This draft was one that surprised many people throughout the MLS. RSL ended up coming out with MF Tony Beltran (UCLA), DF David Horst (Old Dominion), MF/F Alex Nimo (US U-17), and MF Brennan Tennelle (UCSB). I’ll break this down pick by pick.
- Tony Beltran: He’s a good pickup, but I think we could’ve done better with the #3 pick. He wasn’t at the combine, which caused his stock to go down tremendously. I’ll bet he still could have been available at #14. However, this pick is a good one. He’s small, but speedy. Tony’s a skilled and versatile player. According to Kreis, we’ll be using him as a right back, but he can also play wide-mids as well as a defensive mid.
- David Horst: Supposedly a solid center back that will provide some defensive depth back there. He won’t start right away, but expect Horst to get some solid minutes as a defensive sub. This kid will be excellent in a few years, and I think that he’s the provider for some defensive security in the future.
- Alex Nimo: This kid is the pick I’m most excited about. He’s only 17, but Nimo is considered to be the next Freddy Adu. for RSL fans, that sounds depressing, but Nimo’s got one thing that Adu sucked at. He’s got the moves, but is impossible to knock off the ball. He lacks size, he lacks age, but he is the player of the future. We may even get to see himn a little this year as a midfield sub.
- Brennan Tennelle: This is the pick that nobody knows anything about. However, this kid is supposed to be excellent according to Gaucho95 over at BigSoccer.
So with these new additions, I’m finally beginning to see some depth evolving on our team. This new-found depth needs to be utilized in the best possible way, placing skilled players where they belong, something which doesn’t always happen with Real Salt Lake. I think the best way to do this is with a new formation. We’ve tried the 4-5-1, which was a disaster in every way. The 4-4-2 has been our best possible solution, but has produced just as much as the 4-5-1. That’s why I’d suggest the 3-5-2:
Rimando
Beltran….Mantilla….Joy
Beckerman…Sturgis
Cordoba…………..Espindola
Morales
Findley…Movsisyan
This lineup actually gives me a positive outlook on the team (gasp!) I think that with the dual D-Mids, specifically Beckerman and Sturgis, it will provide a chance for even a 5 man back line as well as a three man front (Morales, Findley, Movsisyan). The thing that worries me the most about this lineup, though, is the chemistry that has to be formed with all of the newcomers. Luckily, Kreis was provided with a preseason this time, and that gives time for the chemistry to develop.
With all these new acquisitions, I’m wondering why we’ve failed to pick up a target forward. I feel that Movsisyan and Findley (basically being the only two strikers on our roster) are unable to carry all of the scoring burden. They are the new Jeff Cunningham. Garth Lagerway agrees with me:
- “We got a wide back, we got a center back, we got a two-way midfielder in Tennelle and we got a wider midfielder in Nimo,” Lagerwey said. “We do feel we got a good package of guys. Maybe the one thing we didn’t get is a striker, but we’re looking abroad to see if we can pull something like that together.”
Look for a forward signing soon, or at least hope for one.
I’ve been wondering why the signing of Ian Joy hasn’t been publicly announced. It’s all over in Germany, but RSL hasn’t released anything even mentioning his name.
The new uniforms were unveiled at the draft. I like them. ![]()
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