Replacing Chicho Arango's production won't be easy, but Real Salt Lake insists it has a plan
RSL manager Pablo Mastroeni and chief soccer officer Kurt Schmid met with the media Wednesday for the first time since the blockbuster trade that sent Chicho Arango to San Jose. Here's what they said.
Real Salt Lake chief soccer officer Kurt Schmid admits the sudden departure of former Designated Player striker Chicho Arango wasn’t as sudden for him or the club’s front office as it was for the fans, for the media, or those outside the walls of the Zions Bank Training Center during the wintry offseason that began Nov. 2 after a second-straight penalty shootout defeat to Minnesota.
But in the weeks following the season, Arango eventually approached Schmid and the front office with a request: to find a place where he could play, even preferably within MLS, and where he and his family could be taken care of while he sought a fresh start.
RSL did its best to accomodate that request, resulting in a $1.4 million GAM trade with San Jose. And just like that, Salt Lake’s leading scorer of 17 goals and 12 assists a year ago was on his way to pair up with former U.S. coach Bruce Arena and newly signed forward Josef Martínez, who was also introduce in San Jose alongside Arango early Wednesday afternoon.
“Obviously, everyone saw how last season went,” Schmid said during the club’s annual preseason kickoff media event Wednesday in Sandy, “and the second half of the season wasn’t the same as the first.”
Following a four-match suspension for violating the league’s anti-harassment policy, Arango was forced to sit out the MLS All-Star Game in late July, as well as two of RSL’s regular-season games and the club’s first Leagues Cup contest Aug. 1.
At his best, Arango was arguably the best goal-scorer in MLS, certainly among a select few capable of lifting a good-to-very-good team to elite-level status, with dreams of a Supporters’ Shield or MLS Cup title wrapped up within him.
But Arango never returned to his full offensive display, whether a result of the suspension, a further sell of Colombian winger Andrés Gómez to French club Rennes, or — as is often the case in a world of nuance — a combination of both, as well as other factors.
In 10 matches from his return during Leagues Cup until Salt Lake’s elimination in the Twin Cities, Arango didn’t score a goal and tallied just two assists as he tried to readjust with his teammates and newly acquired DP forward Diogo Gonçalves and 21-year-old rising Polish international Dominik Marczuk.
Eventually, the decision arrived and a buyer found, which led to RSL opening preseason training camp in Herriman with a mixed roster of returning veterans, newly acquired signings, and academy and Real Monarchs selections including seven goalkeepers — among them, a non-roster invitee in former RSL Academy star Jeff Dewsnup, a Herriman native who retired at 18 to focus on his mental health two years ago.
“We had a lot of conversations internally, among the staff and with Chicho,” Schmid said. “We thought we found a solution that was really the best-case scenario for everybody.”
Replacing Arango’s production won’t be easy, and manager Pablo Mastroeni didn’t pretend like it would be. For any of his faults — and the RSL manager entering his fourth season with the club certainly isn’t perfect — candor isn’t one of them.
“Chicho’s a special player,” Mastroeni said. “He makes goals that outproduces his xG quite a bit with a lot of goals he scores.
“He do we get Diego or Diogo or Dom more productive? The best way to explain that is with a striker that occupies the center backs, plays the highest line, and there’s never a ball that goes across behind the defense."
Mastroeni pointed to the aforementioned Marczuk, who in the early days of preseason has shown to be “more effective in the attack” because he “has a point of reference” with players like Gonçalves and Forster Ajago, the 20-year-old Ghanaian forward whom RSL acquired via stage 1 of the MLS Re-Entry Draft from Nashville SC.
He also pointed to contributions from players like Diego Luna, the rising star and reigning MLS Young Player of the Year currently away with the United States at January camp with teammate Emeka Eneli, and added players like former Atlanta winger Tyler Wolff and Red Bulls forward Elias Manoel.
“Where we’re at in the moment, it’s interesting to see how these players fill the void that needs to be filled,” Mastroeni said. “If they aren’t given those opportunities, we’ll never know what we have or what they are capable of.
“It’s been real bright in the first few days.”
That’s not to say RSL isn’t done bringing in strengths to the attack. The club has been linked with Australian forward Ariath Piol, the 20-year-old attacker who scored three goals with an assist in just over 400 minutes with Macarthur in Australia’s first division a year ago.
10 News First in Australia reported that the deal was for a Macarthur club-record deal valued at just under $1 million as he arrived in Salt Lake City.
And while there is value in the club’s internal candidates, Schmid added they aren’t afraid to look — and add — further, with plenty of in-league allocation money to spare.
“We’re going to keep our eyes open,” he said, “and when we can add a piece that makes a difference in the group, then we’ll do it.”
