts the responsibility of taking over Real Salt Lake without an owner. The risk associated with the job is high.

What if Fall appoints a manager and weeks later the league announces new ownership for Real Salt Lake and those new owners want to clean house and bring in an entirely new staff.

Tom Hackett & Jake Simons Discuss The Comments Made By Real Salt Lake Owner Dell Loy Hansen This Morning https://t.co/sG7otYFejn

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) August 27, 2020

The risk is high for any manager looking to take over at Real Salt Lake. With more coaching vacancies becoming available around the league, Real Salt Lake must remain poised as they search for new leadership that will guide this battered club into greener pastures.

With recent events impairing the brand of Real Salt Lake as of late, the decision on who the new manager will be is monumental. Real Salt Lake needs stability, leadership, and energy in its full-time manager.

The future of the organization rests solely on the shoulders of Fall and the Real Salt Lake front office.