Revolving door: Massive overhaul has left RSL changed, but is it for the better?

One player and coach at a time, Real Salt Lake's identity has gone through a revolution. It started with the coach, and quickly thereafter players started disappearing in ridiculous numbers.

Jason Kreis — Retired.

Jeff Cunningham — Traded.

Chris Klein — Traded.

Mehdi Ballouchy — Traded.

Freddy Adu — Transferred.

The quintet of players was supposed to lead RSL to the promised land in 2007, but at the midway point of the season they're long gone. Kreis is still with the team, however, having retired to replace John Ellinger as head coach.

Nothing sums up Real's plethora of transactions quite like a glance through "Free Kick," a league-generated magazine handed out to fans before the game. Of the 32 players and coaches listed in the magazine handed out to RSL fans on opening day, 13 are long gone.

Kreis is the first to admit he's made an excessive amount of roster moves — but in his mind, all of them have been out of necessity.

"At some point I will be the type of coach that will have a lot of faith and show a lot of stability in my players, because I believe that's the right setup," said Kreis earlier this summer. "To have a real team concept like I want to have, you can't make this many changes."

That continuity wasn't there when he took over, but he's getting closer to assimilating the collection of players he believes can be winners.

Amid all the changes, few would argue that RSL isn't in better shape now than on opening day.

First of all, Real's average age has plummeted. Five of its opening-day starters were at least 30 years old, and that's never advantageous in a sport where starters need to be fresh for 90 minutes.

More importantly, the numerous acquisitions appear to have increased RSL's desire and work rate. Newcomers like Kyle Beckerman, Chris Wingert, Robbie Findley, Nathan Sturgis and Alecko Eskandarian have proved themselves to be tireless workers, an effort that paid off in RSL's most recent game on Aug. 4, a 1-0 win over league-leading Houston.

RSL still has several roster vacancies thanks to Kreis' addition-by-subtraction mentality, all of which should be filled soon. With three roster spots still available on Real's 28-man roster, the team expects to sign its trio of Argentine trialists — Edgar Espindola, Javier Morales and Matias Mantilla — within the coming week.

Those inevitable signings combined with previous transactions will help Real narrow the talent gap on the rest of the league. With the MLS trade deadline looming, it's unlikely that Kreis will make any more trades this year.

With that said, unless RSL goes on a very unlikely late-season tear and sneaks into the playoffs, expect plenty more offseason wheeling and dealing from Real Salt Lake.

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E-mail: jedward@desnews.com