Real Salt Lake looking to fill void of wingers

SANDY — A year ago this time, Real Salt Lake was finalizing deals with players like Robbie Russell, Clint Mathis and Will Johnson, each of whom was a major contributor in the club's late-season push into the playoffs.

With the MLS summer transfer window opening today, and with roster vacancies to be filled, expect to see similar signings from Real Salt Lake in the near future.

In fact, RSL already has an offer on the table for a undisclosed midfielder.

"We do not have written documents; we have a verbal agreement, but I've seen those fall apart, too," said RSL general manager Garth Lagerwey. "I'm not aware of any outstanding issue, but until we see signed paperwork, I'm not ready to make that representation."

Lagerwey declined to disclose who the foreign winger is but hopes to make an official announcement soon. Given the time necessary to get a work visa approved, Lagerwey said the earliest that player would be available is July 24 against FC Dallas, but more realistically, his RSL debut would be Aug. 1 at Chicago.

Due to recent departures by Ian Joy and Luis Miguel Escalada, in addition to MLS tweaking its rule about loaned players such as Alex Nimo, RSL has three open roster spots heading into the transfer period.

Finding wingers is Lagerwey's first and second priority among the vacancies, and there's no guarantee RSL will fill all three.

"It just depends on the money. Do you spend a little bit more money and get two guys who are bigger players, or do you take the money and split it up three ways?" said Lagerwey. "If you play your cards right, you can get three really good players for the money, you just have to negotiate a little hard and it takes more time."

The desperate need for wingers has only come about in the past month or so, with Real Salt Lake shifting gears from a 4-4-2 to a 4-3-3 formation.

"It's only in the last five games that we've really made a long-term switch to a 4-3-3, and if you make that switch to a 4-3-3, what do you need? You need wingers," said Lagerwey. "In a perfect world, we would've started the year off in a 4-3-3 and we would've known exactly what our personnel is. But it didn't work out that way, so we're going to adjust on the fly and we're going to add a winger."

When RSL opened the season using a diamond midfield formation, the coaching staff believed it had plenty of options to fill the various needs. That depth created competition for playing time in practice. Now, however, the team lacks true wide midfield players for a 4-3-3 formation, which goes against the philosophy of Lagerwey and coach Jason Kreis, who believe in competition in training sessions.

"We don't have any depth at those positions. We don't have anybody competing for starting jobs, and you need to have that," said Lagerwey.

With RSL's hit-or-miss track record of foreign signings, there's no guarantee this new winger will pan out, but Lagerwey seemed ecstatic about his potential to make an immediate contribution.

e-mail: jedward@desnews.com