Wasatch Soccer Sentinel

It’s not every day that you get to hear behind-the-scenes conversations from any club at the MLS Draft. This video from Real Salt Lake pulls back the curtains, and we can finally get to see what it’s like at the table.

In the video, you can see:

• The RSL coaching staff — including Mike Petke — evaluating players during the MLS Combine
• Multiple clubs trying to negotiate with RSL for their first-round draft pick, including FC Dallas, who offered draft picks
• The staff deciding whether or not they’d accept said negotiations, including weighing allocation money offers of $50,000 and $70,000
• Craig Waibel with this revealing comment: “The question is point blank: Do we want Dunk, or are we good with Schmidt and money?”
• Oh, and this one: “We’ve talked about it all week. Do we flinch now for $75,000?”
• And, finally: “I think it’s $75k, or we turn the card in for Dunk. $50k — we’ve learned this before — it doesn’t do much for us.” That’s followed by conversations across the table about what to do with the pick.