In an interview with Goal.com’s Kyle McCarthy, Garth Lagerway, the new general manager at Real Salt Lake, argues that his team is ready to make the jump from MLS playoff spoiler to perennial contender. A former goalkeeper with Kansas City, Miami and Dallas, Lagerwey, a lawyer, succeeded Steve Pastorino as RSL GM last year.
Under the previous regime of Pastorino and former coach John Ellinger, RSL showed “a particular aversion to acquiring qualified foreign players” and “a proclivity for aging MLS stalwarts,” says McCarthy. But the new team of Lagerwey and Jason Kreis are already breathing new life into the RSL franchise. Kreis started last season by acquiring a “core” group of young players like Robbie Findley, Nathan Sturgis and Kyle Beckerman, followed by the Argentine trio of Fabian Espindola, Matias Mantilla, and Javier Morales.
Lagerwey says that part of his job is to instill a more “corporate culture” on the business side. “We think we’re now getting closer,” he says. “We want to build that American infrastructure. We need to complement that.” He adds that a big owner like SCP Worldwide will provides a major boost. “They’ll give us the support we need to turn this around. They really want to put a winning team on the field.”