RSL signs English midfielder in final week of preseason

SALT LAKE CITY — Real Salt Lake looks to have put the finishing touches on its 2024 roster reconstruction after losing several key pieces in the offseason.

English midfielder Matt Crooks was announced as the team's latest addition on Monday, joining forward Fidel Barajas and defender Alexandros Katranis as the club's primary signings in 2024.

Katranis, a 25-year-old Greek left-back, made his preseason debut during the club's preseason trip to Portugal last week, and Barajas scored his first goal in Claret and Cobalt in the final match of the trip in a 3-0 win over Klaksvikar on Feb. 9. The team won its last two matches of the trip after starting with a loss to Danish mainstay Brondby in the preseason opener.

Head coach Pablo Mastroeni said his team was far from complete after that first loss, but the roster looks close to finalized after the returns of Chicho Arango and Pablo Ruiz and the additions of Katranis and Crooks.

Crooks, in particular, fills a glaring need as an attacking midfielder and playmaker, filling a gap in the attack left by the departures of Damir Kreilach and Jefferson Savarino. He also immediately joins goalkeeper Gavin Beavers as the tallest players on the team at 6-foot-4.

The 30-year-old veteran makes the jump across the pond after a 14-year career in England, most recently playing for EFL Championship side Middlesbrough, where he totaled 56 goals and 22 assists in 115 appearances for the English second division team.

"Crooks is always very involved in the final third, always in the mix with the ability to score and set things up," RSL sporting director Kurt Schmid said in a statement. "He can combine well and he's willing to do the work with and without the ball. He is a good cultural fit and a high-character person that should translate his experiences and skills to MLS."

Crooks said he spoke with Schmid and Mastroeni while they were in Portugal and he felt comfortable with the way they want to play.

"It's pretty similar to our style at Middlesbrough," Crooks said. "These are exciting times for MLS. I feel like the league's really growing now, with the World Cup coming over here in a couple of years' time. I'm really looking forward to being a part of it and hopefully I can show everyone what I can do."

RSL will be playing with a central attacking midfielder more than in recent seasons, when attacking play was dominated by the wings. This role has been filled by Diego Luna, Barajas and even Pablo Ruiz at times during the preseason, but Crooks figures to be an immediate candidate with his ability on the ball to both pass and score.

Crooks' arrival in Utah depends on the receipt of both a P-1 visa and his International Transfer Certificate, with Mastroeni cautiously estimating that the new signee might not be available for the team's first two matches on the road at Miami and St. Louis on Feb. 21 and 24, respectively.

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