Albert Rusnák wasn’t just committing to a new team when he penned his signature on his multi-year Real Salt Lake contract in January.
The 23-year-old Slovakian committed to a move across the Atlantic to a club that was depending on him to fill the vacancy left in the wake of beloved playmaker Javier Morales.
"I'm not putting extra pressure on myself," Rusnák said in his news conference that day. "I know what's expected. I know I have to deliver, and that will be up to me to do on the field."
He hasn’t disappointed so far.
Even with frequent call-ups to both Slovakia’s senior national team and its U-21 squad, Rusnák has logged six goals — just shy of Yura Movsisyan’s team-leading seven — and a team-high 10 assists.
RSL got even more than it bargained for off the field — a fresh new face that the fans could latch onto.
“He has charisma, he has personality, he’s not afraid of who he is,” RSL general manager Craig Waibel said. “And so he’s very natural, not only in front of a camera, but even when cameras are off. There’s no act involved when Albert’s speaking, and there’s no act involved when someone’s putting a camera on him. … I think one of the big things is when we see athletes, when we see entertainers — singers, be it actors, whatever it is — we innately are drawn to the ones who we feel like allow us to know who they are.”
COLORADO RAPIDS AT REAL SALT LAKE <br>Where • Rio Tinto Stadium <br>When • 8 p.m. Saturday <br>TV • KMYU <br>Radio • 700 AM <br>Records • Colorado 6-14-4, RSL 9-13-5<br>Last meeting • RSL won 2-1 (April 15 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park) <br>About the Rapids • Steve Cooke was named Colorado’s interim coach after Pablo Mastroeni was fired Aug. 15. … RSL’s Kyle Beckerman and Chris Wingert are former Rapids players. … Zac MacMath is out after undergoing knee surgery Aug. 1. … Bobby Burling (foot) and Shkelzen Gashi (calf) are questionable for the match. <br>About RSL • Beckerman is suspended for the match due to yellow card accumulation. … Luis Silva has scored in each of RSL’s past three matches. … RSL's Jordan Allen, Omar Holness and Chad Barrett remain out (knee surgeries). ... Matt Van Oekel (ankle), Demar Phillips (hamstring) and Marcelo Silva (hamstring) are questionable for the match.
Of course, Waibel didn’t have the marketing and media side of the business in mind when RSL scouted Rusnák. That’s not part of his job. What Waibel was looking for was a personality that fit with his vision of the team.
“Why you?” he asked Rusnák in his interview, as he does every player who gets to that point in the process.
“It’s a challenging question because it‘s not guiding a player,” Waibel said. “It just quite frankly leaves it up to them to tell us why they fit and why they want to be here. And he handled that question as well as any player I’ve interviewed to date, in terms of he was very succinct, he was very direct, and without giving away what he said, he was very convincing.”
Rusnák was no stranger to transitioning into new locker rooms, or even new countries. The Manchester City academy product spent time on loan with Oldham and Birmingham City in England, as well as the Dutch club Cambuur Leeuwarden. He transferred to the Dutch side FC Groningen in December 2014.
“I think the loans in England, as well, helped me,” Rusnák said. “To have a few loans and to go into different locker rooms, that’s a big part of why I can adapt so quickly. But also I always say if you come into a team where there’s great players and there’s a philosophy that suits me as a player, then it’s always easier to make that transition.”
He found that with Real Salt Lake. Rusnák has found his niche as part of an attacking four that includes Luis Silva up top and Joao Plata and Jefferson Savarino on the wings.
Rusnák scored a goal and set up two others in Wednesday’s 4-0 win over San Jose. He successfully completed all but three passes in his 83 minutes played.
Rusnák will join the Slovakia national team for its upcoming World Cup Qualifying matches after Saturday’s home match against Colorado.
“Albert’s been phenomenal, he really has,” RSL right back Tony Beltran said. “I think oftentimes with foreign players coming to MLS, of course it’s a difficult transition culturally, and they have to find their footing within the city and then also within the team and soccer-wise. But credit to Albert, he’s very determined, he’s very hungry and he’s got so much quality. So I’m not surprised to see that he’s done as well as he has as quickly as he has.”
He made his mark personality-wise even before he stepped on the field. RSL owner Dell Loy Hansen told those gathered at the news conference for Rusnák’s signing that he had endeared himself to Groningen fans in the 2014 KNVB Cup. Hansen asked if Rusnák had scored in that match.
“Both goals,” Rusnák murmured.