This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Sandy • If you consider yourself in that slice of Real Salt Lake's fan base that is awaiting the news of whether or not Jeff Cassar's tenure as head coach will continue, here's some advice: Wait a little longer.

RSL general manager Craig Waibel on Thursday said that the team's front office will evaluate Cassar and his coaching staff this week, and could take longer. Waibel says there is no timeline.

Under Cassar, RSL has gone 38-35-29 in regular-season play and has qualified for the MLS Cup postseason two out of the past three seasons. The playoffs have been unkind to Cassar's teams, however. RSL has gone 0-2-1 in postseason play, being outscored 8-1 in three matches.

Yes, RSL missed the playoffs for the first time since 2007 a year ago, but the club rebounded in 2016 as one of the six Western Conference qualifiers despite going winless in its final eight matches of the year.

From Waibel's viewpoint, Cassar made strides in his third year at the helm. He showed more commitment to making the changes needed on a weekly basis and, according to Waibel, put the right players in the right spots during RSL's second season playing a new formation.

"He grew tremendously in the way he's capable of communicating in his management abilities," Waibel said. "His individual conversations were much more succinct this year. I think a lot of confusion last season came from maybe, he might've been afraid to hurt someone's feelings."

Forward Yura Movsisyan understands while 2016 will most be remembered for the club's late-season slide, what RSL accomplished over the 34-game schedule should not be forgotten. Should Cassar be back?

"Definitely," Movsisyan said. "Without a question."

He added: "We players take credit, but we have to be directed. The coaching staff has done a great job with putting everybody in place and creating a team, a system and motivating the players, so I think [Cassar's] done a great job."

ESPN soccer analyst Taylor Twellman wonders what the proper barometer for success in MLS is. Judging RSL's three years under Cassar, Twellman points to two postseason berths, most recently the sixth-place finish in 2016. Out of the 20 teams in MLS, RSL finished ninth overall. Most fans around the world would look at a top-half finish and call it an upgrade, but Twellman said he can't make an official judgment on success by just a playoff appearance.

"The way MLS is structured, it cannot be black and white, unfortunately on how you determine success," he said.

Tony Beltran has had a front-row seat to the evolution of Cassar, from his years as an assistant coach under Jason Kreis to his eventual appointment as Kreis' successor in December 2013. The veteran right back understands the frustration of the RSL fan base after some disappointing postseason exits, but was quick to say he'd like to see the next phase of Cassar's progress as coach.

"I'm sure it looks easy for a lot of people to have that position, but it's not," Beltran said. "It's a very difficult job."

Part of the upcoming evaluation of Cassar and his staff, Waibel said, will be about further shaping the club's future. In summarizing 2016 last week, Waibel said RSL has to get younger and more athletic across the board in order to contend in MLS in the coming years. Should Cassar return, it seems a youth movement is on tap in Sandy.

"If we say we want to get a little bit younger, a little bit stronger and a little bit faster then what are the right pieces to put in and where?" Waibel explained. "And how do we have that balance of that youth and put it together with the veterans we have to really complement them?"

RSL's two longest-tenured players, Nick Rimando and Kyle Beckerman, said that the decision to bring Cassar or not back doesn't rest with them.

"That's not my job," Rimando said. "I play for him. I enjoy playing for Jeff, and if he's the coach, I'm going to be happy and working my butt off."

In an interview on RSL's flagship radio station 700 AM last week, Cassar said his goal is to improve his problem-solving abilities as he develops as a coach.

"Looking back [on the last eight games], was it decisions? Was it a player? Was it player choices? Was it strategy?" he recalled. "Whatever it was, [we're] really looking at those areas to now make the next step for myself and my staff and how to manage and deal with those situations and then also getting the results that we wanted to."

Twitter: @chriskamrani —

Cassar by the numbers

2016 » 12-12-10, 46 points, 44 goals scored, 46 conceded, sixth overall in Western Conference, lost in first round to L.A. Galaxy

2015 » 11-15-8, 41 points, 38 goals scored, 48 conceded, missed postseason for first time in seven years

2014 » 15-8-11, 56 points, 54 goals scored, 39 conceded, third overall in Western Conference, lost in semifinal round to L.A. Galaxy

CONCACAF Champions League » 3-1-2, lost to Tigres UANL in CCL quarterfinal round

Overall » 38-35-29

MLS postseason » 0-2-1

U.S. Open Cup » 3-2-2