Football Season Review

A brave run to the play off conference semi-finals ended in defeat to eventual MLS Cup winners Seattle. A poor start to the season, included 4 defeats in first 6 games, and Salt Lake floundered for attacking consistency. Mike Petke’s departure for disciplinary reasons saw the club improve, with replacement Freddy Juarez leading the team through a 3 game unbeaten run, leading to only 4 defeats in last 15 games of the regular season. A 2-1 win over Portland in the play offs was followed by defeat to an in form Seattle, ending RSL’s play off aspirations in the conference semi-finals for the second consecutive season. Beckerman and Onouha were stand out performers, providing a solid core in the centre of the team. While Kreilach and Savarino contributed to a solid forward line. Albert Rusnak provided a majority of goals and assists. Corey Baird, Justen Glad, Putna were all prospects who made their mark on the first team. Nick Rimando largely carried the team through some important games and his retirement may cause an issue if a strong replacement is not found. A new head coach and general manager will be in place for the new season. Their first task will likely be finding a consistent goal scorer, if the team is to qualify for the play offs for a third straight season.

Player of the Season: Nick Rimando