Real Salt Lake notebook: Team secures Nelson Gonzalez for 2011 season

SANDY — Nelson Gonzalez will be in a Real Salt Lake uniform for at least 18 more months after the club reached a loan deal with Quilmes of the Argentine First Division.

Gonzalez joined RSL on a 12-month loan last summer, but that deal officially expired on July 1. The new deal will keep the 21-year-old midfielder in Utah through the end of the 2011 season.

"We are happy to have Nelson signed up to stay with us for at least this season and next," said RSL general manager Garth Lagerwey in a press release statement. "He is a talented young player who works hard and we feel that a further investment on our part will lead to continued progress by Nelson, giving him an opportunity to become an even bigger part of the team."

First, however, he needs to get healthy.

After appearing in five of RSL's first six matches this season, he suffered a hamstring strain in early May and has played just one minute since.

He is once again expected to be questionable for this Saturday's match at FC Dallas because of the nagging injury.

ALL-STAR ANNOUNCEMENT: The 2010 MLS All-Star First XI will be unveiled at 1:40 p.m. today on ESPNEWS.

The First XI is based on voting by coaches and general managers, fans, media and players, with each group consisting of 25 percent of the vote. The reserves will be announced on July 19.

This year's MLS All-Star Team will face Manchester United on July 28 at Reliant Stadium in Houston.

Real Salt Lake has never had a player voted into the MLS First XI. It has, however, had four all-stars in its brief history. Kyle Beckerman, Javier Morales and Will Johnson were all part of the festivities at Rio Tinto Stadium last summer, and Eddie Pope was a commissioner's pick in his final season back in 2007.

e-mail: jedward@desnews.com