Real Salt Lake has its coach.
Pablo Mastroeni has agreed in principle to stay to become the team’s permanent head coach, a person with knowledge of the situation told The Salt Lake Tribune. The source requested anonymity because the news was not yet public.
Mastroeni led RSL to an appearance in the Western Conference finals despite many believing at the beginning of the season that the club would struggle and not make the playoffs. It was the furthest Salt Lake had advanced in several years.
Mastroeni beat out several candidates, including the likes of Pat Noonan, Jason Kreis, Dominic Kinnear and Luchi Gonzalez.
RSL General Manager Elliot Fall has said on several occasions that he wanted a leader as the team’s next coach. Mastroeni, as Fall and several players have said throughout the season, certainly fits that description.
“He does do an incredible job of motivating and even just giving confidence to his players,” defender Justen Glad said during an end-of-season media session. “I felt that, from the minute he came in, even as assistant coach, there was a belief in the team and myself personally. When you have that confidence behind and you know the coach has faith with you, it makes it easier to play well.”
Mastroeni took the interim coaching job after Freddy Juarez resigned in August to take an assistant job with the Seattle Sounders, who RSL beat in the first round of the playoffs.
Coaching RSL will be Mastroeni’s second head job. He coached the Colorado Rapids from 2014-2017, his best season being in 2016 when he finished second in Coach of the Year voting.
from The Salt Lake Tribune https://ift.tt/3yhEv3u
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