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SANDY — Albert Rusnak wants to stay with Real Salt Lake.
And Real Salt Lake wants him to stay.
The club announced a new multi-year contract for the Slovakian international Friday, keeping the leading scorer over the past two years in Sandy through the 2021 season in what is reportedly the largest contract in club history.
“I want to stay with Real Salt Lake because this is the perfect place to continue to develop as a player,” Rusnak said in a statement. “I enjoy working with Mike Petke and want to thank him, Craig Waibel and Dell Loy Hansen for their support and belief in me.
“I have really enjoyed playing for Real Salt Lake the last two years and I am now looking forward to us competing and bringing an MLS Cup back to the fans who have given me and my teammates unbelievable support.”
Rusnak leads Real Salt Lake with 17 goals and 21 assists since joining the club ahead of the 2017 season. The former Manchester City youth product was second only to Damir Kreilach in goals last year and won the club’s golden boot award in 2017 after finishing with seven goals and 14 assists.
But numbers and stats are only part of what made Rusnak such an important piece to lock up for the foreseeable future at Rio Tinto Stadium.
The other part involves his teammates — both current and future.
“He’s a piece that, among others, we can build around,” RSL coach Mike Petke said of Rusnak. “He’s a kid that’s extremely talented and he’s not even at his ceiling yet. He has a hunger for knowledge. He wants to know. He asks questions. For me as a coach, those are players that I want to work with.”
Keeping him in Claret-and-Cobalt won’t be cheap, either.
Fox Sports broadcaster Stuart Holden reported nearly three months ago that the club had agreed in principle to a new deal that would make the 24-year-old midfielder the highest-paid player in club history.
RSL doesn’t release contract details, per team policy. He signed a designated player contract in 2017, though part of the initial salary is believed to include a transfer fee Real Salt Lake paid to FC Groningen.
Rusnak was making $907,280 in guaranteed compensation, according to figures released a year ago by the MLS Players Association. MLSsoccer.com’s Sam Stejskal reported that the new deal would be a significant upgrade, netting Rusnak close to $2 million annually.
But Rusnak's deal with the club is about more than money, according to general manager Craig Waibel. It's pretty easy to see Rusnak's value to the club on the final series of the 2018 season when a yellow card-suspended Rusnak's absence helped turn a 1-1 draw with Sporting Kansas City into a loss in the two-legged Western Conference semifinals.
"He's a key piece we can build around." pic.twitter.com/ZjZUbU6LKn
— Real Salt Lake (@realsaltlake) December 28, 2018
"It’s essential that our fans have a fair expectation of getting to see their favorite player and their hero," said Waibel, who himself signed a multi-year contract Friday morning.
"We have had a lot of really good young players drawing a lot of attention from around the world, and we’ll become a club that has to move one or two of those players on. But Albert is one of the first young International guys we brought here, and it’s important to retain him. He wanted to be here, and it was just a matter of getting that thing over the line, and we were able to do it.”
Rusnak hinted several times to some discord between himself and the front office during the 2018 season; he event missed a game at Kansas City for "personal reasons" that reportedly were related to his new contract discussions.
But Waibel reaffirmed several times during a conference call with reporters that he never doubted the path to getting the new deal done.
On Friday, it all came full circle.
"The timing is the timing. Today is the day. That’s where I am on it," Waibel said. "We’re really pleased that it got done; it took a few blind turns, but in the end, everyone was trying to get the same direction and we got there anyways."
Real Salt Lake opens the season March 2 in Houston, followed by the home opener a week later against Vancouver at Rio Tinto Stadium.
Farewell, Danny
On the same day as Waibel’s extension, Real Salt Lake announced it has loaned homegrown defender Danny Acosta to Orlando City SC. The team will receive $75,000 in general allocation money on the intra-league loan that goes through the 2019 season, which is also when Orlando will have an option to purchase Acosta’s contract outright.
Acosta made 29 appearances in MLS play since signing with Real Salt Lake in 2016, registering four assists while filling in primarily at left back. But he had fallen out of favor with head coach Mike Petke and his staff through the latter half of 2018 and eventually saw his playing time erased by up-and-coming academy product Aaron Herrera — a natural right back who spent more time on the left side of the pitch.
“To my Real Salt Lake family, you have been nothing but supportive since day one of my professional career,” Acosta tweeted Friday. “I am forever grateful for you all. I’m looking forward to starting my new chapter, and giving all I got for this club.”
