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SALT LAKE CITY — Real Salt Lake wasted little time when the MLS summer transfer window opened on July 18.
The club made an opening day move by bringing on former Orlando City left winger Benji Michel, who made his RSL debut two days later as a substitute against the Colorado Rapids. Twenty-six-year-old Michel came up through his hometown Orlando youth academy and scored 15 goals for the MLS team from 2019-22.
On Tuesday, the team matched the other side of the attack with the signing of right winger Lachlan Brook from Australian club Western Sydney Wanderers. Brook is a 23-year-old native of Gawler, South Australia, and has nearly 40 appearances for Australian youth national squads.
The highlight of Brook's time in Australia came during the 2023 Australia Cup when he scored five goals in a single match, becoming the first player in the modern era of the tournament to score five goals in an Australia Cup Final Rounds match.
The positional choice of the signings raises some questions with MLS All-Star Diego Luna and breakout goalscorer Andres Gomez locked in as the starters on the wings for RSL. The two rising prospects are both under 22 years old and have combined for 18 goals and 21 assists for the highest-scoring team in the Western Conference.
#RSL has signed Brook through the end of the 2025 MLS season, with club options for both 2026 and 2027.
— Caleb Turner (@calebturner23) July 23, 2024
Kurt Schmid says, "one or two additional moves…during this window remain possible."
Release also says Brook can play any of the four positions in the club's attacking setup pic.twitter.com/jLI6SLPzmU
The club's release about the Brook signing said he can play any of the four attacking positions for RSL — two wingers, an attacking midfielder and a striker — and Michel was employed in a more central striker position when he entered the match against Colorado over the weekend.
The release also included a note from chief soccer officer Kurt Schmid that, "one or two additional moves ... during this window remain possible."
MLS Season Pass analyst and host Andrew Wiebe commented on the Brook signing: "(Designated player) spot still open for RSL. Club working hard to get that over the line as well."
With just three goals over the club's last three matches before the Leagues Cup break, RSL is clearly prioritizing attacking talent wherever it can find it and likely isn't done making moves before the summer transfer window closes on Aug. 14.
Luna and Justen Glad will both be participating in the MLS All-Star Game on Wednesday at 6 p.m. MDT on MLS Season Pass and the team is back in action at America First Field on Aug. 1 against Liga MX team Atlas in Leagues Cup group play.
