Player Profiles: Pecka has limited impact for first-team in first season

Wellington Paeckart, better known as Pecka, was brought in to provide depth behind Kyle Beckerman. He played the prior five years for the Fort Lauderdale Strikers where he rubbed shoulders with then head coach Daryl Shore, who is now the goalkeeper coach for the Claret-and-Cobalt.

The diminutive Brazilian brought his physical style of play he became renowned for in the NASL to the service of Real Salt Lake in four appearances for the senior side.  Playing 111 minutes, Pecka provided depth for RSL's defensive midfield.  Pecka was called upon to replace Beckerman or Luke Mulholland when needed, but appeared on the bench an additional 18 times for the Claret-and-Cobalt.  While not making it to the field as much as he had probably hoped, he was one of the more consistent faces in reserve for a side that struggled.

Like many other RSL freshman, Pecka also played for the USL affiliate the Real Monarchs.  Unlike the other freshmen, however, Pecka provided a veteran presence as the 26 year-old marshaled the midfield.  He appeared in six matches and recorded 491 minutes for the USL side.  His physical play was definitely noticed, in USL conceding eight fouls and being handed a yellow card despite his limited minutes.  While his style of play made it hard for his opponents on the ball, it sometimes got his team in trouble when conceding set-pieces in dangerous spots.

While Pecka provides RSL some with veteran experience, his overall potential is much lower than similar players on the roster.  For example, John Stertzer is a year younger than Pecka and provides the Claret-and-Cobalt with a unique set of talents.  While Pecka plays the traditional Number 6 role of dominating the midfield, Stertzer is able to shuttle the ball and read the game much better than the veteran.  In addition, Justen Glad and Fito Ovalle are younger guys who too have the ability and talent to play the defensive midfield role.  Therefore, with an already deep defensive midfield chart, Pecka seems to be an expendable asset.

Seeing Pecka moved to the USL side permanently would definitely benefit the organization as he could be a leader both on the pitch and in the locker room, but the veteran would probably have other suitors rather than moving to a third-tier side.  As such, it is possible that the Brazilian could take his services elsewhere.

Although Pecka had neither a good nor bad freshman year for a top-tier club, he never really stood out and could easily be placed on the chopping block this offseason.  As major overhauls for the Claret-and-Cobalt are likely to occur before the 2016 season, it is a distinct possibility that we've seen Pecka in a RSL kit for the last time.