Making Of A Moment

KSL Podcasts
  • 4.9 (38)
  • SOCCER
  • WEEKLY SERIES
Making Of A Moment

In sports, there are moments that transcend a single game. But what if we told you how that on-field moment was created? If you knew the myriad of people who make sacrifices, choices – if you knew the full messy, complicated, gut-wrenching truth- it might change your opinion of those legendary plays.  In Making of a Moment Season 1 - The RSL Story - host Amy Donaldson looks at the unlikely 2021 playoff run of Real Salt Lake. That post-season performance from a team expected to finish last is much more than the Cinderella story witnessed by RSL faithful. It’s the story of an underdog club engaged in a fight for survival off the field, while trying to prove they deserved to compete for a championship. 

  1. EPISODE 1

    Ep1 | The Unraveling

    August 27, 2020 is a day Real Salt Lake faithful and staff remember well - but not for what happened on the pitch. That’s the day the smallest Major League Soccer team was thrown into chaos by the man who once saved the club from financial ruin - their billionaire owner. But what most fans didn’t realize is that when Real Salt Lake made an unlikely playoff run in 2021, the seeds for that moment were planted during that 2020 crisis. A crisis that led to the owner’s downfall.

    42 min

  2. EPISODE 2

    Ep2 | Utah IS the place for soccer

    Professional soccer got its start in Utah thanks to the visionary leadership and relentless will of an NBA executive. It was Utah native Dave Checketts who bought an MLS franchise and decided to put it in his home state. He fought political and financial battles to establish a club that would do what no other professional sports franchise in Utah has ever managed to do - win a championship. But while sports aficionados are fond of saying “there is no problem winning can’t solve”, that turned out not to be true for RSL and Dave Checketts.

    1h 3m

  3. EPISODE 2 BONUS

    Bonus 2 | The visionary

    Dave Checketts was working for the NBA when he fell in love with soccer while traveling in Europe. He decided he wanted to build a club in his home state of Utah, but he had no idea the obstacles and heartache he’d face. This is more of the conversation we had with Checketts on the hurdles he faced building the team and why he had to sell his dream.

    44 min

  4. EPISODE 3

    Ep3 | The Midas Touch

    Real Salt Lake’s new owner - Dell Loy Hansen - called the club “a state trust” and hoped his contribution to soccer in Utah would become his legacy. He invested millions in a development academy, training facilities, a minor league team and eventually a National Women’s Soccer League club. But players and staff said RSL shifted from a familial ideal to a more transactional organization, and a toxic culture took hold and infected every aspect of the club. Even those who saw it, who hated it, who tried to do something about it, were powerless to create meaningful change. Things shifted when Hansen spoke out in a radio interview where he not only revealed that rot, he also lit a match that threatened to consume everything he’d built.

    1h 3m

  5. EPISODE 3 BONUS

    Bonus 3 | The Kyle Beckerman interview

    There is no player who embodies the culture of Real Salt Lake than Kyle Beckerman. When he was traded from Colorado to Utah in 2007, he instantly changed the culture of RSL’s locker room. He captained the team from 2008 until he retired in 2020. Beckerman has seen the club through its rise to glory - and through its bleakest times. This episode gives you more of his background, his time in Colorado where RSL head coach Pablo Mastroeni became his friend and mentor and what it was like to try and win soccer games when the front office was in chaos.

    52 min

  6. EPISODE 4

    Ep4 | That Colorado Guy

    When Real Salt Lake’s head coach stuns everyone by quitting with 10 weeks left in the season, he leaves the team in the hands of a man RSL fans once loved to hate. And despite his unsavory history with the club, he seems uniquely suited to lead a team without an owner, picked to finish last, and abandoned by their head coach in August of 2021 to an unlikely playoff berth. All he has to do is lead Real Salt Lake to a win on the road on the last day of the regular season.

    59 min

  7. EPISODE 4 BONUS

    Bonus Episode 4 | Jason Kreis

    When Jason Kreis became the first player signed by Real Salt Lake founder Dave Checketts in November of 2004, he’d never even been to Utah. But 20 years later, it’s difficult to say if Kreis had more of an impact on the club - or if the club - and the community - have had more of an impact on Jason Kreis. In this bonus episode, Kreis talks about his departure, why he wanted to return to the club, why the culture at RSL is unique, and what he hopes the club means to Utah.

    55 min

  8. EPISODE 5

    Episode 5 | Cinderella Crashes the Ball

    Real Salt Lake's 2021 Decision Day victory gave them the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. But they barely had time to celebrate when they were hit with another blow. Their reward for making the playoffs? A chance to play the Sounders - in Seattle. The team that had stolen their coach in August, a team that boasted one of the most potent offenses was standing between them and a fairy tale ending.

    52 min

  9. EPISODE 5 BONUS

    Bonus Episode 5 | The World According to Pablo Mastroeni

    Real Salt Lake coach and former player Pablo Mastroeni was able to sit down with Amy on two occasions to talk about his journey and his philosophies on being a coach, being a player and just life in general. One thing that is so good about these two interviews with Pablo, is that his advice and ideas can help anyone who is trying to go somewhere.

    1h 15m

  10. EPISODE 6

    Ep 6 | The Stroke of Midnight

    Real Salt Lake's magical run comes to an end, but not with the fairy tale ending everyone hoped to have. There are massive changes for RSL after the 2021 season - a coach is hired, the club finds and owner, and key players depart. The team, staff and the players are left to reflect: What does it all mean? If winning is the ultimate goal in professional sports, what other measurements matter?

    55 min

  11. EPISODE 6 BONUS

    Bonus Episode 6: The Return of the Royals

    When Dell Loy Hansen decided to put his soccer holdings up for sale, there was a lot of fear among fans - and speculation amongst the media - that a buyer would take Real Salt Lake, the Monarchs, the Royals and the Academy - and move it anywhere but Utah. As it turned out, on the Royals were at risk. And in early December, the players, coaches and staff got a gut-punch when the Royals were sold back to Kansas City. There was a provision in the sale that gave fans hope. The new owners had an option at an expansion franchise in 2024.  And thanks to Hansen, the team retained the rights to its name, mascot, and colors - its identity. In this podcast, one member of the staff and a player talk us through what it was like to get that call that the team was leaving, and what happened when the team returned in 2024.

    18 min
See All Season 1 (11)

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4.9
out of 5
38 Ratings

About

In sports, there are moments that transcend a single game. But what if we told you how that on-field moment was created? If you knew the myriad of people who make sacrifices, choices – if you knew the full messy, complicated, gut-wrenching truth- it might change your opinion of those legendary plays.  In Making of a Moment Season 1 - The RSL Story - host Amy Donaldson looks at the unlikely 2021 playoff run of Real Salt Lake. That post-season performance from a team expected to finish last is much more than the Cinderella story witnessed by RSL faithful. It’s the story of an underdog club engaged in a fight for survival off the field, while trying to prove they deserved to compete for a championship. 

Information

  • Creator
    KSL Podcasts
  • Episodes
    14
  • Seasons
    1
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © KSL Podcasts
  • Show Website
    Making Of A Moment

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