Thank You Real Salt Lake fans
October 27, 2008 by f4denz.
I just wanted to do a quick thank you to everyone who reads my blog, we hit 20,000 page views already this month and only have had one day all month where less than 300 people visited the blog, we are actually averaging 400 visitors a day and over 800 page views a day.
I do wish more of you would leave comments, and if you have any request for topics or information just let me know.
Please take time to visit http://connect.roguecavaliers.com/ there are photos and videos posted there, and if you sign up you can load your own materials and even start your own blog.
I will be trying to do a live blog from tomorrow’s RSL practice at Rio Tinto, and I will try to get my review of RSL results by team posted later tonight as well.
Anyhow, Thank you all very much and tell your friends to visit the site.
OFF MY SOAPBOX
Real Salt Lake makes the playoffs, now what?
October 27, 2008 by f4denz.
Is making the playoffs enough?
According to Real Salt Lake coach Jason Kreis in the after match comments on making the playoffs Jason replied “Making the playoffs is huge. Honestly, before the season, I don’t think there was anyone on our own staff that said we could make the playoffs. We set goals for ourselves and one of them wasn’t to make the playoffs. So I think its full credit to the players. They came together this year. We didn’t play with the same aggressive nature that we have all year. We are team that has to go out there full of confidence.” I know that many on the RSL staff thought it would take more than a season for the team to come together and play to their full potential, and they are all correct, we have not seen this team play as well as they are capable of. I think the fans saw all the pieces on the pitch, but wondered if it would come together and to be honest I think we really have to look at this season as a success but is just making the playoffs enough?
Is it enough for a staff that didn’t think making the playoffs would happen, it shouldn’t be, when RSL plays well they are as good as any team in the league. Don’t believe me then wait until Tuesday, as I am putting together a look back at how RSL fared this year against the teams making the playoffs and the news is good for RSL. Our staff now has to put together a plan on winning a two match series against Chivas, it will be very important to build a lead at home and force Chivas to chase the match at the Home Depot Center.
Is it enough for the players, we have an interesting mix of veterans and young players but the reality is that if any of our players are questioning if they belong in the playoffs then they simply shouldn’t be on the pitch. Of course we are good enough and this set of players have gone above and beyond in working together to build a solid team, as players have come into the team they have worked extra hard to make an impact. Jamison Olave getting into the starting 11 and excelling despite his very limited ability to speak English, what an effort, Robbie Findley working extra hard no matter if he is in the first 11 or coming off the bench and doing so after an Olympic snub (why would you take old man McBride over a fast, young player that was playing well?). Robbie Russell coming in towards the end of the season and being willing to play any position he was called upon to play, Will Johnson has been a shot in the arm to the midfield and often when Morales and Beckerman have struggled Will has been there to keep the attack going. Clint Mathis came back and has worked hard and been a vital part in the offense over the past month, and with the playoffs at hand I look for Clint to surprise some people. I could go on and on, but the reality is that I believe in our players and I think they know that they can play with anyone and if they play well they can beat anyone.
Is it enough for the fans, I don’t think so. Many will simply be happy to get another match at Rio Tinto, to finally have the monkey off our back about making the playoffs, but not me. Listen I will say it one more time so all of you can make sure to understand what I am saying, we are as good as anyone in this league, not better than everyone but we have shown it time and time again that we can play with the big teams and do well. The playoffs are when expectations begin to go up, and I am expecting that we can beat Chivas at home, as long as we can avoid mistakes. We outplayed them last time but one miscue and we dropped our only home loss all season, we outplayed them in June to get our first road win, and even in the 3-1 loss in May we played well and RSL is a much better team than they were then. I think with the number of former RSL players on the current Chivas roster that the match will be intense and maybe at Rio Tinto we will be able to provide our team with the support they need to win. At RES often the Chivas matches felt like away matches, I don’t expect that to be the case on Saturday.
A quick recap of the season
On March 3rd I predicted that RSL would make the playoffs, I predicted Houston would be in first place (that was easy) and the Chivas would be in second (again fairly easy), I did think that FC Dallas would be in third and that we would get a wildcard spot. Of course I wasn’t quite so close when it came to thinking that Kenny Deuchar would win the golden boot this year, he didn’t even get the honor for the team. After eight matches I made the following prediction “The reality is that if the rest of the season is a follows the trend of the start of the season we will end up with 30 points, 2nd best in team history and keeping our 1 point per game current effort. If we improve by 25% to a 1.25 point per game average we would end up with 36 points probably not enough to make the playoffs, but an increase to 1.50 would see us end with 41 points and in the shortened 30 game schedule that should be enough to make the playoffs, both Chicago and KC made it with 40 points last season. This is possible; here are what I would expect to be the 2 most likely scenarios, a 9-7-6 record or a 10-9-3 record for the rest of the season.”
Well the reality is that we went 8-6-8 and ended up with 40 points and it was enough for us to make the playoffs. 10-10-10 overall and 8-1-6 at home are both improvements over anything RSL has done in the past and worthy of accolades, but I think we are not even close to being done. I think we will beat Chivas in our series with them, we matchup well against them and with the first match at Rio Tinto, I think we can go into the away match with a nice advantage. The question is what will happen with Houston, they have a big CONCACAF Champions League match in El Salvador on Tuesday evening before they have to travel to New York to face the Red Bulls who backed into the playoffs with DC United losing. RSL has shown that they can play with Houston and the last time these teams faced off it ended up in a 4-3 Houston win in a barn burner of a match and proof that RSL can be dangerous against the Dynamos.
Anyhow that is enough for now.
OFF MY SOAPBOX (oh and as I said last weekend “We are going to the playoffs”