The acquisition of USA U17 & U20 international Luis Gil has Real Salt Lake excited. The teenager is already making a big name for himself, having attracted interest from European giants Arsenal and Real Madrid abut will kick off his professional career in MLS.
After being won in a weighted lottery by Kansas City Wizards he was traded on to the reigning MLS champions Real Salt Lake and the Utah-based club are delighted to have him on their books.
"We're pumped, we're excited," said RSL general manager Garth Lagerwey about his team's capture of Gil. "We got a very talented young player."
But Lagerwey was not about to put an unfair weight on the shoulders of the California native who does his best work in midfield.
"The key phrase is, 'No expectations,'" added Lagerwey. "We're going to let [Gil] come in, see what he can do, and get him to buy into our motto of: The team is the star.
"The worst thing you can do with a young player is set unrealistic expectations on him. (Gil) is 16 years old. He's not mature physically. It's a giant leap from the U-17's to professional soccer. And we've already been through this process with Alex Nimo. We've got to make sure he feels comfortable in his situation. He doesn't even have a driver's license yet."