November 24, 2008 by f4denz.

Just minutes before the announcement of who RSL will be protecting in the Expansion draft comes this news from Behind the Shield:

Sorry to all the forwards out there in MLS, but you will still be at risk of suffering “The Olave” next year. Garth just dropped us the news that RSL has purchased the rights to the massive Colombian from Deportivo Cali and signed him to a contract extension that will keep him in Salt Lake through the 2012 MLS season.

After joining the club in the offseason the 27-year-old defender solidified his spot in the center of the RSL backline just a few games into the 2008 campaign. Olave was an integral part of Real’s reversal of fortunes this year and the club is glad to have him on board on a more permanent basis.

Still waiting on the list of protected players which should be coming soon.

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November 24, 2008 by f4denz.

OK, So I was a huge slacker this weekend and didn’t finish my post, so some of this might be a bit disjointed.

MLS Cup

First up is this weekend’s MLS Cup match, and while Real Salt Lake missed being a part of the match by one goal, the league championship is always an important date and when the comish gives his state of the league address (I will be doing a more in depth review of that on Tuesday).

Columbus has won the Cup and it was a great match to watch, exciting and upbeat tempo by both sides. I did think it was interesting how many empty seats there were, perhaps the league needs to do a better job of controlling how tickets to their big match are handled. I found a number of Galaxy season ticket holders purchased a bunch of tickets with the hope of reselling them for stupidly large profits, and a large number of the empty seats were ones that people tired to gouge prices on. I am actually happy that nobody bought them; perhaps it will discourage this type of behavior in the future.

Some FO awards

Yup a couple of the RSL front office staff were among the league award winners this season:
Best XI, New Season Ticket Sales:

Steve Peterson (Real Salt Lake)
Andrew Lukanich (Real Salt Lake)
Rookie Salesperson of the Year:

New Season Ticket Sales, Andrew Lukanich (Real Salt Lake)

Expansion Draft

Next up will be the MLS Expansion draft, this year it will take place on Wednesday the 26th and we will find out which MLS players will be joining Seattle Sounders FC. Already on their roster are: Sebastien Le Toux, Kasey Keller, Sanna Nyassi, and their DP Freddie Ljungberg, RSL didn’t lose a single player to San Jose in last year’s Expansion Draft, but I don’t expect that will be the case this time around.

Teams announce the 11 players they are protecting on Monday by 3pm EST, I will post the list as soon as it comes out. I am currently looking for the Generation Adidas information and which if any RSL players may no longer be in the program and how that could impact who we protect.

CONCACAF Champions Cup

November will also see Houston try to qualify for the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Champions cup, the day before Thanksgiving, a win of CD Luis Angel Firpo should secure a spot for them as the only MLS team with a shot. DC United didn’t get a single win, and only managed one draw in their group.

2009 schedule

The 2009 schedule news will come shortly after the expansion draft and how will having another Western Conference team impact the schedule? There will be fewer teams that we face 3 times, as the league moves to 15 teams and a 30 match schedule. This will mean only room for us to have 2 opponents that we face 3 times, my guess will be Colorado and Chivas, but it could be San Jose. I don’t expect the full schedule to be released until January, but it was the first week of December that we got the news about opening days, home openers and big matches like LA and Chicago.

SuperDraft

January will bring the Combine and the SuperDraft, but RSL has moved most of their draft picks so I don’t expect a lot of action in this seasons draft. Towards the end of the month RSL will likely once again journey to California or Florida to begin their off season training, this is also the major opening in the FIFA transfer window and could see RSL busy once again in the international market place. Last season we brought in Joy, Borchers, Olave, and a few others that didn’t stick, I expect we will see a number of fresh faces in RSL’s preseason camps.

2010 World Cup Qualifiying

We will also see both 2010 World Cup Qualifying continue, can’t wait to find out where the Feburary 11^th USA vs. Mexico match will be held. Hopefully RSL will be able to secure one of the qualifying matches, here is the list of Qualifying matches for the US squad.

I would love to see that Sept 5^th match be held at Rio Tinto, it would be a great birthday present from the team to me.

Anyhow that is it for now, I will post the protected lists later this afternoon.

OFF MY SOAPBOX

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November 19, 2008 by f4denz.

The image is a hyperlink to the announcement site. You can see the video of the link there.

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November 19, 2008 by f4denz.

Well the expansion draft is just days away and Real Salt Lake will likely lose a player to the Seattle Sounders FC, the question is who will we lose? I am going to break down the 11 players I would protect if I were the head coach, and see what you think and what happens next week. There are a few players that we do not have to protect because they are part of the Generation Adidas program; they are Tony Beltran, Nik Besagno, Alex Nimo, and Chris Seitz. This means that RSL will be protecting 15 of 28 players, here are my choices:

The good

There are a couple players that are just too good to let go, remember that Seattle will be a team we face off against as part of the Western Conference:

1. Yura Movsisyan- if anyone has proven that they deserve to be on the team it is Yura, while his touch still isn’t the greatest, he has shown as much heart as anyone and if he can get the diving out of his blood (something he picked up in the last few weeks), then he has a chance to be a top level striker in MLS and a good start next year will probably get him a chance with the USMNT. He is young and talented, his base pay is under $50,000 and total compensation is under $60,000.

2. Javier Morales- we have made him one of the poster children of the organization and signed him to a long term deal, Javi is a legit contender for MLS MVP, he was second in assists and in the top 20 goal scorers in the league with 6 goals. While expensive, when Javi is on RSL is very tough to contain and even harder to beat.

3. Kyle Beckerman- Along with Javi, Kyle is one of the faces of RSL, as the captain of the team he is simply the spine of the team when they are on the pitch. His move from most hated rival, to one of the fan favorites is a remarkable feat, but his effort on the pitch is second to none.

4. Nick Rimando- Once again Nick was in the top 7 in GAA, only 4 keepers had more shut outs, he had two of the top ten longest shutout streaks and played every minute of every MLS match for RSL, Nick is just 29 years old and has several years of top level performance left in him. He does have to work a bit with the back line to prevent some of the communication problems that cropped up several times this season.

Young Guns

With one of the youngest rosters in the league RSL will need to protect the players that will likely make up the future of the team

5. Will Johnson- Of all our midseason pickup, Will is a future MLS All Star, and already getting time with the Canadian National Team. His base pay is just $39,000 with total compensation just under $53,000 a year, at just 21 years of age Johnson could be a real cornerstone of the new RSL. His speed and work rate are as good as anyone on the team and Will seems to understand the difference between a shooting chance and a chance to create. I hope to see him in a RSL kit for a long time to come.

6. Fabian Espindola- Despite a rash of injuries Fabi has shown a great potential to be an offensive threat for RSL, his 5 goals in under 650 minutes of playing time gives him a one goal every 128 minutes if he had played half the 2700 possible minutes that would have had him scoring 10-11 goals for RSL. He is just 23 years old and his $75,000 a year is a great price for a quality striker and overall offensive play maker.

7. Nathan Sturgis- Injury plagued over the last two seasons, but with enough skill to deserve another chance. Given that Sturgis has had a good 4 months of recovery time and has 2-3 more months before the preseason starts, if he is willing to listen to Jason and the trainers about how he needs to develop his body to be able to withstand the rigors of the MLS style of play, then I say we protect him. His ability to play in both the midfield and on defense makes him a valuable asset and at just 21 years old he could be a real part of the new RSL core.

Pure Heart

8. Andy Williams- Andy needs to be protected he needs to be given the chance to finish his career as part of Real Salt Lake. Emotions have a lot to do with my choice, but too many people will agree with the common quote “when Andy is on the pitch, good things happen”. Andy is 31 and his fitness level was top notch this year and helped him get back into the Jamaican National Team as they try to qualify for the 2010 World Cup. The connection with the fans has always been strong but given the struggles the Williams family has faced this year, exposing Andy to the expansion draft is a move that I don’t think should be allowed to happen.

Wildcards

9. Chris Wingert- Chris has been rock solid for RSL on the backline this season, but his attacking efforts lack finish. His speed and mobility allow him to get forward often, but his final passes and crosses are often off target resulting in lost chances. His work ethic is what might pull him into the protected list, but I believe only two of our 4 backline starters will be protected so this one could be a battle.

10. Jamison Olave- Depending completely on if we can sign Jamison to a long term deal, if so then I believe the 27 year old Columbian could be the cornerstone of the RSL defense for the next 4-5 years. His size and physical nature make him an opposing force, it is unfortunate that the overly wet pitch against New York caused him to lose his footing and miss the tackle on Wolyniec which eventually led to the New York goal. The fact that Olave was able to get to an onrushing attacker at the far edge of the pitch in trying to provide cover for other out of position players, speaks to his speed and understanding of the game. This spot like Wingert’s would be two of four that I would protect on our backline, knowing we can only lose one and that we have some great young defenders in the wings.

11. Robbie Findley- I am not sure what to make of Robbie, he is just 23 but I didn’t put him with the young guns simply because I get a sense that he isn’t happy here. Not sure why, he is a young guy who is getting a chance to compete for a starting spot, but his finishing has been spotty at times over the last two seasons, just like every other striker that RSL currently has on their roster. His speed and creativity make him a potential All Star, but his inconsistent efforts hurt him not only on RSL’s roster, but kept him from a earned spot on the 2008 Olympic team. I would love to see him stay, but his heart has to be in it.

Exposed

• Nat Borchers-Depending on the status of the wildcards, Nat would be the next player I protect. He has to figure out the communication issues with Rimando, that cost us points this season.
• Kenny Cutler- There are too many players to protect and Kenny simply isn’t one of the 11, he is a RSL original who shows up each day and does what is asked of him and a hell of a nice guy.
• Kenny Deuchar- 3 goals and 2 assists, I still hold out hope that someone will figure out how to use Kenny in a big way as part of their offense. I think he is capable of Kenny Cooper type numbers, but I just don’t know if it will happen with RSL.
• David Horst- A big, physical center back but he simply isn’t at the level of Olave or Borchers, maybe in time, but can’t spend a spot on him.
• Ian Joy- Aside from Andy Williams, does anyone have the heart as big as Ian Joy’s? Don’t think so, but the injuries worry me and knowing I can only lose one player in the expansion draft I have to protect others first.
• Dustin Kirby-3 minutes of first team action, simply can’t spend a spot here
• Dema Kovalenko- I would have loved to put Dema on my protected list, but at 31 he is slow to recover from injuries that plagued him midseason. He is a passionate player and I love his attitude, I hope he is here next season.
• Clint Mathis- I think the work ethic Clint showed after joining RSL is praiseable, but I simply can’t use one of 11 spots to protect him
• Tino Nunez-Too many strikers, but I love the effort and energy that Tino brought when he got first team time.
• Kevin Reiman- Can’t protect reserves
• Kyle Reynish- Ditto
• Robbie Russell- Robbie might just make the protected 11, his ability to play so many positions and to play them at a top level make him valuable, after Nat and depending on the status of Olave and the other wildcards, Robbie is a real talent and one of the nicest people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting.
• Brennan Tennelle- Can’t protect reserves

Well that is my list and I am thankful that we can only lose one player to Seattle, but you have to wonder about the trade status of players like Seitz, and Findley. This off season is going to have a lot of action and with RSL not really having any draft impact in the Super Draft our moves are likely to come from trades or finding a few more gems from overseas.

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November 18, 2008 by f4denz.

Once again I am not by any stretch a professional with my camera, but I think I got some fun photos from the match:

Ah what a night

Crowds are ready to fill the stands

Dave playing host to a birthday party

The Bulls arrive

Kenny admires Ian’s footwork

Robbie getting ready

So is Robbie

Dema is getting focused

Not sure where Kyle got the black eye, but he looks tougher with it

The RCB is getting settled in for the match

There are not many empty seats even before the match begins

Leo is well, Leo

The tailgate moves into Rio Tinto

Boom Sticks everywhere and they were nice and loud

The players are ready

the south stands are ready

The first fireworks of the night

A bit long for Johnson

Ill intents towards Yura

Kyle battles in the midfield

Clint attack the ball

Waiting for the ball in a crowded box

Will is getting in on the attack

I thought Crazy had more letters

Stupid is

Johnson trying to get to the ball

RSL’s night in a nutshell

as stupid does

Danny gets high to make the save

Javi trying to get the ball back

Robbie gets an angle

but the shot is just too tough

Russell gets a head to it, but it goes wide

Even Dane thinks flares/smoke bombs are dumb

Leitch takes another break, I have a new rule, you do this you have to spend at least a full minute out of the match

Sorry Kyle, this one will do like the others and hit the pole and bounce out

the last chance for RSL, but it is just out of Robbie reach

Not the better team, but they got the win 1-0, the trophy, and a shot at the Cup.

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