Right back Tony Beltran discusses RSL's disappointing end to the 2016 season. pic.twitter.com/6z5xgnBXHl
— Chris Kamrani (@chriskamrani) November 2, 2016
On the surface and in the standings, Real Salt Lake improved from 2015 to 2016.
After missing the playoffs last year for the first time since 2007, RSL returned to the postseason this season, spending much of the year in the top three of the Western Conference before slipping down the stretch and losing in last week's Knockout Round at LA.
While their results were better, defender Tony Beltran doesn’t think 2016 was an undeniable improvement for RSL.
“I was actually just talking to our staff about that, and in many ways, this year feels more disappointing than last year,” Beltran told reporters in a press conference on Wednesday, footage of which was posted to Twitter by The Salt Lake Tribune’s Chris Kamrani. “We weren’t a playoff team last year. And this year, I felt like we were a team that could’ve competed for a number of trophies but ultimately we didn’t. And for whatever reason that is, of course it adds to the disappointment because I liked our team this year and I really believed in us.”