If Real Salt Lake Makes Coaching Move Before Seasons End It Must Happen Now

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Real Salt Lake is still searching for a full-time manager, and with the current international break in play could general manager Elliot Fall and Real Salt Lake make an announcement soon?

The shorter answer is no.

There is nothing concrete that would suggest that Real Salt Lake is on the verge of appointing a new manager. During half-time of Real Salt Lake’s most recent Major League Soccer game against Austin FC, color analyst and former player Brian Dunseth sat down with Fall to discuss the timeline of the ongoing coaching search.

“I do not have a hard date,” Fall said when asked by Dunseth if he has a particular date in mind for when the decision needs to be made. “The most important thing is to make the right decision and not to make the quickest decision. When we believe that we have the right decision and we are all firm and that we know that is the right decision then we will make that decision but until that day we have to make sure that we are going through the process,” Fall added.

Dunny's interview with Elliot in a nutshell:
– League has been supportive in all regards except when it comes to discretionary spending.
– DLH has no involvement in the operations of the club.
– All coaching candidates are good coaches, but the club is more invested in fit.

— Tom Hackett (@TomCantHackett) October 2, 2021

Currently, Real Salt Lake will not play another league game until October 16 when it hosts Colorado in a blockbuster fixture that will determine the winner of the Rocky Mountain Cup.

The next big break in the schedule will be when Real Salt Lake’s season comes to an end, either at the end of the regular season or following a playoff run.

If Real Salt Lake is to make an announcement on a new head coach, that announcement will likely come within the next few days in an effort to give the new manager as much time as possible to best prepare the team for immediate success as they continue to fight for a post-season playoff position.

However, given the demeanor of Fall when being interviewed by Dunseth, there is no indication that a coaching decision will be made soon.

Rather, it seems apparent that Real Salt Lake will let the 2021 season unfold with interim manager Pablo Mastroeni at the helm before any final conclusion is met.

Opinion: @realsaltlake's coaching search is down to two.

Fact: @realsaltlake will not hire a coach from abroad. The future manager will have experience coaching in North America and will offer an expansive understanding of the league. https://t.co/v75yf6GAmU

— Tom Hackett (@TomCantHackett) September 22, 2021

The decision to wait does not come as a surprise. Rather, many pundits speculate that Mastroeni is one of the front runners to take the job on a full-time basis. Since his arrival in January, Mastroeni has played a pivotal role in galvanizing the playing group.

Furthermore, since Mastroeni took over from Freddy Juarez at the start of July, he has transformed the way Real Salt Lake plays and has brought life back into Rio Tinto Stadium on gameday.

The future of the head coaching position at Real Salt Lake may come down to the immediate success of Mastroeni and Real Salt Lake. If Mastroeni guides Real to a playoff position, and then goes on a post-season run, the interim tag should be removed.

However, if Real Salt Lake struggle to make the post-season, or display a poor showing early in the playoffs, questions will be asked of Mastroeni and his long-term role with the organization.