TRANSFER TRACKER STATUS: Transfer
Real Salt Lake have exercised the purchase option on Everton Luiz from Serie A club Società Polisportiva Ars et Labor (S.P.A.L.) using Targeted Allocation Money (TAM), the club announced Wednesday. Luiz was on loan with RSL in 2019.
Luiz, 31, made 27 appearances in his first season with the club last year, helping lead RSL to the Western Conference Semifinals. A hard-tackling defensive midfielder, Luiz helped solidify the center of the field.
“We are thrilled to be able to keep a foundational piece of our midfield,” RSL GM Elliot Fall said in a club statement. “He joined us in 2019 and quickly established himself as a key contributor to everything we are trying to do.”
RSL are hoping to bring back Luiz's partner at central midfield for most of 2019: captain Kyle Beckerman. The 37-year-old is out of contract, after playing 25 MLS regular-season games for RSL in 2019, his 13th season with the club.
“It goes without saying what Kyle brings and what Kyle has brought to the club,” Fall told MLSsoccer.com on Tuesday. “There are multiple pathways to Kyle being involved and being a part of this club and we’ll continue to work toward the best outcome.”
RSL finished third in the Western Conference and won a Round One playoff game last season, beating the Portland Timbers. That performance earned interim Freddy Juarez the club's permanent head coach position and Fall also had his interim title removed and confirmed as GM.
