Some Big RSL news and some thoughts
August 20, 2009 by f4denz.
Well in looking at the schedule I knew RSL would be likely looking for another international match up early in October and with teams around the world busy in their seasons it would like be a team from Mexico or South America, but when I heard last night that it would be the other “big” team from Mexico I was kinda shocked. As a fan I really don’t like the Mexican style of soccer with usually comes with an excessive amount of diving but after seeing the RSL vs. Club America match and the impressive efforts by both teams to put on an entertaining match, I think this is huge for RSL and will be a real money maker for the team.
Here is the official press release (minutes old):
LEGENDARY MEXICAN CLUB CHIVAS de GUADALAJARA FACES REAL SALT LAKE OCTOBER 7
Rio Tinto Stadium to Host 13th International Friendly in RSL Team History against Mexico’s Most Popular Club
SANDY, UTAH (Thursday, August 20, 2009) – Furthering its tradition of bringing world-class international competition to the State of Utah, Real Salt Lake announced today it will host enormously popular Mexican League side Chivas de Guadalajara on Wednesday, October 7 at the team’s Rio Tinto Stadium home, with kickoff set for 7:00 p.m. MT. The game represents Real Salt Lake’s 13th international exhibition game during its first five seasons, and the second at its spectacular new venue, Rio Tinto Stadium. Earlier this season, RSL defeated Chivas’ archrival, Club América, 1-0 back on July 11 on a scintillating Javier Morales free kick.
“To welcome Chivas de Guadalajara to Rio Tinto Stadium this year, on the heels of Club América, Everton and the U.S. World Cup Qualifier, truly makes Utah the hub of the American soccer world in 2009,” said Real Salt Lake President Bill Manning, referring to the July 29 MLS All-Star Game against Everton FC (England) and the U.S. Men’s World Cup Qualifier on Sept. 5 vs. El Salvador. “Delivering this storied progression of world-class teams and events to our fans has significantly raised Utah’s international sporting profile.”
Chivas de Guadalajara, considered the most popular club of the Primera División Mexicana [the Mexican Soccer Federation (FMF) First Division], is followed profoundly by many fans worldwide and recognized at an international level by many. Chivas de Guadalajara’s policy of fielding only Mexican-born players – a practice adhered to shortly after the club’s inception in 1906 – nearly 104 years ago – breeds a fierce and almost fanatic pride amongst its fans, many of whom now call the United States home Chivas is also Mexico’s most successful team on the field, having won a record 11 titles since the start of the FMF professional era.
“On October 7, I will be able to say that all three of my football teams have visited Real Salt Lake,” said Chivas Owner Jorge Vergara, who also owns and operates Costa Rican power Saprissa – which visited RSL last year – and RSL’s expansion brethren, Chivas USA (2005-present). “Chivas fans across the United States and from all over the Rocky Mountains will flock to Utah to see their beloved team play in the spectacular Rio Tinto Stadium.”
Chivas de Guadalajara – whose 2009 appearances in the United States are being presented by
Official Sponsors Boost Mobile, Bud Light, and Jose Cuervo –
becomes the fifth Mexican opponent to visit Utah, joining Monarcas Morelia (2005), Club Santos Laguna and U.A.N.L. Tigres (both 2008) and Club América in facing RSL since the advent of MLS on the Wasatch Front. All-time, RSL has posted a 6-4-2 mark against visiting international squads and holds a slight goal differential in such affairs (16 goals for / 15 goals against). Chivas de Guadalajara joins some of the planet’s most revered clubs in facing Real Salt Lake, as Spain’s Real Madrid (2006), Argentina’s Boca Juniors (2007) and this year’s MLS All-Star opponent and English FA Cup runners-up, Everton FC (2007), have previously blazed the trail to Salt Lake.
Real Salt Lake sought the international exhibition in order to keep the team sharp down the stretch run as it pursues a return trip to the MLS Cup Playoffs, with Head Coach Jason Kreis‘ squad observing a hiatus in MLS regular-season play between Sept. 26 and October 14. Due to a scheduling quirk and the FIFA international calendar, RSL has bye weeks on both Sat., Oct. 3 and Sat., Oct. 10, necessitating a world-class opponent on Wednesday, October 7.
All Real Salt Lake season ticket holders have first right of refusal for their current seats and will enjoy special, deeply-discounted pricing for the October 7 contest vs. Chivas de Guadalajara. All existing RSL season ticket holders will also have the ability to purchase additional tickets at a special discounted rate. For more information, please call the season ticket holder hotline at (801) 727.2702.
Advance sale ticket prices for the October 7 Real Salt Lake vs. Chivas de Guadalajara match begin at $20, with group and season ticket holder purchase discounts available in every section of Rio Tinto Stadium. Prices start at just $20 for Upper Deck seats and those in the North and South Goals,
$25 in the Corner Flag sections, $30 on the Lower Sidelines and $60 in the Front Row and Midfield areas. Advance purchase is encouraged, as day of game prices will increase $10 per ticket, regardless of location, for all seats purchased on Wednesday, October 7. For more information, please visit www.RealSaltLake.com or www.RioTintoStadium.com. Tickets go on sale to the general public via www.RioTintoStadium.com on Friday, August 21, at 10:00 a.m. MT.
Officially named Club Deportivo Guadalajara (or C.D. Guadalajara), “Chivas” (nicknamed “Goats”) is based in the capital city of the Mexican state of Jalisco and owned by Omnilife entrepreneur Jorge Vergara, also an MLS investor. Guadalajara and its rivals, Club América, share not only a long-standing rivalry but the distinction of being the two most successful teams in the Mexican first division – América with its 10 championships, behind Chivas and its 11. Meetings between the two, which have become known as “Super Clásicos,” are played at least twice a year and signal a national derby. Having never been relegated to the league’s second division, they are the only two clubs to have been in the first division of the Mexican football league from the very beginning.
So this isn’t going to be part of the season ticket package, which I am again OK with but the prices are reasonable, for those who complain about discounts in the final days you might want to notice the mention that seats will go up $10 for day of purchases. I know a number of people are already complaining about another away match and how their fans will out number our fans, but I ask you this simple question, we get the first right to buy tickets for this match starting today and the public (Chivas fans) can’t purchase them until tomorrow. That is not a large window but imagine if every season ticket holder bought their tickets, plus a few to bring friends or family to the match, it would not take much to purchase half or 2/3 rds of the seats in the stadium and fill them with RSL fans, but that won’t happen because people will complain and whine and come up with all the excuses and on game day they will wonder why half the stadium or more are cheering for Chivas.
Well we know their fans know how to make signs, yell and cheer all match long, they bring drums, they stand and do all the things that supporters do in most other parts of the world, on the other hand most RSL fans yell at people for making noise or standing up, so many will sit there and complain or not go and miss out on what will be an exciting match, a chance to see some of the most loyal fans in all of sports. I do hope that the FO and security understand that they will need to monitor and enforce rules for this match, to avoid the mistakes of the Chivas USA playoff match with fireworks being used in the stadium, as well as actually enforcing seat assignments for non general admission sections (the issue with the Club America match).
I really hope everyone calls the front office and orders their tickets, more if possible, but I doubt that will happen. I am not sure what they mean by “special, deeply-discounted pricing” but I will be buying at least my 5 seats for this match and might even put the camera away for the day.
Other Matters
So after reading the official RSL blog I have some things that I want to say to those who think we should fire Jason:
Yup we are a horrible 3 points out of the playoffs with 9 matches to go, time for more panic. Oh wait you people have been complaining all season and despite Jason leading the team to the playoffs last year and one goal away from the MLS cup match, there are many who have disliked him from day one. A couple observations from last weekends match:
Your right he should have left Russell in longer not like he hadn’t gotten beat bad twice in the 5 minutes before pulling him.
You should always leave an injured player in, not that anyone paid attention to Fabi getting treatment immediately after coming out.
Yes it was an important game, but I find it funny that if you at the start of the year said we would be 0-0-2 against the best team in MLS hands down, most people would have been happy.
Clint made a mistake and caught himself and his actions didn’t deserve a second yellow card and everyone I know who looked at the play have said it wasn’t justified. I think instead we should just lower our heads and not say a word when our main offensive weapon gets taken down multiple times in the box and no call. Why get upset or emotional about it just go about playing what you people have been complaining about for most of the season as “heartless” soccer. I for one loved that someone on the team was willing to stand up for Robbie and get in the face of the official, it saddens me that it had to be Clint with a yellow card already instead of the team captain.
Why must we win that game? I think the must win games are New England, KC, FC Dallas, Chivas, New York, Toronto, and Colorado if we win 5 of them we get 15 points for a total of 42 and those are matches against teams we are near in the playoff race.
We aren’t contending with Houston, Chicago, Columbus, but getting a point off of them is nice, three would be icing on the cake. We need a total of 5 wins and 2 draws from our final 9 matches and the playoffs would be almost a lock with 44 points (99% chance of making the playoffs) even at 43 we are very likely to make it 95%.
I do think that it is time for us to see if the roster moves have paid off, Pablo has been here a month and with Yura at 50/50 he needs to play and be the target forward with Robbie doing what he does best, attacking runs behind the backline. Fabi has been working harder than anyone out there, but as often as his passes are great, they are turnovers. I think he was great against Houston, shame that nobody finished the 8 shots on goal (sure that is Jason’s fault as well). Clint is not doing well in the 4-3-3, and I want to see what Rachid can do against MLS sides.
I have no doubt that people will continue to question every move made by Jason, they will complain about only getting a draw against the best team in MLS, they will look beyond the facts to see what they want to see. It is what fans do, they complain, they threaten, and yet they continue to show up.
If RSL doesn’t make the playoff then I think Bill and Dave will have to look at replacing a number of positions, I asked several people who they would like to see us get as a coach and I found the answers humorous. Big name, heck medium name international coaches don’t want to come to MLS, not now and not in the near future. The rules and regulations are daunting, the talent pool isn’t as deep as they want, and the pay is never going to be equal to the top leagues of Europe. It like the lack of real officials is one of the problems with the league that is haunting it, there just isn’t a huge amount of talent in the coaching ranks in the US. The game is different enough that college coaches often take years to get up to speed with the pro ranks (even Sigi had this learning curve), just ask FC Dallas about a college coach and their struggles in MLS. I don’t know what the right answer is but I am willing to give Jason the rest of the season to deliver the expected results. I do still believe that RSL will squeak into the playoffs just like last year and once in, well you never know what can or will happen.
OFF MY SOAPBOX
“Audentis Fortuna Juvat” (Jason the time to get bold is now)