Although there’s no way of knowing for sure, Real Salt Lake would likely not have made the MLS postseason without its trio of midseason additions in the shape of Robbie Russell, Clint Mathis and Will Johnson, writes James Edward. It’s a view that garners credence from RSL coach Jason Kreis.
“I really didn’t think we’d be able to make the playoffs,” he said. “I knew we had a lot of good players, and I knew we could coach them into a team that could compete and win our share of games, but we’d never be consistent enough to probably make the playoffs this season. I thought that was definitely a next season thing.”
That expectation changed when Russell, Mathis and Johnson were signed during the summer transfer window, bringing what Edward calls “an immediate upgrade in both talent and experience.” Though their arrival kicked off with three straight losses, the team then began to adapt to the newcomers. “All three of those guys have been huge contributors and very, very important to our success,” said Kreis.
Defender Nat Borchers concurred. “We can’t say whether or not we’d be here without them, but they’ve been huge for us,” he said. “They’re unselfish with the ball, they work really hard, they have the mentality that Jason and Dave Checketts would like to see. It’s a pleasure to play with those guys.”