The Salt: Happy Thanksgiving

Hello, everyone!

I know it’s been a little bit since we Salted together (I sure hope that’s not a slang term I don’t know about), but I wanted to get back at it today.

I also don’t want to be salty today. It’s Thanksgiving. Let’s just do the usual thing and talk about some things we’re thankful for — I’ll start with a few, then you can chime in the comments, if you’re so inclined.

A season of good games at home

I know I’ve harped on our results this season, but when I went to a match at home, I went in with a confidence that we’d come away with a victory. There were a couple exceptions to that, but for the most part, it was genuinely fun watching Real Salt Lake at home again, and it’s something that I really valued.

The arrival of Damir Kreilach

We’ve generally done pretty well — not perfectly, but pretty well — at bringing players in, and Damir Kreilach is absolutely no exception. He made himself an undroppable player, and in doing so, he lifted this team into the playoffs. Sure, we backed in a little bit, but without his contributions, we wouldn’t have been close.

I have especially appreciated what he brings to the club outside of his individual contributions. He is consistently team-focused, he accepts blame, and he doesn’t accept praise. The humility we’ve seen from Kreilach is emblematic of who leaders in any situation should strive to be.

A core group that can bring us success

Certainly, we don’t have all the pieces quite yet, but we’re getting pretty close. I believe that the group of players we have now — the group that will lead us into 2019 — could be the start of something really good. I remain optimistic that we’ll keep some major players around, and if we can bring in a strong forward and improve in the midfield, we’ll be well-positioned for success.

The whole RSL Soapbox staff

Year after year, we’ve grown here at RSL Soapbox, and that’s been fantastic to watch. I’m not going to name names, because you find them all here on the site, but I’m perpetually thankful for the hard work my colleagues here are putting in, the passion they bring, and the dedication from everyone to put forth our best effort.

Off-topic

Not much to say today. I’ve been playing more Keyforge, which has been entertaining — but I’m still left wondering how it will hold up in the longer-term.

I’ve also been watching more Star Trek: The Next Generation — we’re almost to the point where Deep Space Nine spins off, and I’m super excited about that. It’s just fantastic.

Now, if you don’t mind, I’ve got to run. I still have to figure out if I can sous vide a turkey this weekend with any success.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!