SANDY, Utah -- There was a time when Collen Warner thought that the next stage in his soccer career lay in Europe. The University of Portland midfielder had decided to leave the United States and try his luck as a trialist with a European club.

A chat by phone with Real Salt Lake coach Jason Kreis opened his mind to a new possibility of starting his professional career closer to home.

"We just talked about a few things -- what he thought about me as a player and some of the opportunities that I would have in the MLS," Warner said. "And I felt great. Part of it definitely had to do with the contract that the MLS offered and I eventually signed. But it was mainly it was looking for the main opportunity for me to develop as a player."

After signing with the league on the morning of the 2010 MLS SuperDraft, Warner learned his rookie campaign would begin in Utah when RSL selected the Colorado native with the 15th pick overall.

Salt Lake made a draft day trade -- sending veteran midfielder Clint Mathis and the No. 16 pick to the Los Angeles Galaxy -- in order to move up and position itself to snatch Warner when it came time to make a selection.

On the surface, it seemed like a curious selection by RSL. A trio of all-stars in Kyle Beckerman, Javier Morales and Will Johnson already anchor the team's midfield and veteran players like Andy Williams and Ned Grabavoy are already rotation regulars. Add in second year players like Raphael Cox and Jean Alexandre and it was already a virtual logjam for the Claret-and-Cobalt at that position.

Still, circumstances are different than a year ago. By virtue of winning the MLS Cup, Salt Lake will participate in the CONCACAF Champions League. The team's usual schedule will be expanded by at least six games as a result -- meaning that shoring up depth at all key positions is vitally important going into the 2010 season.

Beyond that, Kreis and RSL general manager Garth Lagerway wanted to use draft picks who meshed with the team's formations and style of play. Warner is someone who Kreis believes can do just that.

"With the first selection we took the best player that was available -- in our opinion," Kreis said. "He's a guy we really liked a lot. He was really rated highly from his performance on the combine and really was a guy, positionally, that could play better in our system just about better than anybody else that was there."

Warner knows earning minutes as a rookie will be a challenge -- especially on a side that is the defending league champion. But he also believes that this will be a good situation for him. Warner expects that playing along side talented players like Morales, Johnson and Beckerman will only shorten the learning curve that comes with moving from college to professional soccer.

"I expect it to bring out the best in me," Warner said. "Just for me to try and earn some playing time, I'm going to have to be performing at the top of my game. As an athlete and as a soccer player, there's nothing more that I can ask for. There's no situation better than that."

If Warner can play at the top of his game, RSL will add a dangerous offensive weapon to the team's arsenal. During four years in Portland, he netted 20 goals and 20 assists and notched six-game winners in 79 career games with the Pilots.

Warner brings a skill set to the field comparable to Kyle Beckerman. He is a box-to-box player with a strong passing ability and good vision.

If he can emerge and make some key contributions as a rookie, Kreis believes Warner will add another dimension to an already strong area for RSL.

"We look at the midfield as, really, the strength of our team and the engine of our team," Kreis said. "They should be second in none in showing a young midfielder what it takes to succeed at the professional level."

John Coon is a contributor to MLSnet.com.