:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/69164279/DSC_8249.0.jpg)
After retiring at the end of 2019, Nick Rimando’s future at Real Salt Lake was unwritten.
Today, that gets a little more clarity, with reports emerging that he’s going to be joining the Real Salt Lake academy coaching staff.
Breaking news: Real Salt Lake will announce this afternoon that Nick Rimando has been added to the RSL academy coaching staff as the goalkeeper coach.
— Spence Checketts (@spencechecketts) April 21, 2021
Stay tuned for more details later today.
Sounds like there’s some incredible #RSL news coming down the pipeline regarding @nickrimando
— Brian Dunseth (@BrianDunseth) April 21, 2021
#RSL will announce @NickRimando joining the @RSLAcademy coaching staff, a source confirmed exclusively to the show.
— The RSL Show (@rslshow) April 21, 2021
*checks twitter*
Oh. Dammit, @BrianDunseth
Rimando, 41, had a long, storied career in Major League Soccer, including 13 years here at RSL, where he was a massive part of our success. His sticking around the organization helps bolster a culture that was oft waning.
Rimando isn’t the only RSL veteran to have nabbed a coaching role in recent weeks: Kyle Beckerman was recently announced as the new head coach of UVU’s men’s soccer program.
We’ve reached out to RSL Communications for confirmation, but there’s no reason to doubt this one — it’s a move that makes a great deal of sense, and it keeps Rimando around the organization. If RSL can continue to build that culture, it will hopefully bear fruit when a new owner is in place.