October 19, 2009 by f4denz.

First let me say, I love that we can get people of different opinions posting comments on the blog. It is this type of discussion and debate that I have been looking for all year, and while I may not agree with everyone and they may not agree with me it at least makes for something to get people thinking. I am no expert, I can only offer my opinion based on what I see during matches and at practices, I do not have a magic ball or some “inside” information, but when I get the chance to interact with players and staff I do ask questions which often help form my opinions. It is from my observations that I form most of my opinions, added with the years of being a MLS fan (before RSL existed), yes I had season tickets for a couple years in Dallas (back in the Burn days) and before that for a couple years in Columbus. Yes my opinions include the things I saw as a fan there as well, but never in my years following MLS would I ever have expected to dedicate the amount of time and energy needed to do a blog, but ever since I have started I feel it has made me look at things from more perspectives. Believe it or not, just the act of spending each home match on the pitch taking pictures has also caused me to change how I see the match as well. Anyhow that all being said, over the last couple days someone named “Me” has posted some thoughts on the comments section of the blog and I want to bring their most recent comment up to a post and react to it because I think it is insightful and hopefully will start more discussions.

Me’s comments:

I was one who said Andy should start. Why? Because Mathis sucks and does absolutely nothing, and hasn’t for well over a month. Andy creates more chances, and a team that scores on their opportunities at such a dreadfully low percentage (lots of shots…. not many goals off of those shots on the road) needs as many opportunities as possible early in the game, especially with a rookie goalie in. Anybody with eyes in their head can see that Andy creates more opportunities than Clint.

But then saying that those who say Andy should start are also those who say Yura should be gone doesn’t fit with me. I was quite complimentary of Yura and his great effort. I was baffled that we went back to the diamond instead of putting more pressure up top. Especially considering this was a short field. Why not Yura and Espy at the top wings with Campos in the middle and Andy serving them balls? Instead we are at 2 forwards and Espy is still playing back and running into the corners and trying to center balls. One more forward in Campos might have made the difference, and having Andy serve over the top makes much more sense than having Mathis lumber around for 60+ minutes and expecting good service from Wingert, who was again kicking everything straight out of bounds.

We can argue all we want about the players not performing, but the fact is that teams with less talent than RSL are in the playoffs. They are in with weeks to spare. Jason Kreis is part of the problem as evidenced by poor decision making in games that ultimately came back to bite them when it was all said and done. Better decisions earlier in the year would have assured a playoff spot, but his poor coaching and inflexibility and favoritism towards certain players who weren’t getting the job done did this team in, and that is on him and ultimately he should be the one who loses his job over it, not the players, not the fans, not those who report on the team. Great coaches find ways to get a lot out of even mediocre talent. Good coaches manage to get results which are equal to the talent on the squad. Poor coaches can take a talented team and lead them to nothing. Jason fits right in with #3. He has good talent, and can’t even get a good result without all kinds of craziness happening and depending on other teams to foul up. That’s not good coaching. That’s sheer dumb luck (which won’t happen for the second year in a row, sorry to say it), and RSL and especially the fans deserve better. Time to move on and install some management that doesn’t have their heads crammed up their rears for once. This has gone on too long.

My response:

Many people have said that but the reality is that Andy isn’t a 90 minute player and hasn’t been for the last couple years. He can stay on the pitch for that amount of time but isn’t effective. When you look at the season, it has been Clint that has been far more productive both on offense and defense. With the move to the 4-3-3 neither of them were very productive, and with the move back to the 4-4-2 you have to have a player that will also play defense, something Andy (along with Javi) due only when forced and often have lead to RSL failing to capitalize on keeping possession. Andy has had a couple decent matches and yes he found himself in the right position last Wednesday, but Clint is by the better overall player at this point but I think he also loses effectiveness when left in too long. So tell me how many chances did Andy create against Toronto’s rookie keeper? You have to realize that we had more shots and shots on goal in the first half, than we did in the second half (despite RSL’s habit of depending on second half goals).

I would ask what teams with less talent than RSL are in the playoffs (as of now, than RSL). So if it is all about Jason and his lack of ability then explain why the same roster (damm near the same lineup) made it to the Western Conference final last year? I can tell you my opinion on Campos, not sure if it is 100% on target or not but he is what is called a “lazy” forward. He sits up top and waits for chances, while Jason and most coaches want forwards who will fight for balls and help out on defense (something Yura and Espindola are great at) and I believe that might be what has taken him out of favor after such a promising first few matches. We went back to the 4-4-2 because those additional forwards were having to spend too much time in the midfield covering for what I believe is the real issue with RSL this year. That being a lack of performance in the midfield, MLS teams that win are teams that control possession of the ball and they do so by good midfield play and we haven’t had it. I believe that is why 2 of the 3 players that we signed midseason were midfielders, I believe that was known going into the season when both the players we drafted were midfielders.

Now I can argue that I question bringing 5 new midfielders at various points of the year and not giving them enough playing time, exception is Ned who got some playing time. I think the staff honestly believed that our guys would take the hint and the new guys would push them harder but when we failed to give the new players quality minutes it became hard to make changes when every match had such huge implications. I am more than happy to put that one directly on Jason and his staff. I would love to see the old Kyle Beckerman back, you know the one who RSL fans hated when he played for Colorado. The one who was tough as nails and just a bit nasty, and playing in the shadows of Pablo. We had him for a few months but then he became a “rock star”, and in my opinion became a different player. He still has talent, but has again in my opinion lacked the edge he used to have for most of this year. I think the All Star spot and Gold Cup playing time reinforced that mentality, and instead of playing mad and with that edge, he just plays. I think Javi has used the excuse of teams now knowing him as an excuse to not adjust his style of play to allow him to be more productive this year. He has talent but it is easy to get fouled and hope for calls or foul and then play innocent, it is a lazy way of playing and something I have seen too much of from him this year.

I could easily say that as many bad plays by any one player that may have cost RSL points (Olave against TFC, or at Houston, Wingert against FC Dallas, or many road matches) that there have been just as many impacted by bad officials and calls (both goals at New York, bad calls against LA) but the reality is that much of it is simply the parity of MLS there are 11 teams sitting between 44 and 37 points, only 3 above that and only 3 below that. That is what the salary cap and MLS control of teams will get you and they think it is a good thing. I say it makes the league suspect and too easily manipulated by officials of questionable talent and integrity. As far as “that teams with less talent than RSL are in the playoffs. They are in with weeks to spare” I would ask who? Columbus, my god they are the defending champs and have a super team, in fact it is that style of team that Jason is trying to emulate along with Houston (who is also one of the teams in the playoffs), do we have more talent than LA? No and given the league’s love affair with them (do your homework) it is only surprising that they went 3 years without a playoff spot. Chivas USA, I do think we have as much talent as they do but thank god we do not play their style of soccer (bunker and counter) which I think helps them win but nobody wants to watch. Chicago is as interesting case, do we have a midfielder with the vision and talent of Blanco? Or a striker with the talent of Brian McBride? I also think Seattle falls into the same mold, they have some exceptional players but I think RSL would have more depth than both SSFC and the Fire but that their exceptional players put them over the top. Last year we had an exceptional player, but this year he was less than average, which is what has lead me to my thoughts and opinions.

I just tend to think that RSL has allowed the players to underperform all season, and while some have done well for themselves, and others have adjusted their style of play to be more productive, too many others have simply shown up. I don’t believe it is up to a coach or staff to motivate players, if they aren’t motivated to do their jobs at the highest level then they need to go. Building a team isn’t an easy process and building one with a new franchise that is also dealing with building a brand, a new building, trying to get profitable and I don’t believe a revolving door coaching staff helps.

Is there a better coach out there who will come to Salt Lake City and deal with the MLS rules, an intrusive owner, and many other factors and get better results? I don’t know but to be honest and frank, I do not believe the issues this year are problems with tactics, or training, or in match decisions as much as they are with player performance. That is my opinion and we will have months during the off season (perhaps an extra one unless we get a lot of help) to think and discuss it.

OFF MY SOAPBOX
pray, win, and pray some more

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October 19, 2009 by f4denz.

Real Salt Lake has become a creature of habit and I am not sure what type of rehab they will need to shake it, but the match at Toronto was the clearest example of it all season and it has likely cost them a playoff spot. RSL took 14 shots, TTF took 9, RSL had 9 shots on goal, TFC had 3, and in the end it was a stupid mistake that cost RSL, as Olave tried to use his right foot to kick a ball going by him on his left and the result was him falling down and the ball rolling into the net.

How many times has RSL been a team that dominates the stats but gives up stupid goals at the start of a match or just after the half starts? Too many to mention all of them but that isn’t the habit that I am talking about, it is the habit that when things don’t go exactly as they plan/expect/want that they seem to pout, they seem to get desperate; they seem to panic and most of the time it ends in disaster.

Now it didn’t take minutes for people to say, well if Jason had done this, or done that we would have won, and I call BS. He went in and at great risk played guys who were at increased risk of injury (Olave, Espindola, Morales) all in the attempt to win. I love the people who claim it would have been different if Andy had started, I would ask them how? He did so little in 30 minutes what more would you have expected from more mintues? Many of them are the same people who think we should have gotten rid of Yura months ago, but nobody has shown more heart in recent weeks than Yura. Should Robbie Findley have started? That is a good question but with the success the team has had with him coming off the bench in recent weeks one has to believe it was the right decision.

In the end I believe the loss comes down to one fact, players didn’t perform. When you have 9 shots on goal and no goals it is the players who have failed, when you dominate the possession in the first half and then come out and allow a team to score on you within 5 minutes it is the players who have failed. When substitutions are made to try to create offensive opportunities and chances and they do not create them, it is the players who have failed.

I can lay blame on the coach that for a large part of the season this has been the case, and when you bring in new players to shake things up but fail to give them a real chance to make an impact, well that falls on the coaching staff. Why did you sign Nelson Gonazalez and Rachid El Khaliifi, if you didn’t intend on making them part of the team. What happened with Pablo Campos, who made a huge impact in his first few matches only to be relegated to under 90 minutes over the last month of the season?

There will be months to look back and wonder what happened, where the blame really belongs, but because of the weak second half in Toronto, RSL finds itself in a position they have found themselves in many times over the last month. They have one match left to try and salvage some self respect, they have just one shot to claim some type of positive result from this season, it will involve them needing to beat Colorado by at least 3 goals on Saturday. Can they do it? Sure they have beaten better teams at home, and have shown they can score goals in bunches at home, but it won’t be enough. RSL need some huge help, and most of it is very unlikely but let’s recap what has to happen for RSL to make the playoffs (yes it is still possible, first RSL must win over Colorado, but even with that the following things will have to happen on Saturday:

New York must beat or tie visiting Toronto FC
Kansas City must beat or tie visiting DC United
Seattle must beat or tie visiting FC Dallas

Even if all those things happen RSL will still not be in the playoffs, with a +5 for RSL and a +7 for Colorado, RSL will need to level that total by winning by two goals. That would leave the playoff picture looking like this at the end of Saturday:

Real Salt Lake – 40 pts (+7)
Colorado – 40 pts – (+5)
DC United – 39 or 40 pts – (-1)
FC Dallas – 39 or 40 pts – (+4)
Toronto FC – 39 or 40 pts – (-4)

If any of 3 teams that RSL needs to tie or lose don’t the drama still wouldn’t be over if RSL were to pull off a win. It all could be impacted by Sunday’s match when New England heads to Columbus for the final match of the MLS regular season. New England like so many other teams is sitting on 39 points, but they currently have the worst goal differential with a -5, at least when they take the field they will know their fate and what if anything they can do about it.

All of this is happening because RSL could not capitalize on the many chances they have been given over the last couple weeks, and the reality is that there is plenty of blame to go around but I will wait until after the match on Saturday to play that game.

OFF MY SOAPBOX
Pray, Win, and Pray some more

Posted in The soapbox | 3 Comments »