November 7, 2009 by f4denz.

Well I have no more bombshells to land today and I will leave the realm of real reporting and real news and focus back on what I love and that is RSL. So I asked a couple days ago who you all would like to see RSL face next weekend in the Eastern Conference final and the survey results were surprising:

I would have thought the choice was clear, we want Chicago. I know that New England is battered and bruised but think about the two matches we had with them, it was easy at home to pull off a huge second half but they really did give up after the second goal and on the road they simply beat us down and were the better team, I think their speed and the mental and physical toughness of Shalrie is simply a lot to match up against. At home New England was 7-4-4 with a +6 goal differential, it will likely be colder in Boston than it will be in Chicago next weekend and playing on turf is never a good thing.

Chicago on the other hand is talented with big names like Blanco, McBride, Conde, but their depth is suspect and with the exception of Kansas City no team won fewer matches at home than did Chicago, only KC and the Fire had negative goal differentials at home. The Fire’s 5-4-6 home record was horrible, but they play on a nice grass field and are only one time zone different than RSL and I think we match up better against them as they really have no answer for the speed of Findley, Fabi, and Yura.

Now all that being said, it will be a tough task for Chicago to get back into their series against New England as they are down 2-1, these two teams meet so often in the playoffs that it would seem like just another regular season matchup between the two sides and this year that likely will mean a tie. Early in the year it was a 1-1 draw in the windy city, and the beantown rematch near the end of the season ended in a 0-0 draw. I would not expect the fireworks we saw in the RSL victory over Columbus on Thursday night, heck I am not sure I even expect the 3 goals scored in their first leg. I think this one is ugly and gritty and ends with a 1-0 win by Chicago in regular time, even after extra time, and Chicago getting a win in the PK’s.

The sad thing is that it won’t matter, because RSL has to go into the matchup against either as a favorite after their two win series dismantling of the defending MLS Champs.

Reactions to the “New Guy”

So it has been about 24 hours since I was able to verify that RSL is in the works to have a new owner involved with the team and after the very late posting of the info last night, the responses from readers has actually been better than I expected. I think Lurpy hit it on the head with the thought of being “cautiously optimistic”. Hansen has a good reputation and I couldn’t find any real dirt on him online other than he went to Utah State University, which is made up for in the fact that he once got into a fight with Rocky Anderson.

I have read the article a couple times and the only potential thing I see that might upset some of the soccer purists (most of whom don’t follow RSL or MLS for that matter) is that some of his plans are very, very American and might be seen as over the top. I love the thought of seeing buildings downtown with RSL signs and banners on them, but branding apartment complexes and proclaiming your organization as “Real Nation” when there are thousands who have supported the team through the rough times that are truly the “Real Nation” might just be a bit hard for some to swallow. It has been a battle that all of MLS has had to fight, stay true to the sport and its roots or change for the sake of being popular. The recent swing back to traditional team names has been seen as a move in the right direction, what will some fans think of living in an apartment complex where the gate is manned by a guy in a Kyle Beckerman wig?

I am holding out on forming a real opinion on this move until more details are known, but I love that a guy talking to another guy at a RSL match in Columbus Ohio could get this conversation going and lead to what has to be considered a “real news” scoop. How the information got to a little sold, less known business weekly in downtown Salt Lake and has escaped the eyes of the all knowing, all prying mainstream media is really beyond me.

Predictions

So as I said I think the Fire get a win in their match 1-0 and have to go to PK’s to get it done, but what about the other two matches?

Seattle 1 – Houston 2
Houston wins series 2-1

Chivas 2 – Galaxy 1
Chivas wins series 2-3

OFF MY SOAPBOX
win once go to Seattle, win twice make history

Posted in The soapbox | 5 Comments »

November 7, 2009 by f4denz.

So yesterday on a tip from a fan at the RSL vs. Columbus match (thanks Kramer) I said that I had some news that would shake RSL to it’s very foundations and with some research help from Aj, I am now able to explain more fully my announcement. It is no exaggeration that bringing in a new “partner” will eventually make everyone’s news but I have heard rumblings that the deal which according to the article was supposed to be finished late last week may have run into a couple delays and that may be why it hasn’t been covered by anyone other than the Enterprise (a Salt Lake weekly business newspaper) which proclaims that Dell Loy Hansen will purchase 49% of the club from SCP Worldwide which is headed by Dave Checketts. The terms of the deal were not disclosed, Hansen is president of Wasatch Property Management Inc, which holds several big buildings in downtown Salt Lake City, including the Wells Fargo Tower, Ken Garff Building, and the Chase Building, its overall portfolio is valued at more than 1.2 billion dollars. Folks if you don’t think this shakes things up, well consider the following:

“I’ll be considered a local partner” said Hansen; he added “I’ll be primarily responsible for financial, payables and sponsorship relationships with Real.” He has some interesting ideas about establishing the brand into office buildings and even residential communities where players and staff will live.

So this opens up a number of questions on why now, could it be that Dave is looking for capital to boost his bid to become the owner of the St. Louis Rams? Could it be caused by the ouster of Rush Limbaugh from the group behind Dave’s bid? Could Dave be looking to start another MLS franchise in St. Louis? The league and fans have wanted a team there for a long time but they have always fell short because they could not find a financial backer. Could this be part of an infusion of capital for RSL to make that big move in the off season and get Dave’s man from Real Madrid? One has to wonder about how much the deal is worth, with new MLS franchises going for about $40 million dollars and a stadium valued at $110 million plus(or that least that is close to the costs) this deal could be worth almost $75 million dollars a huge boost for SCP Worldwide and RSL.

Here are scans of the original article

To see a larger image go to http://connect.roguecavaliers.com/photo/rsl-article-20091102apage1?context=user

to see a larger image go to: http://connect.roguecavaliers.com/photo/rsl-article-20091102apage2?context=latest

I am not sure what this move means for RSL as only time will tell but with the team making progress in attendance, revenue, and is in a conference final for the second straight year, I find myself hoping that too many owners doesn’t ruin the team. I love that the team may have some extra funds which could depending on the results of the CBA with the MLS Players Union open up new slots, this could be a great way to build up an academy system, designated players, big time international friendlies, and any other number of positive things. I don’t know enough about Hansen to form an opinion one way or another yet, but as I said yesterday this will shake RSL to its very foundations.

OFF MY SOAPBOX
win once go to seattle, win twice make history

Posted in The soapbox | 8 Comments »