RSL trades top scorer

Rookie coach Jason Kreis took a second major step Tuesday at remedying Real Salt Lake's obvious struggles.

In a not-so-surprising move for a team winless after seven games, the club sent leading scorer Jeff Cunningham to Toronto FC in exchange for fellow striker Alecko Eskandarian and a 2008 first-round draft pick.

"For me, it's about combinations, it's about chemistry, it's about a team atmosphere," said Kreis, whose team is 0-3-4 thus far. "It's about building a team mentality, about building a competitive mentality, and it's about guys who all want to pull for each other for the right reasons, to win games and championships."

Equally important, the trade frees up even more salary cap space as Kreis and RSL technical director John Ellinger search for more players to fill the team's three vacant roster spots.

Cunningham was making $220,000, whereas Eskandarian, who was traded to Toronto from D.C. United in the offseason, makes only $155,000. That extra $65,000, combined with the nearly $300,000 that was freed up when Kreis retired and Luis Tejada was released, gives Real Salt Lake a lot of leverage in the global free-agent market.

Eskandarian won't be available for tonight's U.S. Open Cup qualifying match at the Colorado Rapids but will be available for Sunday's league match at Chicago. Depending on how quickly Kreis and Ellinger work, more transactions are likely to follow in the coming weeks.

Cunningham was acquired by Salt Lake in December 2005 as the club successfully rid itself of the Clint Mathis baggage. Even though the team still had to pay a portion of Mathis' salary, Cunningham made it a worthwhile investment by finishing as the league's leading scorer with 16 goals, while adding 10 assists.

Through it all, and despite the objection of both players, Cunningham and Kreis didn't always see eye-to-eye on the pitch. When Kreis replaced Ellinger as head coach after the fourth game this year, many wondered what that meant to the long-term future of Cunningham in an RSL uniform.

Kreis said RSL wasn't actively shopping Cunningham, rather it was Toronto that initiated trade talks for one of the league's all-time leading scorers.

"I'm trading away a guy who statistically has been very good the last year, and I have a lot of respect for him as a player and a goal scorer," said Kreis. "He just doesn't fit into our plans."

Kreis enjoyed success as a player for 12 years, thanks to an outstanding work rate. As a coach, he's trying to surround himself with similar personalities, and Eskandarian fits that mold perfectly.