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SANDY — The MLS summer transfer window is now open until Aug. 4, with many Real Salt Lake fans wondering if the team will make a move to bolster a roster that hasn't won a game in nearly a month.
"We're certainly turning over rocks all over the place and having conversations many, many times a day about what the best move is," general manager Elliot Fall told ESPN 700 Wednesday. "And if we find one that makes sense, we'll pull the trigger."
RSL has been linked to Colombian defensive midfielder Gustavo Cuellar this summer, with MLS writer Matthew Doyle saying he expects a deal to get done this month.
With Cuellar and others potentially joining the fold this month, here's a look at the biggest additions to join the Claret and Cobalt during the summer transfer window in its storied past.
Kyle Beckerman (2007)
The summer of 2007 marked a seismic shift in the history of RSL, highlighted by the arrival of franchise legend and longtime team captain Kyle Beckerman. The former Colorado Rapids draft selection joined RSL almost 15 years ago on July 16, 2007.
Beckerman was already an MLS All-Star when he joined RSL and was named its captain starting with the 2008 season. He helped the team reach the Western Conference Final in 2008 — the team's first playoff appearance — then won the MLS Cup with RSL in 2009 in a penalty shootout over the LA Galaxy.
He broke the record for all-time MLS regular season appearances by a field player in 2015 at 379 and was named to the 25 greatest MLS players list in December 2020 — the month he retired from professional soccer.
Javier Morales (2007)
Morales was part of a trio of Argentines that joined RSL in August 2007, along with Matias Mantilla and Fabian Espindola. Morales made an immediate impact for RSL and had an assist 40 seconds into his MLS debut on Aug. 29, 2007 — the fastest first assist in MLS history.
The following season he set the club record for assists with 15 and was instrumental in the run to the Western Conference Final with a goal and two assists in the playoffs. He was also part of the group that won the 2009 MLS Cup and were runners-up in 2013. Morales left RSL in 2016 as the club leader in assists with 83.
Fabian Espindola (2007)
Espindola joined RSL with Morales in August 2007 but was actually released briefly in 2009 before re-joining RSL in April 2009 before the team's MLS Cup campaign.
His best year in Claret and Cobalt came in 2011 when he had a career-best 10 goals in the MLS season and added a goal and two assists during RSL's CONCACAF Champions League run to the tournament's finals, where they ended as runners-up.
Chris Wingert (2007)
Wingert joined RSL just days before Beckerman on July 13, 2007 — also from the Colorado Rapids. He quickly became a starter for RSL and was one of two players to appear in every game in 2009. He buried his sixth-round penalty attempt against the LA Galaxy in the 2009 MLS Cup final to help RSL to an upset victory.
He was a staple in the RSL defense during the "glory years" from 2007-14, appearing in 204 matches during that period. He was taken by New York City FC in the 2014 MLS Expansion draft, but returned to RSL in 2016 before retiring in 2018.
Robbie Russell (2008)
Russell joined RSL in 2008 after playing the first eight years of his career in Scandinavia. His most memorable moment in Claret and Cobalt will forever be the seventh-round penalty he buried against the LA Galaxy to give RSL its first and only MLS Cup.
He formed a formidable back line the following season with Tony Beltran and Wingert, and played a major role in RSL crushing the MLS record for least goals allowed in a single season in 2010.
Russell was traded to D.C. United in 2011 and announced his retirement from soccer in 2013. He has since made a second career as an ER doctor.
Will Johnson (2008)
Johnson joined RSL on Aug. 22, 2008, via trade with the Chicago Fire. He was an instant fan favorite in Sandy, winning MLS Goal of the Year in his first season for a strike against FC Dallas on Oct. 18, 2008.
He was named an MLS All-Star in 2009 and played 45 minutes in the 2009 MLS Cup final that RSL ended up winning, despite a bout with food poisoning.
Johnson was traded to the Portland Timbers on Dec. 3, 2012, as part of a salary cap issue, along with the trade or release of six other RSL players, including Espindola. He was named team captain of the Timbers for the 2013 season.
Juan Manuel "El Burrito" Martinez (2015)
Martinez joined RSL as a designated player on Aug. 13, 2015, and made an instant impact, winning three of his first four starts with one goal and an assist. He came to Utah following 13 professional seasons in South American top-flight leagues, mostly in the Argentine Primera Division.
He started 29 of 32 games in his only full season at RSL in 2016, where he put up seven goals and three assists. RSL and Martinez agreed to terminate his contract in December 2016 to allow him to be closer to extended family in Argentina.
