RSL GM Craig Waibel: ‘Foundation Is There’

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The Mike Petke Coaches Show hosted by Brian Dunseth is a little bit different with the RSL head coach taking some time off with the club not having a game this week. General manager Craig Waibel filled in and talked about how his role has changed in the last five years and the growth of the organization.

Waibel went from being an assistant coach for RSL in 2014 to the general manager in 2015. His job has really changed in the last five years with the stress level increasing each year.

“You wake up to see which freight train is humming at you that day,” Waibel said. “You jump from one track to another and you handle it as you go.”

When Waibel was named the general manager of Real Salt Lake in 2015, he only had to worry about one club, RSL. Now he has his hands in the Real Monarchs, Utah Royals FC and RSL academy.

“No day ever presents the same challenge, ever,” he said. “Every once and a while, I would like to know what the day will be like.”

Foundation Is There

Waibel has been a critical part of building the foundation for RSL. Over the last five years, he has been pleased with the growth.

“We actually have the foundation, now how do we build on that foundation? We have all of the pieces, now we just need to figure out how they fit together,” Waibel said.

The club has transitioned from being a constant playoff team to competing with the bigger market teams for premier players.

Finding The Right Talent

Waibel’s job as well as his staff is based around finding the right players and talent that will help the club reach the next level. He considers it a job where you have to basically be perfect.

“We are fortunate to have a clear identity and understanding of what we want to be,” Waibel said. “I am sure that is not shared everywhere in the world of football. We have a very clear curriculum that comes through the coaching staff, which leads us on our scouting. For the most part, we have gotten a lot of player right.”

It’s a difficult job because if they don’t get the right players and talent on the roster, it could have a negative impact on the organization and creates more and unnecessary work for Waibel.

“The players that we remember most in the front office are the players that weren’t quite right,” said Waibel. “The hardest part of the job is that we don’t take time to celebrate the successes. When you look at our roster, there are a lot of guys that we brought in that really fit in.”

He knows that the fit with the club is the number one priority.

“It all comes back to the identity,” Waibel mentioned. “What I have learned over the last five years is the player has to be able to identify with our culture and the city of Salt Lake or it doesn’t work. Flat out.”

Real Salt Lake will face LAFC in the fourth round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on Tuesday, June 11. The match will begin at 8 p.m. from Rio Tinto Stadium.