Real Salt Lake in first place, really?
July 20, 2008 by f4denz.
Just the numbers
OK, I have been trying to provide a frequent look at how RSL stacks up against former RSL sides, and the numbers show the improvements that both the standings and abilities of the team on the pitch are real.
RSL has more points after 18 matches this year than any other year, by 8. RSL has scored 20 goals through 18 matches, equal to the 2006 season, and on defense RSL has allowed only 19 goals this season, which is 6 fewer than the 2006 total. History has shown that RSL usually plays better in the second half of the season, in 2007 they scored 15 points in their last 12 matches (1.25 pt per match), and both 2006 and 2005 the MLS was on a longer schedule of 32 matches, in 2006 RSL racked up 23 points in 14 matches (1.64pt per match), in 2005 RSL scored only 7 points in their final 14 matches (.5 pt per match).
What this means is that RSL will most likely need to repeat the effort of the 2006 season, if they can find a way to score 23 more points then the playoffs should be no problem, an effort similar to last season will mean a very nervous fan base come October as RSL would end the season with 39 points. The upside is that this year the playoff format in MLS is different than in the past as the top 3 teams in the East and the West will qualify and then the next two best teams, so RSL would only need to finish in the top 3 of the West to secure a spot, currently they are tops and would easily get a spot.
A True Team Effort
Some teams have huge names like Beckham, Blanco, Angel, Lopez, Donovan to boost their efforts towards the MLS Cup, but RSL has taken a different path, they have assembled a team in the truest sense of the word. When Jason Kreis took over last spring very few people were excited by the decision, and many both locally and around MLS questioned the move, but Jason has stuck to his guns and worked with new GM Garth Lagerwey to build a team of players who are good, but when they are on the field with each other they are better than the individual pieces. It started last season with Kyle Beckerman and Chris Wingert coming over from the Rapids, the trade of Chris Klein to the Galaxy brought both Robbie Findley and Nathan Sturgis to RSL, then the trio of Espindola, Morales, and Mantilla were picked up from Argentina, as well as a trade of draft picks to KC for Yura Movsisyan and while the team struggled at the end of last year with so many new faces, the offseason would see even more changes.
On opening day 2008, only 8 players from the starting day of 2007 were still a part of RSL’s roster and now at the All Star break only two players from the 2005 season are still active for RSL, Kenny Cutler and Andy Williams, while the original #1 draft pick of RSL Nik Besagno is on loan to the Seattle Sounders of the USL. When you look at the stats for RSL, you that there are no real “stars” on the team, Yes Nick Rimando now leads MLS in shut outs with 7 and has a 1.06 GAA. Yes Javi Morales has 7 assists and is tied for second in MLS in that category, but look deeper at the numbers and you see that no RSL player has more than 4 goals (Robbie Findley), but RSL has 5 players with multiple goals. For RSL 9 different players have contributed assist this season, and 7 players have more than 20 shots and 5 have more than 10 shots on goal. It also shows in how many minutes players have played, 9 players have over 1,000 minutes in league play already this season, another 4 have over 500 minutes, and 21 players have gotten more than 100 minutes of time on the first team roster so far this year.
The passion this team has comes form each individual player and also comes from the head coach, who has been fined and suspended more than all the players on his team combined. It is that fire, that stubbornness that only sees black and white, that only sees wins and losses that is driving RSL towards a playoff spot. That passion is spreading to the fans, and as RSL gets closer to opening their new stadium in October many of us are looking forward to watching RSL’s first playoff game from the comfort of a brand new stadium, who knows perhaps we will get a better banner than the one proclaiming us as hosts of the 2009 MLS All Star game. So while the fans around the league, Commish Garber, and Coach Nicol may have passed on putting any RSL players on the roster of their All Star team, you can be assured that by the end of the season people will know a lot more about the team that is Real Salt Lake.
OFF MY SOAPBOX