SANDY, Utah (Tuesday, September 5, 2017) – Real Salt Lake announced on Tuesday that the club has transferred GK Eduardo ‘Lalo’ Fernandez to Tigres UANL. The RSL Academy alum originally signed in January of 2012. He has made 50 appearances on loan with Real Monarchs SLC in the USL over three seasons.
“Real Salt Lake is home. It will always be my home. I was here for six years and gave everything I could and the club was the same for me. They were always behind me and supporting me. I could not be more thankful to the club and the whole organization,” Fernandez said. “To be in the eye of a big club like Tigres is an honor by itself. For them to be interested in me is what you play for and it’s an opportunity that I have to take. I want to thank Craig Waibel, Rob Zarkos, Elliot Fall and Dell Loy Hansen for the way they handled the negotiation to help make this a smooth transition. It’s so important to know that they are looking out for the best interests of the players.”
Fernandez, 24, was in the RSL Academy’s first graduating class in 2011 and signed with the MLS club in 2012. He made his professional debut while on loan to Phoenix FC in the USL-Pro in 2013, then became a regular with the Monarchs when the USL club opened play in 2015. In 50 matches over three seasons he posted a record of 19-21-10 with 14 shutouts and a 1.36 goals against average. That includes a 6-2-0 record with two shutouts and a 1.25 GAA in 2017.
Of the eight RSL Academy products on RSL’s roster this season, Fernandez was the longest tenured.
“We are extremely proud of the way Lalo has progressed during his time at RSL and we are excited for him to have an opportunity to continue to play games and grow at a club like Tigres,” Real Salt Lake General Manager Craig Waibel said. “He has been a professional in every sense of the word and we hope he can come back to RSL at some point in the future.”
Real Salt Lake returns to MLS play on Saturday to face Vancouver Whitecaps FC (8 p.m. MT, KMYU, Rewind 100.7 FM) on the road at BC Place.
