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SANDY — Real Salt Lake got back to its postseason ways in 2018.
And all while balancing a third team added to the club’s organization.
Before the clock strikes midnight on 2018, before RSL opens preseason training camp in late January, and before the club kicks off the 2019 season March 2, let’s take a look back at the year that was at Rio Tinto Stadium.
Back in the playoff groove
After missing the postseason by 1 point a year ago, Real Salt Lake rebounded in Mike Petke’s first full season in charge with a playoff berth.
And sure, RSL may have backed into the playoffs, getting a little bit of help from the Houston Dynamo by way of a come-from-behind win over LA Galaxy on the Major League Soccer’s "decision day" finale that kept the Galaxy out of the postseason.
But all that matters is the result — and what RSL did with it.
Not only did they sneak into the playoffs, but Salt Lake went on the road to LAFC and stunned the first-year Western Conference club, 3-2 in the knockout round thanks to team MVP Damir Kreilach's karate kid-inspired crane kick goal.
And while the club fell to rival Sporting Kansas City in the two-leg West semifinals, it’s easy to call the season a success.
“I think that any RSL supporter out there watching tonight should realize how much these guys put in,” Petke said after the season ended. “They should be proud.”
A Royal welcome
RSL wasn’t the only top-level pro soccer franchise that played at Rio Tinto Stadium this year.
Utah Royals FC made their debut on the Wasatch Front in 2018, bringing well-respected head coach Laura Harvey, most of the roster from the now-defunct FC Kansas City, and a few new additions like U.S. internationals Kelley O’Hara and Christen Press to the Salt Lake Valley.
The club finished its first season with a 9-7-8 overall record, capping the year with a 2-1 win over Chicago in the season finale. Along the way, they played in front of crowds ranging from 5,000 to the 11,851 in the season finale — and opened the door to 19,000 fans in April for their first-ever home game, combined with a concert by pop star Rachel Platten.
But it’s just the first year, and the club expects to only get better, (and potentially change the name, depending on the outcome of a lawsuit filed by the Kansas City Royals baseball organization).
“Bringing women’s soccer to this state and this city is a huge thing, and I don’t think those inside the locker room completely understand it yet,” Harvey said. “We’ve been on a memorable journey — not always positive — but it’s something we can always look back on and build for the future.
“I truly believe that this club is going places. Jump on this train, because it’s going somewhere.”
Hey, rook
Donovan Mitchell didn’t officially win rookie of the year with the Utah Jazz. But Utah got at least one such award winner playing their first season of pro sports.
Corey Baird scored eight goals to lead all rookie players, and the 22-year-old rolled to the MLS Rookie of the Year award — a first in Real Salt Lake franchise history. He received more than 40 percent of first-place votes in the award, easily out-distancing himself from second-place Mark McKenzie of the Philadelphia Union.
RSL, which finished 14-13-7 with a roster of a dozen players like Baird, ages 24 or younger, was 6-2-2 when Baird had a goal or an assist in 2018.
“It’s great to get that kind of award, and to see so many in the league respect you,” Baird said. “It’s great — but I’m not done yet and there’s a lot more to come.”
Albert Rusnak's extension
Long in the works but never official, Real Salt Lake waited until the final week of the year to lock up arguably its biggest emerging star for the long-term.
Albert Rusnak, the 24-year-old attack midfielder who has led the team in scoring since he arrived two years ago, will pull on a Claret-and-Cobalt jersey through the 2021 season, if details of his new mega-contract are to be believed.
Rusnak has 17 goals and 21 assists since joining the team prior to the 2017 season, when the former Manchester City youth player signed a designated player deal worth $907,280 in base salary, according to the MLS Players Union. His new contract is reportedly worth around $2 million per year, which would make him the highest-paid player in franchise 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 from the club. “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.”
Mark Briggs resigns with Real Monarchs
It wasn’t all happy news during the past year within the RSL pyramid.
The third coach in Real Monarchs history ended his tenure after significant legal troubles. Mark Briggs, who led the Monarchs to their first-ever berth in the USL Cup playoffs, resigned in August, just a day after charges of domestic violence filed against him were dropped by the Draper City Attorney’s Office.
“We thank him for his service to our club and wish him well,” was the last statement Real Salt Lake issued about Briggs.
RSL suspended Briggs from his role as soon as the charges were filed, and assistant coach Jamison Olave was named interim manager. Olave led the team to a 19-12-3 finish, including a berth in the USL Cup playoffs — where the Monarchs lost for the second year in a row in the opening round.
