Lehi » Looks like Real Salt Lake might not be finished with its work during the transfer window, after all.
While incoming forward Rachid El Khalifi has yet to join RSL as he works his way through the immigration process, general manager Garth Lagerwey confirmed Tuesday that the team is hoping to sign Nelson Gonzalez -- a 20-year-old attacking midfielder with Quilmes in Argentina's Second Division.
"We have extended an invitation to Gonzalez to visit Salt Lake, and we look forward to meeting him," Lagerwey said in a statement. Coach Jason Kreis "and I scouted him when we were in South America last winter, and are impressed with his potential."
Gonzalez would be the third addition to RSL since the transfer window opened a week ago, joining El Khalifi and striker Pablo Campos , who arrived in a trade from the San Jose Earthquakes and made his debut in the 3-1 loss at Columbus last weekend.
"I thought he was a lot like the rest of the team," Kreis said. "He had his good moments and bad moments, and his potential is much higher than what he showed in his 45 minutes."
Team officials are hoping that El Khalifi will be able to join the team by next week and participate in training in advance of their game at Chicago on Aug. 1.
Another one gone
Again hoping to find playing time for one of its young players, RSL has loanded forward Tino Nunez to Harrisburg of the USL Second Division for the rest of the season.
A second-round pick in the MLS SuperDraft out of UC Santa Barbara in 2008, Nunez has played only 18 minutes in three games for RSL this season. As a rookie last year, he started twice and played 263 minutes in nine games, with one goal.
Mixed returns
Midfielders Will Johnson and Jean Alexandre have returned to RSL after playing for their national teams at the Gold Cup, but Alexandre came back with a back injury that could sideline him awhile.
Johnson trained with the team on Tuesday, though, after helping Canada reach the quarterfinals, where it lost to Honduras on a disputed penalty kick. But Johnson said it was still a good experience -- even though he missed a chance to meet RSL's Kyle Beckerman and the U.S. in the tournament semifinal -- that can only help his development as a player.
"I feel confident coming back," Johnson said. "I feel in a better spot than I was when I left. It did wonders. It just let me know, sort of for myself, that I belong out there with those guys. Felt that I played some good games and I want to bring that experience and confidence here and try to provide a boost to these guys and try to get us on the right track."
