April 25, 2008 by f4denz.

OK, it seems that I forgot a couple things in my preview from late last night. First here is the link to the official game guide.

Second here are the projected starting line ups:

I will be posting this week’s Jason vs. the 360 results later tonight; I hope to also be able to add in the video of the match. One thing is for sure that there should be nobody making excuses, about players being tired, about the surface being the RES turf, it should be two teams putting their best 11 on the pitch, and going for 3 points and their second win of the MLS season.

OFF MY SOAPBOX

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April 25, 2008 by f4denz.

Weekend Predictions

Wizards go to Canada

So the East leading Wizards head north of the border to face the red hot TFC, who have won two matches in a row and now have a 2-0-2 record and play the next couple games at the very friendly BMO field. As good as KC has been, this new look Toronto squad really looks impressive to me with all their new talent, including another player signed this week Olivier Tebily. Yet another international player, Tebily is a defender from the Ivory Coast and has EPL experience, the question is how are they getting away with 13 international players, have they really picked up 5 international spots in trades? However they are getting away with it, and however they are paying these players, they surely are a very improved roster with now 4 players with EPL experience. I wanted to pick this one as a 1-1 tie, but the more I think about how good Robert and Ricketts looked last week, I am going to say 2-1 for TFC as they get the first 3 game winning streak in their history.

Reversal of roles

So Columbus sit just 1 point out of first place, and Houston sit at the very bottom of the West with just 3 points and no wins in league play. It looks like Houston will go into battle one more time without Pat “ice ice” Onstad, but something more has been wrong with the Dynamo this season, they have scored only 5 goals so far this year and 3 of them came in a 3-3 draw with Dallas. Houston is on a 3 game tie streak, while the Crew are on a 2 game win streak (Chivas and DC United), one of the streaks have to end, and I think it will be Houston’s. I am picking the Crew to win at home 2-1.

Who will heat up this week?

So last week Chicago lost their first match of the season 0-1 against the Wizards, this week they face off against the Rapids, who lost to expansion San Jose last weekend 2-0. In defense of the Rapids they have been facing a lot of injuries to start the season, and this week they will be missing Connor Casey and Mike Petke. DeRaimondo, and LaBrocca may see action but are nursing injuries, and Chicago has Brown and Rolfe injured but available. This one will be a showcase for the Fire defense who have only allowed two goals so far this season, I think Chicago will score that many on Saturday and beat the Rapids 2-0.

SuperClasico 2008 version

The teams that share the Home Depot Center will face off Saturday evening in Carson, Chivas is coming off back to back loses to the Crew and Dallas, while the Galaxy got two goals from Landycakes to get a 2-2 draw against Houston. This is always a battle and I don’t see much changing, the Chivas defense has given up 6 goals in the last two weeks and the Galaxy have put up 2 each of the last three weeks. With both Razov and Kljestan both back from red card suspensions, I have to pick the Goats to win this one 2-1, but I would not be surprised with a 3-2 win or 2-2 draw, this should be fun as both teams have had some defensive struggles in recent weeks. The keepers may end up being the busiest players on the pitch Saturday night.

Opening day redux

Well this was supposed to be a rematch of the week 1 trip of the Red Bulls out to NoCal, but with stadium problems out west that match will be played in late July, so can the Earthquakes get another win? Or will the Red Bulls rebound after a 1-1 draw against a 10 man New England? Well this Sunday match should be entertaining as the attacking style that San Jose showed last week against the Rapids was enjoyable to watch and resulted in the rebirth of the Earthquakes get their first win in franchise history for a second time. But I think Jozy and Juan Pablo will have something to say about it and I think the Red Bulls will give the New York fans a 2-0 win to celebrate.

United seeking revenge

I am sure that DC United did not expect to be sitting at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings going into week 5; I also doubt that they expected to be out of the CONCACAF Champions Cup already, and I am sure they did not expect to be at minus 4 in goal differential at this point of the season. We all know that they did not expect to get beat 4-0 two weeks ago at RES, but all these things have happened, in fact the only thing to go right for DC this year is their 4-1 win over TFC in week 2. Their million dollar man Marcelo Gallardo has looked good but only 1 goal in 3 matches, and the fact the DC’s defense without Ben “my kid is a Beckham fan” Olsen is simply not as good as they have been in the past and the result is that the offense that often benefited from the rock solid defense has struggled and only scored 1 goal against teams other than Toronto. Real on the other hand got a sobering awakening last weekend at BMO field, in a 1-0 defeat that coach Jason Kreis took responsibility for this week, I expect that the attacking style we saw when these team met a couple weeks ago will be attempted again. If RSL can finish their scoring chances, this one will end up a 2-2 draw and DC will have to settle for only partial revenge.

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April 24, 2008 by f4denz.

OK, first if you need information about these teams, here is the official Game Guide. Now onto the match, so I have to make two predictions about tonight’s match, because the final result will depend on if the Revolution can finish a match with 11 men on the pitch or not. New England has some exciting young players, but as the weeks have wore on, they have shown that they are young and that the stalwarts of this roster have been missing (Twellman is still out, Ralston is doubtful, and Albright is probably but hurt). Dallas is missing Rhine and Toja is still hurt, but with Kenny Cooper in great form to start the season, the guys from big D are the only team in MLS without a loss. Well nothing is going to change tonight, if New England finishes with 11 men on the pitch I am predicting a 3-2 defeat for them as Dallas will move top of a combined table with 11 points. If the Revolution ends with 10 players, then the score lose by 3-1 despite the fact that they looked better with 10 men last week against the Red Bulls.

It should be an entertaining match tonight, so let’s get to it.

OFF MY SOAPBOX

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April 24, 2008 by f4denz.

So many people have talked about the progress at RSL, myself included, some say it can be seen in the way the players have been playing, some say that getting our first win 9 weeks earlier than the first win last year is progress, but there is one place where no one can deny the progress. It is down on 92^nd and State St in Sandy, you can see if from the freeway, and if your driving on State Street, you can’t miss it.

(thanks for the photos Jake)

So for all the complaining, finger pointing, bad politics, and other drama on both sides of the use of $35 million in TRT taxes to help fund the infrastructure of the new soccer stadium in Sandy, one thing is true. Progress is being made and soon the stadium will be hosting matches and generating revenue for local business. I have taken a tour of the stadium and it doesn’t seem like there will be a bad seat in the place. I will be taking another tour in a couple weeks and I will post more photos from that visit, if you want to track the daily progress you can check out the webcam at http://www.rslstadium.com.

Sponsors Announced

Recently RSL announced some of the partners who will be part of the stadium experience, names like Sony, Budwieser, and other local, regional and national brands. Here is a summary of their involvement from the official press release:

• America First Credit Union, the 13^th-largest Credit Union in the country, becomes the initial regional company to incorporate their brand into the RSL Stadium. America First will prominently support Real Salt Lake throughout the 2008 season at its current Rice-Eccles home, as well via numerous broadcasting and grassroots efforts.
• Anheuser-Busch’s Budweiser, the world’s foremost sports sponsor and a charter Major League Soccer partner, will present adult fans with a fun-filled venue to watch the match from the RSL Stadium Club presented by Budweiser
• FIJI Water, the first ‘carbon negative’ bottled water, will present the Stadium’s “Green Suite,” outlining and exhibiting both Real Salt Lake’s environmental initiatives and FIJI Green, the company’s comprehensive effort to mitigate global climate change
• Pepsi Bottling Group, another MLS partner since 1996, will provide its stable of beverages, which account for nearly one-third of total drink sales in the United States.
• Sony Electronics provides the backbone for all digital signage throughout the Stadium, integrating its unparalleled quality and technology into the venue’s VideoBoard, LED ribbon-boards and flat-panel displays in the Club, Suites, Press Box and Concourse areas

All of this came just days after the selection of Levy Restaurants is the Stadium’s restaurateur and concessionaire, adding Real Salt Lake’s home to a hallowed roster that includes Lambeau Field, Wrigley Field, Staples Center and Churchill Downs, among several dozen others. While the main naming sponsor of the stadium has not been announced yet, on the heels of these partnerships, I expect that it will be another great relationship (let’s hope the selection won’t result in a horrible nickname like the Energy Solution’s Dump, or Dick’s).

Stadium drama in Houston

Now if we remember back to all the drama with Peter, Uncle Dave, Rocky, and the host of other people involved, things got nasty, personal, and very unprofessional on all sides of the issue. A lot of misinformation circulated and has resulted in bad feelings and a lot of division between supporters of the stadium and RSL, and those who didn’t want money spent on the stadium.

Three years ago issues with stadiums caused one of the league’s most successful on pitch teams to relocate from San Jose to Houston, the shame is that the drama around that team has not died down. First there were issues with the name selected by the fans, which some consider racist, now the team and community are still trying to get a stadium deal done, but despite promises made when the team moved, some changes in the ownership group.

I recently found an article on usscoccerplayers.typepad.com, that discusses the stadium issue in light of local politics, as well as how it impacts MLS and how it is perceived. The issue is so heated in a town that has either built or helped in the building of stadiums for the NFL, MLB, and NBA, that some are saying because soccer is a sport supported by latinos that not funding while funding in whole or part other stadiums (more expensive ones at that) may be driven by issues of race. For all the issues and problems we may have encountered, they are nothing to compare with the issues in Houston.

It would be a real shame if the team has to move once again, in order to find a community willing to partner with a soccer team the way they so often are willing to do for other professional sports. One only needs to look at the new stadium being built in Dallas for the NFL’s Cowboys to see the extremes, over a billion dollars will be spent on a stadium for a team that will play eight home games a year, and a big chunk (over 300 million dollars) is being paid by local tax funding from increases in hotel taxes, rental car taxes, and even a sales tax increase. The league is also contributing 150 million to the project, and Jerry Jones the teams owner is picking up the rest, but rumors have it that he may be asking for more help from other sources.

Summary

Progress, no matter the issues being faced in other cities, or the issues in the past of our own stadium, it is being built, progress can be seen, and I believe in the end it will be a great facility that will allow RSL to continue to host events like international matches with teams like Real Madrid, US national team matches, as well as state and local events. RSL has been directly responsible for the two largest sporting events in Utah since the 2002 winter Olympics, both the Real Madrid match in 2006 and the US vs. Costa Rica World Cup qualifying match in 2005 brought visitors from around the US as well as from nations around the world. Now having a world class venue to host those events, will allow RSL to continue making a mark on the local economy.

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April 23, 2008 by f4denz.

Team keeps looking for right mix at forward Deseret News
When Real Salt Lake finally signed the target forward they were seeking in the final month of the preseason, it naturally raised another important question: Who would be Kenny Deuchar’s best strike partner option, Robbie Findley, Yura Movsisyan or Fabian Espindola?

Real Salt Lake Weekly oursportscentral.com
RSL Heads to Nation’s Capitol Saturday for Return Match against D.C. United.
Real Salt Lake (1-2-1, 4 pts.) will close out its brief 2008 season series against D.C. United (1-3-0, 3 pts.) this Saturday, April 26, when Utah’s side will head to RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C., for a 5:30 p.m. MT kick-off against the defending MLS Supporters Shield holders.

A tale of two halves globeandmail.com (a very good read on the view of last weekend’s match from north of the border)
If Toronto FC’s 1-0 victory over Real Salt Lake on Saturday was a tale of two halves, as it was dubbed in the postgame scrums, it also was a tale of two teams and one coach growing.

D.C. looks to right ship in slow start mlsnet.com
For the second consecutive season, a slow start to MLS play has left D.C. United languishing in the Eastern Conference basement after four matches, pondering the taxing effects of international play and wondering how to right the ship.

SBI MLS Best XI: Week Four soccerbyives.net
So who were the best players in MLS for Week Four? It was a bit tougher than usual to pick a Best XI but there were enough standout performances to create a nucleus to build around.

Moving Out ussoccerplayers.typepad.com (a very interesting view on the troubles that Houston are having with their attempt to get a stadium deal- if you thought we had drama, then this one will really seem familiar)
I was having a conversation with a non-soccer sports fan last week about the state of the game in the US.  I mentioned how this is an interesting time in its development as devoted fans and officials continue in their efforts to grow the league.  Trying to advance what is normally viewed as a foreign game with American concepts such as trades, salary caps, and drafts makes this a unique time in the history of the game.

Barca vs Man U- Match Summary

So again I am watching this on my DVR and not live so it misses a little drama, but here goes. So a hand ball in the box to start the game leads to a Man U PK, taken by Cristiano, who fools the keeper but drives the ball wide of the goal, chance for an easy away goal blown. A lot of people have questioned CR’s performance in the big games and that is the reason why. This summary will be much more high level than yesterday’s Liverpool vs. Chelsea summary, because I simply don’t care nearly as much about this one. The first half was dominated by FCB controlling the possession and scoring chances, they sure appear to be the better team today but have failed to put anything on the scoreboard. While Cristiano may dive a bit, he is nowhere near as bad as Drogba was yesterday, but I can see him earning the mythical pink card in this match.

Well the second half has started and no changes to either side, and Barca are still controlling the pace and possession in the match, with the rare United counter, but neither side is looking extremely dangerous with their scoring chances. It is mice to see Messi back, and in good form for a player who has not seen much action in recent weeks. Man U have to be careful they are getting away with a lot of contact in the box, a whistle may soon be heard and a penalty kick given. A great attack by Eto in the 52^nd minute and the ball catches the side netting on the wrong side of the goal, a real chance wasted. The counter by Man U ends up in a great chance by Carrick, but like Eto, his shot catches the side netting on the outside of the goal. Well you would think that a match that ends with one team controlling just under 70% of the possession and having taken 3 times more shots would have a winner and a loser, but nope a 0-0 draw is the result in leg one, perhaps next weeks match at Old Trafford will get something on the scoreboard.

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