It hadn't even arrived back home yet, and already Real Salt Lake was bracing for changes.

Just hours after winning its first MLS Cup championship, the team had to file with Major League Soccer its list of players that it plans to protect from being chosen in the upcoming expansion draft to stock the new Philadelphia Union team that will join the league next season.

One conspicuous absence? Veteran defender Robbie Russell, whose penalty kick lifted RSL past the Los Angeles Galaxy in a dramatic shootout for the title at Qwest Field in Seattle on Sunday night.

The team was allowed to protect 11 players, and can lose no more than one of the unprotected ones when the Union starts stocking its team in the expansion draft on Wednesday. Except for Russell, the team protected its entire back line, including defenders Jamison Olave, Nat Borchers, Tony Beltran, Chris Wingert and goalkeepers Nick Rimando and Chris Seitz.

Team officials also protected midfielders Javier Morales, Kyle Beckerman and Will Johnson, along with forwards Robbie Findley and Fabian Espindola -- meaning that almost the entire starting lineup will be back.

Forward Yura Movsisyan is leaving the team to play for Randers FC in Denmark, however, and veteran midfielders Andy Williams and Clint Mathis were left unprotected as the team clearly moved to assure that the younger parts of its core group stayed together.

General manager Garth Lagerwey has expected all

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along to lose a player RSL values highly. That also could wind up being forward Pablo Campos, midfielders Jean Alexandre, Raphael Cox or Nelson Gonzalez or defender David Horst -- some of the team's most prized developing players.

mcl@sltrib.com