Being a Real Salt Lake supporter has taught me to be careful with hope.

There is always that temptation after a few good results to start looking too far ahead. A winning streak becomes a playoff run. A promising young player becomes the next club legend. A good signing becomes the missing piece.

Sometimes it works out. Sometimes soccer reminds you very quickly not to get ahead of yourself.

But this season feels different.

Not because RSL is unbeatable. They aren't. Not because every signing has worked perfectly or every problem has disappeared. They haven't.

It feels different because, for the first time in a while, the reasons to be hopeful seem to stretch beyond what is happening on the field.

This Season Has Already Changed Expectations

Before the 2026 MLS season began, expectations outside Utah weren't exactly high. Most preseason predictions had Real Salt Lake fighting somewhere around the playoff line rather than competing near the top of the Western Conference.

RSL didn't seem particularly interested in following that script.

Instead, the club put together one of the strongest starts in its history and quickly established itself as one of the better teams in the West.

There have been bumps along the way. That is going to happen over the course of an MLS season. Recent losses have been frustrating, and there have been matches where RSL hasn't looked like the same team that started the season so strongly.

But I don't think a few difficult results erase what we have already seen.

This isn't a team surviving because one player got hot for a few weeks. RSL has gotten meaningful contributions from veterans, international signings, Homegrowns and young players who weren't necessarily expected to play major roles this soon.

That matters.

More Important Than the Standings

As exciting as the results have been, the biggest reason I am optimistic about Real Salt Lake might actually be what has happened off the field.

The front office has shown a willingness to use its resources to raise the caliber of the roster.

Morgan Guilavogui is probably the clearest example.

RSL didn't bring him to Utah as a reclamation project or a low-risk depth piece. They acquired him permanently from French Ligue 1 side RC Lens and gave him a Designated Player spot. Before arriving in MLS, Guilavogui had also spent time playing in Germany with FC St. Pauli.

The goals haven't piled up yet, but his impact has gone beyond the scoresheet. His ability to create chances, connect with teammates and give RSL a different kind of threat in the attack has been easy to see.

Then there is Juan Manuel Sanabria.

RSL acquired Sanabria permanently from Atlético San Luis, making him the most expensive non-Designated Player acquisition in club history.

That is a significant statement from this club.

And Sanabria hasn't just arrived with an impressive résumé. He has backed it up. He quickly became one of RSL's most important creators and earned the opportunity to represent Uruguay at the 2026 World Cup.

That is the caliber of player RSL should be chasing.

Losing Gozo Doesn't Mean Losing the Future

Of course, there may soon be another test of just how much faith supporters have in what RSL is building.

Reports continue to grow that Zavier Gozo is nearing a move to Crystal Palace in the English Premier League, with the reported transfer fee sitting around $15 million.

As an RSL supporter, I don't want to lose Gozo.

He's a Utah kid. He's an Academy product. He's become an MLS All-Star and one of the most exciting young players this club has produced. On top of all that, he's a flat out good person. Watching someone like that leave in the middle of a promising season is naturally going to hurt.

But I also don't think it is the end of the world.

In fact, this is part of what successful player development is supposed to look like.

RSL developed Gozo into a player that a Premier League club may be willing to spend around $15 million to acquire. If the deal happens, that should be viewed as a success for the Academy and another sign that talented young players can come through Salt Lake, earn meaningful minutes and create opportunities at the highest levels of the sport.

The next question is what RSL does with that success.

The club isn't suddenly empty on the right side without Gozo. Zach Booth has already shown that he can step into that area of the field, and RSL has other players who give Pablo Mastroeni flexibility in how he sets up the attack.

That doesn't mean Gozo is easily replaceable. He isn't.

The point is that losing one player, even one as talented as Gozo, doesn't have to derail the entire season.

More importantly, a transfer of this size could give the club additional resources and roster flexibility to continue improving the team.

And that is where the optimism from the rest of this season comes back into the picture.

If this were a front office that had shown no willingness to spend, losing Gozo would worry me a lot more.

But we've just watched RSL invest in players like Guilavogui and Sanabria. We've watched them add experienced attacking talent like Saba Lobjanidze. They have shown that they are willing to look outside the organization when they believe a player can raise the level of the team.

So if Gozo goes, I'll be disappointed.

I'll also be very interested to see what comes next.

Selling one of your best young players doesn't have to mean taking a step backward. If RSL handles the situation correctly, it could give them another opportunity to strengthen the roster and continue building something bigger.

Spending Money Isn't Enough

Of course, spending money doesn't automatically make a soccer club successful.

MLS has plenty of examples of teams that have spent aggressively without actually building a coherent roster.

What gives me hope is that RSL's investment doesn't feel disconnected from everything else the club is doing.

Zavier Gozo developed into an MLS All-Star. Sergi Solans entered college and became a club Golden Boot contender. Diego Luna remains one of the most important pieces of the attack. Young players have continued receiving meaningful opportunities. At the same time, players like Guilavogui and Sanabria have been brought in from outside the organization to raise the level around them.

That is the balance I want to see.

Develop your own players.

Find value where other clubs aren't looking.

And when the right player becomes available, be willing to spend.

RSL doesn't need to become the biggest-spending club in MLS. It probably never will be.

It does need to act like a club with ambition.

Right now, it does.

And if Gozo does leave for a significant transfer fee, what happens next could tell us even more about how ambitious this version of Real Salt Lake intends to be.

Hope Has to Be Earned

There is still a lot of soccer left to play.

Maybe this season ends with a deep playoff run. Maybe it doesn't. The Western Conference isn't going to get any easier, and RSL still has areas where the roster can improve.

But I think focusing only on where this team eventually finishes misses part of the story.

Something is being built here.

We are seeing young players develop into legitimate MLS difference-makers. We are seeing international-caliber players choose Salt Lake. We are seeing the front office use valuable roster spots and financial resources to bring in players who can make the team better now while still building something sustainable for the future.

We may even be watching the next step in that process with Gozo.

If an Academy player can develop in Utah, become an All-Star, attract interest from the Premier League and potentially bring a massive transfer fee back to the club, that isn't evidence that RSL is losing its best players.

It is evidence that the system is working.

The responsibility then shifts to the club to prove it can turn that success into the next player, the next signing and the next step forward.

Most importantly, supporters are being given reasons to expect more.

Not because someone told us to trust the process.

Because we can actually see it.

I've followed this club long enough to know that optimism in soccer can disappear quickly. One bad month, one injury orone transfer window can completely change the direction of a season.

So I'm not ready to start planning a championship parade down State Street just yet.

But I'm also not going to pretend there isn't something worth believing in.

I'm excited. I have hope.

From Where I Sit: RSL Is Giving Us a Reason to Believe

This Season Has Already Changed Expectations

More Important Than the Standings

Losing Gozo Doesn't Mean Losing the Future

Spending Money Isn't Enough

Hope Has to Be Earned