LEHI, Utah – “The whole is greater than the sum of the parts.” It’s an easy concept to understand. For the most part, players willing to subvert their own individual interests for the greater good are more valuable than those who are not.
In soccer, players are often described as “willing to work for their team.” Soccer is perhaps one of the more interdependent of the team sports. That’s because time and space are so crucial, and if one player slips up or misses an assignment a teammate must fill in immediately or the opposing team will make them pay for the error.
While all teams strive for this team concept, and all coaches profess it to be important, perhaps no other team has managed to make it more a part of its collective DNA than Real Salt Lake. It started with the mantra “the team is the star,” but it goes well beyond that. The phrase could have easily been dismissed as lip service by the players, had the organization not reinforced it in every action.
Perhaps most telling is the distribution of the salary cap. While more and more teams are tabbing Designated Players, RSL has eschewed this trend, and has not used the rule to circumvent the cap for an individual.
The mantra appear to be working. The team has experienced success recently: RSL won MLS Cup last year, and followed up on that performance by finishing second in the Supporters’ Shield standings and winning their CONCACAF Champions League group.
Another indicator of the successful RSL team concept is the depth of the club. The team had thirteen field players that it consistently relied on, and among them only defender Tony Beltran failed to score a goal this season. However, when the team found themselves in the thick of heavy schedule congestion they had another slew of younger players that they enlisted to help the cause. Those players answered the call and produced.
While the team led the league in goals scored with 45, not a single player ended the season in the top 5 in the league for goals, assists, shots, or shots on goal. To put it simply, they spread it around this year.
There is no player who you can point to and say “they are the main reason for the team’s success.” Sure some admire midfielder Javier Morales. Others favor striker Alvaro Saborío. Many say that Kyle Beckerman is the key from his holding spot. Nick Rimando, Jamison Olave, Nat Borchers are all high quality players. But none stand above any other. In RSL’s case, the team truly is the star.
Ready to Launch: MLS Matchday 2010, The new official MLS iPhone app. It's FREE! Download it here!
