Former MLS player and LA Galaxy academy coach Ted Eck will join Real Salt Lake, according to a club-issued press release. Eck, 48, replaces Paul Dalglish, who departed for Austin Aztex last week, and will serve as the primary coach of the forwards.
Eck made 13 appearances for the United States Men's National Team, mostly in the pre-MLS era, and spent several years playing for the then-Dallas Burn, now FC Dallas. While there, he played alongside RSL coach Jeff Cassar and RSL general manager Garth Lagerwey.
Most recently, Eck was a coach with the LA Galaxy academy, coaching their Under-14 B side. Eck also has Utah ties, having coached former PDL club Ogden Outlaws for a year before becoming director of local youth outfit Firebirds FC.
Like many pre-MLS professionals, Eck also played indoor soccer, most notably with the United States Futsal Team that finished in second place in the 1992 FIFA Futsal World Championship.
Eck may not be the most glamorous addition to the club — it doesn't appear he has a particularly famous father — but he brings with him an understanding with Cassar and Lagerwey that could be valuable. He represents an important era in American soccer, which makes for a fun story.
Given RSL now has eight forwards on the books, it's probably good to have a forwards coach once again.