This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Craig Waibel possesses a multitude of mottos.
So if you ask the Real Salt Lake general manager how maddening 2015 was for him and this franchise, he'll choose this one.
"I will always say the truth is the truth is the truth," he said, sitting inside his remodeled office on the ground level at Rio Tinto Stadium. "Last year was what it was. It was the truth. It's exactly what we were. There's circumstances around it, but it's still the truth. I don't hide behind that."
Once the benchmark for consistency in Major League Soccer, the previous two RSL offseasons featured the kind of drama not seen around these parts for most of the past decade. Questions rose from the departures of former coach Jason Kreis, former GM Garth Lagerwey and former president Bill Manning, all of whom walked within a 20-month span.
The significance of that change culminated in 2015, when the organization did not qualify for the MLS postseason for the first time in seven seasons. The club produced the fewest goals scored in a season (38) since 2007, while also conceding the most (48) since 2006, its second year in the league.
"We were put in a bad position and there was no reason why we took a step back last year, but we did. … It didn't have to be like that," RSL captain Kyle Beckerman said. "Maybe it'll be a good thing looking forward. There's no reason we had to have that year last year."
This offseason was more business casual. Waibel, named general manager last August after Manning's departure, had to rebuild what RSL lost. Eight players from last year's roster are gone amid Waibel's reconstruction with possible additions looming. RSL's GM makes no bones about needing to upgrade the overall talent level of the roster in order to be back in the postseason.
Witness the following;
• Forward Yura Movsisyan returned.
• Midfielder Sunny Obayan was scouted and signed.
• Defender Chris Wingert returned after a year home in New York City.
• Promising Jamaican international Omar Holness was taken No. 5 in the MLS SuperDraft.
"What we did consistently [with] the decisions we made this year was challenging the status quo," Waibel said. "[The acquisitions] challenged the current roster."
A year into what Waibel calls his two-year plan, RSL is a little ahead of where he thought the club would be. There's still a ways to go, he said. His search for a starting-caliber center back has hit the skids on three occasions this year, nearly putting pen-to-paper with a Colombian, Serbian and Ghanaian central defender. Each fell through at the finish line.
"That's still why I'm not sleeping," Waibel said. "We still have some stuff to do, but we're in a better spot than we were last year."
From an outsider's perspective, ESPN analyst Taylor Twellman says bringing Movsisyan back to MLS is a step forward. In order for RSL to contend in 2016, he said, it needs 15-plus goals from its center striker.
"I think he makes them better, I really do, especially if Joao Plata stays healthy," Twellman said. "You're looking at some guys that can really get teams on edge."
In the two-leg CONCACAF Champions League series against Tigres UANL, RSL looked the most capable of all four MLS clubs, but all had the same fate: Being bounced out of the tournament at the hands of Liga MX squads. Movsisyan and Sunny showed their capabilities in that series, adding the kind of quality in the 4-3-3 formation needed to contend.
"And they should [over the course of the season]," RSL coach Jeff Cassar said. "You're bringing in experience with experience, so they should. I think those players know that."
With Plata healthy and Burrito Martinez having a full offseason under his belt after arriving last August, RSL's attack — should it stay injury-free — is viewed as one of the most dangerous in the league.
Waibel, Cassar and Co. do feel this year's roster is more balanced and deep than a year ago. How often will it be tested? As Cassar half-joked Thursday, he hopes not to go 27-deep in 2016 as he was forced to do in 2015. The full-strength lineup looks to be a contender, but as international call-ups and injuries pop up over the course of a long season, can the depth deliver?
Waibel thinks so.
"This roster is a playoff roster," he said. "Certainly with the addition of a center back, we should continue to challenge a playoff roster spot. There's no promises made in soccer, but on paper, everybody's gotten better. Have we become exponentially better than the four teams that were ahead of us for the playoffs last year? I think we're certainly in a position to challenge them."
Twitter: @chriskamrani —
RSL at Orlando City
P At the Citrus Bowl, Orlando, Fla.
Kickoff » Sunday, noon MST
TV » KMYU
Radio » 700 AM
Last meeting » RSL 1, Orlando City 1 (July 4, 2015 at Rio Tinto Stadium)
About RSL » Coming off 3-1 aggregate loss to Tigres UANL in CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal series. … Left back Demar Phillips (flu) trained Thursday after missing the previous two days. … Javier Morales, Burrito Martinez and Jamison Olave were also dealing with illness but are expected to play Sunday. … Center back Aaron Maund did not suffer a concussion in his head-to-head blow with Tigres midfielder Jesus Dueñas. … RSL went 0-4-0 in games on the East Coast a year ago, conceding 15 goals overall. … The season-opener at Orlando will be the club's first MLS match in Florida.
About Orlando City » Per The Orlando Sentinel, Orlando center back David Mateos is out 2-to-6 weeks with a hamstring injury. … The Sentinel also reported that midfielder Carlos Rivas is out for the season-opener against RSL due to an ankle injury. … Orlando City's Cyle Larin will face RSL for the first time after missing last year's meeting due to international duty. … Larin, the defending MLS Rookie of the Year, had 17 goals in 2015. … Winger Kevin Molino, who tore his ACL last May, is expected to start against RSL Sunday. … Orlando City has reportedly sold over 55,000 tickets for the season-opener at the Citrus Bowl. … Former AC Milan midfielder and Orlando signing Antonio Nocerino arrived in Orlando on Friday, but it's unclear whether he'll play Sunday.