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The celebrations are over, and the Real Salt Lake coaches and players have had some time to relax and enjoy winning their first Major League Soccer championship.
Now, it's back to business.
While three key starters prepare for offseason knee surgeries today -- midfielder Javier Morales is among them, injured in the championship game -- team officials already have started discussing new contracts for forward Robbie Findley and midfielder Kyle Beckerman, hoping to keep the core of their team together again and avoid midseason distractions next year.
"We have the opportunity to bring everybody back" from the starting lineup, general manager Garth Lagerwey said, "and that's pretty exciting."
Two of the best players on the team, Findley and Beckerman are entering the final year of their contracts, and will be able to negotiate with other teams starting in June if they do not sign extensions or new deals. That's what forward Yura Movsisyan did last season, ultimately leaving to join Randers FC in Denmark.
Team officials don't want that to happen again, but face an unusual challenge. Since the league and its players still have not negotiated a new collective bargaining agreement to replace the one that will expire on Jan. 31, there's no way to know what rules will apply next season. Uncertainty about the salary cap, in particular, is leading RSL to take a cautious approach.
"It puts a lot of pressure on us to not spend a lot
Findley has said he's open to a new deal, and his agent confirmed the topic will be on the agenda when he meets with league officials today in New York City. (Officially, the league holds all player contracts, rather than individual teams.) Neither Beckerman nor his agent could be immediately reached for comment Monday.
The team already has made one move since winning its title, trading backup goalkeeper Chris Seitz to the expansion Philadelphia Union in exchange for allocation money in a deal the league formally approved Monday.
Meanwhile, Morales is scheduled to have surgery to repair the torn meniscus and strained lateral collateral ligament that he suffered in a collision with the Los Angeles Galaxy's David Beckham in the MLS Cup title game last month. The injury forced Morales to leave the game after only about 20 minutes.
Defender Jamison Olave and forward Fabian Espindola also will have surgery, Olave for chronic loose cartilage and bone spurs and Espindola to repair a torn meniscus and remove a small bony growth.
All of the surgeries are scheduled for today at the Salt Lake Regional Medical Center, a team spokesman said, and all three players are expected to recover in time for next preseason.
