One of the biggest questions heading into the MLS offseason was whether Real Salt Lake general manager Garth Lagerwey would stay with RSL or leave for a better offer somewhere in MLS.
Reports emerged on Monday night suggesting the latter is happening, with ESPN’s Taylor Twellman reporting on Twitter that Lagerwey will leave Real Salt Lake and join Western Conference rival Seattle Sounders for the 2015 season.
Lagerwey’s contract with RSL is set to expire at the end of the year, and the sense around the league has been that he would leave the club. What remained a bit of a mystery was just where Lagerway would go. Toronto FC was linked to Lagerwey in recent weeks, but now the new bombshell has Lagerwey joining the big-spending Sounders, which would be a far-cry from the budget-conscious setup Lagerway worked under with RSL.
Lagerway’s reported departure would be coming a year after Jason Kreis left RSL to take over as New York City FC head coach, and would signal the end of an era for an RSL side that has been one of the league’s standard bearers for smart spending and roster building.
What Lagerwey’s hire will mean for current Sounders head coach Sigi Schmid, general manager Adrian Hanauer and/or technical director Chris Henderson remains to be seen, though Hanauer has reportedly expressed a desire to take on a smaller role in the front office dealings within the club.
What do you think of this development? See Lagerwey succeeding with the Sounders? Who do you see RSL turning to next?
Share your thoughts below.
Lagerwey is a very good GM, not doubt about it, but his money ball-style doesn’t seem like a logical fit for Seattle, with all its money.
With all that money I’m sure Seattle made it worth his while. Sigi’s teams always seemed to me to add players in human waves with no overall plan. Maybe Garth can add some strategic thinking over a few beers with Sigi.
I’m surprised a low table team didn’t approach him or even the new Los Angeles team.
He was courted heavily by TFC to become their new club president.
I was afraid of this and Kreis having moved on it seemed Lagerway was inevitably destined for bigger and better (like the Sounders). Seattle wants to win now and frankly with their fans and resources they should be playing for MLS Cups.
For RSL it’s anyones guess as to who can fill Garths shoes. Sebastian Jaime as DP may have been Garths final attempt to infuse more firepower into RSL. I hope Jaime pans out but there are doubts.
Glad to see RSL drop into a state of rebuilding. They were a scary opponent for my G’s in the playoffs.
Man, it’s going to become that much harder for all the other teams not named Sounders and LA to break out of the West for the foreseeable future. Pretty epic move. Step it up, Rapids!
Um, this is a HUGE Deal! The last decade was easily the time of the Gals maybe the next will be the dynasty of The Sounders?
Depressing day for RSL fans