Real Salt Lake sporting director Kurt Schmid said the club won't be changing its emphasis on player development, even in the wake of securing a $15 million transfer fee from Crystal Palace for winger Zavier Gozo.
Schmid, now in the midst of his third season as RSL's sporting director, said the club will receive the funds from Palace in installments, so it's "not like I get a dump of $15 million in my pocket right now."
But he'll look to continue to bring players through the team's academy as well as augment the roster with some experienced players as well. "It's about finding the right guy to fit in," Schmid said via telephone.
"I don't think we want to rush into anything for sure. But I think over whether that's this window or next window, we'll look to bring someone in right now that we can continue to develop because that's our model is developing guys.
"I think what we've done well this season, that we will look to do again over the next couple windows though is bring in the right experience pieces to help that player development along. So there's not a lot of player development in a guy like Morgan Guilavogui, but he certainly helps the rest of it sort of tick along."
Schmid was quick to emphasize that there remains an emphasis on winning as well.
"Nobody wants your players if you don't win games, because they're not any good if they don't help you win," he said.
Among the players most likely to move next is midfielder Diego Luna.
The United States international has endured a season of extremes, as he was thought to be headed to the World Cup with the USMNT, only to be one of the last players cut from manager Mauricio Pochettino's squad.
Since then, he's tried to move on from that emotional blow, but progress has come in fits and starts, with Luna scoring five goals and adding five assists.
Despite interest in Luna from Europe and especially from Liga MX, Schmid said the intent is to keep the player in Salt Lake City until the end of the year, at which point he'll look at what deals are on the table.
"If there's a good option to sell [Luna] in the winter, we'll look to do that. That's the ideal time. If not, and if it's next summer when there's maybe a little more money around, especially from Europe, then we'll do it then. But I think he's been clear about his wish to go abroad.
"I mean, a lot of our young players have that desire and it's not something that you're going to be able to just keep all these guys here forever. If we're a team that buys young players or plays young players and tries to develop them, there's going to come a point when it's time to sell them and they're going to want to take that next step in their career. So Diego's no different."
Schmid's tenure with RSL has seen him emerge from the long shadow cast by his father, Sigi Schmid, a National Soccer Hall of Fame manager, who won 10 major trophies across his MLS career, including two MLS Cup titles with the LA Galaxy and the Columbus Crew.
The younger Schmid's career has taken him to the Seattle Sounders to the LA Galaxy -- where he worked under his father in both stops -- and then Inter Miami before landing with RSL in 2021.
"They're unofficial apprenticeships, and so learning things that way has been a huge help to me," he said.
"And it's tough obviously stepping into this business as not someone who played at the highest level. More and more, that's part of the resume of guys that have not just the coaching jobs, but the sporting director and the CSO jobs as well. And so having to work my way up obviously on that side and on the front office side and get into this role has been certainly a process."
The Gozo wasn't his first eight-figure deal, with RSL moving Andrés Gómez to Stade Rennais for $11 million back in 2024.
But Schmid added that the smaller deals are what help keep the club ticking over and continuing to invest in the roster.
At the same time, he doesn't mind having to transfer out some of his best players, and then reconfigure the roster.
"I guess I really enjoy the side of it to be honest," he said. "It's just a real interesting puzzle putting the roster together and the salary cap and everything. I've always enjoyed that part of it. I feel fortunate to have been given the chance."