Real Salt Lake 3 – Colorado 0 (match review)

Well the match started with a lot of energy and Will Johnson with a nice pass but Burpo got their early and cut the chance off but the night would see RSL applying a lot of pressure early. The first 10 minutes were simply amazing as RSL put 4 shots on goal and forced two saves, and the pressure that RSL has applied ended up with a great ball played in by Espindola finds the head of Robbie Findley and it is past the keeper and RSL is up 1-0 in the 15^th minute. After the goal you could see how desperate Colorado got as they tried to push to get even and they peppered 4 shots in the 5 minutes between the 23^rd and 28^th but Rimando and the entire team supporting in defense were stellar and held their lead. Then a great ball by Andy found Robbie going one on one with the keeper as he chipped it over him and then beat the defender to the ball to put it into the empty net to give RSL the 2-0 lead in the 33^rd minute of the match. So far you have to say the men of the match are Andy with 2 assists and Robbie with the 2 goals but I have been very impressed with the effort of Will Johnson who looks more focused than I have seen him in a long time, but to be honest everyone has played well in the first match. Even the FSC guys have mentioned it was the best half of soccer they have seen in months, and that is saying something considering the matches that have been on recently.

I did think you could see the desperate nature of Colorado became clear as they got more and more physical and yes even dirty in many cases, I was very surprised that it didn’t get uglier than what it did. It was funny I was mentioning to one of the cops in the south end that they might just need to put an officer in the tunnel like they needed in the RSL vs. CDG match, he mentioned they already had one there. It was funny as the first half ended how the memory of so many Medhi shots came back to mind as he offered one very high and very wide of goal, I still think that perhaps the biggest change to RSL that has lead to moments like this is the Beckerman trade that brought him to RSL for Medhi.

The second half starts with the team coming out to a huge cheer and ovation from the crowd and you can really hear the supporters sections adding to the rhythm of the match. I have to say that RSL was playing a bit to defensive for me in the second half as Colorado had too many chances for comfort, and Jason is first to go to his bench as he brings in both Yura for Robbie and Grabavoy for Williams which will give RSL a bit more control and possession. It was great to see the fans really show their appreciation for Andy and Robbie as they leave the match; it is something we just haven’t seen enough of. So can I say that I really like Max Betos, not only is he a hell of a nice guy off camera but a great announcer.

Wow I have to say that the group effort on defense have been impressive, Kyle has made more than a few big saves and clearances in the match, it took until almost the 70^th minute before Colorado made a sub bringing in Pat Noonan for Cory Gibbs and it was followed by RSL using their final sub as Espindola took a hard knock and not knowing if we would play on Thursday or Saturday Jason pulled him out for a more defensive presence in Clint Mathis. This gives three players that will have to come up big in the next round a bit of a rest on a cold night where the play has been anything put civil, and RSL is playing with 8-9 guys behind the ball with just under 20 minutes to go. Mathis plays a great ball to Beltran who plays it all the way across the pitch to Javi who has had an uneventful night, and it goes back over to Colorado but within 5 minutes of being in the match Clint has put several good balls into the area for onrushing players. The confidence level of RSL is really impressive as it just seems like many of their passes are sharper and more accurate than in recent weeks, wow since 2006 Colorado has never come back after giving up the first goal.

As painful as the match as been at stretches in the second half it is good to see RSL get a test of having to play a bit of bunker ball as Colorado has simply pulled out all the stops as they try to get back into the match but with midfielders, defenders and even the forwards helping out on defense all night there have been moments in the second half where Colorado has simply dominated possession but they haven’t been able to crack the defense. A great ball by Javi freed up Yura who went past the 2 Colorado defenders to find the back of the net to seal the deal at 3-0 in the 85^th minute to secure the Rocky Mountain Cup for the 3^rd straight season and when Seattle would come back from behind to beat FC Dallas later in the evening it allowed us to make the playoffs. I have to say that I was very surprised by the amount of love that FSC showed RSL.

For all those who have questioned Jason all season long, you might just want to re-watch this match and pay close attention to what the announce team says. He may not be a perfect coach, he is young, inexperienced, and learning, but he is passionate and driven to be better, as fans we should be celebrating that fact that we have made the playoffs for the second straight year. We did so with a lot of help from others, and through the entire last 2 months of the season we got a lot of help but when it counted we did what we needed to and the chips this time fell out way. Now starts the second season and yes a number 8 seed can make it to MLS Cup, in fact it happened just last year. This team is impressive at home and with enough of a lead they can head into Columbus with a 2 goal or better lead and that would be a lead we could likely protect. It is the time of year in MLS when anything is possible, are we a long shot sure we are but just a 1 in 8 shot after the 3-0 loss at FC Dallas, but in the end we beat the odds and as long as we are in it, well we have a chance to win it. Do You Believe?

OFF MY SOAPBOX
3 wins gets us to Seattle, 4 wins gets us a star

This entry was posted on October 27, 2009 at 1:09 am and is filed under The soapbox. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.