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President Bill Manning Leaves Real Salt Lake

By Sean Maslin

Dec 19, 2013; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; From left Real Salt Lake president Bill Manning , owner Dell Loy Hansen , head coach Jeff Cassar and general manager Garth Lagerway pose for a photo with a jersey during a press conference at Rio Tinto Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 19, 2013; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; From left Real Salt Lake president Bill Manning , owner Dell Loy Hansen , head coach Jeff Cassar and general manager Garth Lagerway pose for a photo with a jersey during a press conference at Rio Tinto Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports /
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The restructuring of Real Salt Lake continues. On Tuesday the club announced that they had mutually parted ways with President Bill Manning. Owner Dell Loy Hansen will take over as President of the club.

Manning has served as President of Real Salt Lake since 2008. During his tenure the club would reach unprecedented highs, winning the 2008 MLS Cup and the 2010 Supporters Shield. Manning also won the league’s top honor for an executive, the Doug Hamilton Executive of the Year, in 2008 and 2012.

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In a statement released to the press Hansen said, “Bill has obviously done an outstanding job building this club from its infancy, and we wish him well in his future endeavors. As we move into the second decade of our existence, our growing organization requires a different structure.”

Since the departure of coach Jason Kreis at the end of the 2013 season the club has been moving in a different direction than what originally brought them success. In 2014 the club lost General Manager and Vice President Garth Lagerwey to Seattle Sounders FC. Club veterans Nat Borchers, Alvaro Saborio, Chris Wingert, and Ned Grabavoy have also left leaving the team with many new faces.

These moves coupled with the ending of Manning’s stewardship seem to speak that the team may be looking to change their identity. On the pitch, the club has essentially ditched their bread and butter formation, the diamond, and now operate out of a traditional 4-4-2.

All of the changes off of the pitch has affected play on the pitch. The team currently finds themselves in ninth place in the Western Conference (7-10-8, 29 points). This season is not a complete wash for the team: they are still very much in the hunt for the sixth and final playoff spot in the West, they made the semi-finals of the U.S. Open Cup, and are currently playing in the CONCACAF Champions League. But their recent form in league play, losing three consecutive matches and conceding eleven goals, seems to have put a damper on the season.

If you are looking for an interesting perspective on all things Real Salt Lake please check out Radio MLS this week, a show produced by yours truly and Multiplex columnist Matt Hoffman. Our guest is Kali Korbis, beat writer for Real Salt Lake at Prost Amerika.

You can listen to the program below or subscribe via iTunes , Souncloud,  Stitcher, or PodOMatic.

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