The Real Salt Lake Soccer Club (RSL) has taken large strides this offseason in improving its roster for the 2025 Major League Soccer (MLS) season by signing a total of eight new players, the largest amount of new signings the team has ever seen. While some fans are optimistic about the team’s potential, others have doubts about how these drastic changes have affected the team’s performance.
Elsie Hubrich, a Sophomore who plays on the soccer club Impact and an RSL fan, stated, “While the changes are drastic, there is potential. Some of the new signings, especially players like Kobi Henry and [Forster] Ajago are promising.” Forster Ajago, a striker who is known for his speed and agility, displays a lot of potential, especially after scoring a goal in the 2-0 victory over the Seattle Sounders in March.
With only four games so far this season, RSL has won a single match while losing three, making fans question this drastic choice. Kirk Duncan, a RSL season pass holder and devout fan, has stated, “This is going to be a very long season of stress because of all the unknowns. With what we have seen, I have been fairly disappointed over the team’s performance and am beginning to think this change was unnecessary.”
Even though there is a lot of skepticism around RSL’s new strategy, there are still fans who recognize the new potential of the team. Hubrich stated, “I’m trying to stay positive; there have been several players such as Kobi Henry and Forster Ajago who have really done a good job. I think that the new RSL will be a success!”
RSL has repeatedly traded players, not necessarily for the good of the team, but seemingly as a money grab. Bill Barber, an experienced soccer player and RSL season pass holder as well, stated, “It does seem like RSL put priority on getting money out of some of their academy players that were performing well. I think that selling players is necessary to maintain the team…Winning should also be a priority and not just turning a profit on player swaps.”
The team has also said farewell to former players including the fan favorite Cristian “Chicho” Arango, who was traded to the San Jose Earthquakes for $1.4 million in General Allocation Money (GAM), with a 2026 international roster spot. Arango’s withdrawal has signaled a shift in RSL’s strategy for the offence, and raises several questions on how the new players can blend with the team’s existing core players to have a strong team work dynamic. Arango’s departure has left many fans including Barber curious as to who could fill his shoes. He went on to say that Arango was a key player and with the loss of him, the team has not been able to live up to the previous one. “Soccer is a business, but if you are constantly selling off the best players for money, it shows their true colors. The team isn’t just a cash cow for the owners,” Barber said.
Over all, money is an essential part of running a sports group, but the team’s success and loyalty of fans should be a large part too. For RSL, it is clear that their financial success has been more important than their performance. Until that balance is achieved, doubts will continue to arise, and fans will continue to convey frustration.
Despite the frustration, the fans still have hope. Duncan stated, “Overall, they have more potential than proven experience. The start of the season might be a bit rough, but hopefully we will grow quickly. There’s some good young talent that could prove to be amazing, and let’s hope that the couches stop caring so much about money and more about their players. Go RSL!”
