It is not a reset button at all. It's looking at a great team and finding ways to improve that team with more resources. – RSL owner Dell Loy Hansen said on ESPN 700
SANDY — Real Salt Lake president Bill Manning is out after more than seven years with the club.
Team owner Dell Loy Hansen announced that the "club will undergo a front-office restructuring," on Tuesday, less than a week after the RSL was knocked out of the U.S. Open Cup and suffered a last-minute loss to the Portland Timbers at home.
Manning's contract expired earlier this summer. Hansen said he will fill the role as interim president for the next 10 weeks.
Hansen said on ESPN 700 that the organization — growing from 48 to 120 employees — is too big for the role of president as it was drawn up in Manning's contract.
"The organizational structure was stifled," Hansen said. "Bill and I had a great talk. And we both came to the decision as the club became more horizontal with more authority diffused through the organization, that that may not be the organization that he would want to lead."
Hansen said he is promoting Craig Waibel from technical director to general manager and is planning on expanding his staff — especially in terms of scouting and analytics. Waibel will report directly to Hansen for the next 10 weeks.
"We're in great shape to move forward," said Hansen, adding that Argentinian striker Juan Manuel "Burrito" Martinez is joining the team Thursday. "We feel really good about the remaining nine games of the season. We're playing for broke.
"It is not a reset button at all," Hansen said. "It's looking at a great team and finding ways to improve that team with more resources."
Manning joined the club in April 2008. His tenure included RSL's move to Rio Tinto Stadium, a MLS Cup title in 2009 and four major trophy runner-up finishes: MLS Cup in 2013, U.S. Open Cup in 2013, MLS Supporters' Shield in 2010 and CONCACAF Champions League in 2011 — the furthest any American team has achieved in that competition.
Manning was named MLS Executive of the year in 2012 and 2014.
“Bill has obviously done an outstanding job building this club from its infancy, and we wish him well in his future endeavors,” Hansen said in a team news release.
“As we move into the second decade of our existence, our growing organization requires a different structure," Hansen said. "As a result, several senior executives within our company will assume greater roles across various departments, with a focus on integration and expanding our ability to capture championships, on and off the field.”
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