Coming soon to a TV near you…

It’s the LA Galaxy vs. Real Salt Lake. Turns out that David Beckham is out for the next six weeks, but don’t tell any of your soccer hating friends that bought tickets to see him. Luckily, this game isn’t at home, so those people won’t know quite yet. Without Becks, LA only has a few scary points. Landon Donovan and Carlos Pavon. Pavon has been a great striking force for LA, while Donovan is, well, Landon Donovan. He tends to kill us every time we play him. With Mantilla and Pope in the back line, though, we should be able to contain them. Not only do Pope and Mantilla have to have great games to hold off Pavon and Donovan, but a lot rests on the shoulders of Carey Talley as well.  Talley played horribly last game, and he had better step it up if we want to win this game. The guys should be motivated to win two in a row. It will help that the Argentines should cut through that LA defense like a hot knife through butter. The defensive side of LA has been, dare I say, worse than ours. With our new attackers in hand, we should be able to do just fine. assuming that JK plays Findley in place of Chris Brown. That brings a lot better play up there. Lineup! 

 Rimando

Kipre Pope Mantilla KaChow!

Talley

Beckerman Espindola

Morales

Esky Findley

 I love this lineup. When Nate Sturgis returns, he will replace Talley. That move will get rid of a veteran, but bring in a talented D-Mid. Not bad, eh? Prediction, 2-0 RSL, goals from Morales and Esky.

I’m impressed, for the first time since never…

I really am still in shock that we beat the KC Wizards, and 3-1 nonetheless. I felt that our first half was outstanding, probably the best half RSL has ever played. The second half looked like the RSL of last Sunday, vs. Chivas. I was amazed by the first half (and dang thankful it happened) when the mediocrity of the second half came along. The subs really seemed to change the flow of the game. I like the fast moving possession ball we played in the first half. Perhaps it was the subs. I don’t think we should mess with the chemistry anymore. I watched Jason Kreis in the duration of this game, and realized that his coaching is actually not as bad as many RSL fans picture it to be. He is doing the same thing all the fans are. He’s yelling at his players to “get their heads in the game” and he’s swearing at the ref for not giving Ryan Raybould a yellow card for the seventeen times he hacked us. He is a dedicated man, and I believe he’s done a great job with the situation he was dropped into. He obviously brought in some great new talent and traded away some favorites and some friends. He brought in three foreign players that shined hugely last night, two of them even scored a goal. Maybe it’s just the positive energy running through me, but Jason seems to be alright. Now, for the players:

•  Nick Rimando: I’m convinced that this guy is one of the top keepers in the league right now. He’s on a crappy team, but he’s the reason they’re not slightly more crappy. Thank goodness we don’t still have DJ Countess in that net…
• Eddie Pope: I found the sub out to be a surprise, as Eddie was playing amazing. 
• Ritchie Kotschau: Finally, the move I set up was used, and it made all the difference. Kotschau wide left, with Mantilla in center was great! I like him wide.
• Jean-Martial Kipre: This kid is the best prospect RSL has ever had. He’s speedy, has great defensive skill, and now I’ve learned that he can shoot, too! I simply love this kid, he will end up being a DP for us someday.
• Mati Mantilla: I like this guy so far. His clearances were perfect, and I didn’t see him beat by many people. His goal was brilliant, I think he snuck in there at just the right time to head it home.
• Kyle Beckerman: I’m lovin’ the Ballouchy trade more and more everyday. Beckers has brought a new dimension to our midfield, which has brought our game way up.
• Carey Talley: Horrible. He mistouched the ball way too many times, and seems to slow down the play when he doesn’t need too. He wasn’t ultimately our downfall but, as JK would say: “WTF, Carey! Get your head on the field!” I expect Sturgis to start over him when he gets back.
• Javi Morales: This guy is brilliant as well. He’s got wonderful passing ability and great vision of the field. When he gets into shape, this guy will be an amazing midfielder for Real Salt Lake.
• Fabi Espindola: Great goal, nice near post shot. Espindola is getting higher on my list of awesome people. He fights hard even if his fitness is low. He’s got a great mind for the game, another excellent pickup by JK.
• Alecko Eskandarian: Not bad play from Esky today. He needs to get a goal, though! He played so well, made all the right decisions and just nothing would go his way. Expect him to fight hard until that goal does come.
• Chris Brown: The darkest spot on our brightest game. His touch was horrible for the first ten minutes, but he went unnoticed for the rest of the game. Put Robbie in his place, and it’s a totally different story.
• Chris Wingert: Not the greatest play. Never seems to be marking his man, but rather, marking Kotschau’s. That leaves Colombano, the speedy Argentinean wide open on the wing. Chris, that’s not helping. That’s hurting.
• Atiba Harris: Atiba fought hard, and actually played well. His touch didn’t seem to plague him, and his passing wasn’t backward every time. I applaud Atiba’s play, and hope for this (or better) in the future.
• Andy Williams: Way to score from distance buddy. I like Andy coming off the bench. That way, his fitness isn’t as much of an issue, and he can just dance for us. He’s a real joy to watch, but he needs to shape up.

 I feel that Robbie and Sturgis will play instead of Talley and Brown fairly soon. These two guys, though veterans, seemed to be severe negatives last night. Robbie and Nate are young, and bring speed to the field. In conclusion, I’m hoping to see more of what we saw in the first half and less of what we saw in the second in our match vs. LA this Saturday. Not that we need much to beat them… 

The frustration mounting…

We lost again, surprise, surprise. 1-0, though it looks like an amazing result for RSL, is a frustrating score for a Real fan such as myself. A few general thoughts (that may be picking on one Jason Kreis or Atiba Harris):

1. It seems that we start our offense with Eddie Pope. By the time we reach half field (about 15 passes later) we have already lost the ball and it gives opponents a break away. We need to begin our offense somewhere closer, perhaps midfield or even farther up <dramatic gasp>.
2. Our midfield is unmovable, or at least this game made it seem so. We had nobody checking to the ball, and constantly waited for a long ball to come forward. Is Jason trying at all to get rid of this RSL habit that has been in place since 2005?
3. The touch of our players is appalling. I saw at least ten instances that could have provided a great attacking oppurtunity, but ended due to a horrible touch somewhere. Bad touch is something that shouldn’t even affect 15 year-olds (I’m looking at you, Mr. Harris).
4. Was JK confused? He subbed in three defensive players for three offensive when we were down 1-0. I sense some bunkering returning to this team. I would have been happier to see Jamie Watson in the game rather than Lancos or Mantilla. That’s saying something.

Not a great performance, I have no positive input. This team is so damn frustrating that I am considering calling up our dear friend David Checketts to tell him to dump the team on St. Louis, so I don’t have to deal with them anymore. So, now to get to the team. 

1.  Nick Rimando: A solid game from Nicky tonight. He is easily one of the best keepers in the league, and it really is a shame that he has such a crappy defense in front of him.
2. Jean-Martial Kipre: This kid is our best outfield player. He’s running, he works hard and yet he only gets paid 30k a year. I’d like to see his passion for the game in everyone.
3. Eddie Pope: Solid as ever.
4. Ritchie Kostchau: KaChow! had an alright game tonight. He made very few costly mistakes, but looked tired a lot of the time.
5. Kyle Beckerman: Kyle’s got great effort, and was the only middie who actually ran. He had a few bad touches, perhaps from playing with Atiba Harris too much.
6. Atiba Harris: Horrible as ever. Horrible touch, horrible movement. Please return, Nate Sturgis.
7. Carey Talley: Invisible the entire game, except for when I was yelling at him to check to the ball instead of waiting for a precious long ball.
8. Chris Wingert: Not the greatest left-back we have. Why are we playing this guy when we have Willis Forko.
9. Andy Williams: Poor work ethic, wasn’t his normal dancing self. His crosses were short every time, and he failed to impress at all. Morales better be able to school Williams nine times out of ten if this team has any hope at all.
10. Robbie Findley: Speedy, but had bad touch. He’s on a dry spell, or so it seems.
11. Fabi Espindola: Fabi needs to work on his fitness and shooting, but his speed and touch are great for our subpar frontline.
12. Chris Lancos: His name was used a few times in the commentary, but I don’t recall anything positive.
13. Chris Brown: Screwed up a few times, but seemed to be the only guy (along with Becker) who was working hard. It’s a shame.
14. Mati Mantilla: Didn’t stand out, but seemed to bring energy into our D. Didn’t let anyone past him, which is helpful. He should be playing before Wingert, with KaChow! switching to left.

 The man of the match for me was Nick Rimando. Had like ten awesome stops, yet still went unnoticed by the Chivas commentators. Those biased jerks… When Sturgis and Morales re-enter the lineup, our midfield should improve. That should help our offense, which needs all the help in can get.   The only positive thing that I have coming out of game is Dr. Cox’s antics from the Scrubs I watched at half time. Oh it’s waffle time, waffle time, won’t you have some waffles of mine?

Positive attitude absence.

RSL fall again, after two weeks of positive enthusiasm. Cuauhtemoc Blanco and the Chicago fire win 2-0. This game was a severe disappointment to me. I drove home listening to “Extra Time”, hearing all the callers saying ‘I don’t think the team played badly, it was just a few bad bounces.’ I disagree to the largest extent. This game was not impressive in the slightest in my opinion.  I felt that it was a horrible game for a few reasons. First, the refrees. I felt that the ref last night brought the worst called game I have ever seen in MLS. He seemed to be swayed by the crowd way too much. The crowd, being 90% Blanco fans, sure didn’t help. The fact that one of our players got a yellow card every time Blanco fell down, while Robbie Findley is being dragged down in the box twice and getting no call, is simply sickening. Now I’m not about to blame the entire loss on the ref, though he did deny a few scoring chances for us. My real blame goes to the players of Real Salt Lake. I came into this game positive after the win in Houston and the two week break, but I was not happy after ten minutes of play. The first ten minutes of play looked awesome. We kept possession, we moved the ball well, we ran circles around Chicago. Then the storm came. We lost the ball constantly, our offense was all long balls, we returned to the RSL of old. The only energy I saw was when Espindola came in, but I’ll get to that soon. As for the players…

1.  Nick Rimando: Nicky was solid all game, though his distribution was shaky. Neither goal was his fault.
2. Jean-Martial Kipre: This kid is great, he is speedy and skillful. He has excellent defensive skill, and makes offensive runs like a champion. He should not have been subbed off.
3. Eddie Pope: Solid, as usual. He did look sluggish toward the end, though.
4. Ritchie KaChow!: Had a couple of scary moments, but not bad in this position.
5. Chris Wingert: Where the hell is Willis Forko. This kid has no sense of space. I assume that when Mantilla is healthy, Kotschau will move left and we won’t have to watch Chris “Leave My Man Open, Always” Wingert play every game.
6. Nate Sturgis: This kid is great, he moves the ball well and has a great mind for the game. It really is too bad that he had to step off due to injury, but I expect him back soon.
7. Carey Talley: Has not been great lately. He used to stand out as a great leader, but now he is one of the lower quality players we have on the field. When Morales shows up, I expect Talley to sit.
8. Kyle Beckerman: I am constantly impressed by Kyle’s skill. His work ethic is amazing, and he’s got great vision. I enjoyed his Maradonna Hand of God, it was a nice attempt on goal.
9. Andy Williams: Didn’t show an excellent work ethic, byut man can this guy dance on a ball. excellent footwork as always, but his fitness is obviously below par.
10. Alecko Eskandarian: Hard runner, but not impressive thus far. I was positive about the Cunningham trade, but now I’m beginning to regret it. At least we get a pick, too!
11. Robbie Findley: A positive note in this game. Robbie is a hard worker. He runs, tracks back, checks to the ball and takes shots. He stands out. Towards the end of the game, he was frustrated, because nobody would give him the ball. I understand his pain.
12. Atiba Harris: Not the greatest quality of play. His one on one was a horrible attempt, what was he thinking?
13. Fabian Espindola: This guy was quality. He ran hard and showed work ethic, even if his fitness isn’t 100%. He’s got great footwork, but his shooting leaves much to be desired. This guy is supposed to be the Argentine at the bottom of the ladder, but I was impressed. Mantilla and Morales should be great.
14. Chris Brown: Did he even touch the ball?

Overall, I’m not happy. Final points: refrees suck, possession play is awesome, long balls aren’t, Blanco attracts lots of fans, and I’m excited for the Argentines. I expect a fun match vs. Chivas next Sunday, one in which we should see all the Argentines. I’m hoping for the best, but expecting the worst.

Witty title concerning the Fire…

RSL returns after two weeks off to face the ‘mighty’ Chicago Fire. Chicago is coming off of a rather weak stretch, while RSL is coming off of one of two wins from this season. There are a few questions facing RSL in this game. First, the Argentines. I expect at least two of them to play (Mantilla is having visa problems apparently), that being Espindola and Morales (who has not yet officially signed).  I’d expect Morales to start at A-Mid, with Espindola coming on as a sub, assuming Esky is good to play. Will the Argentines be fit? Will they live up to the hype? Second, the striking force of Chicago. The combination of Rolfe-Blanco-Wanchope is probably the most threatening in the league (plus they have Barrett and Carr for subs). We’ll need to have solid defense this game, namely Kotschau. He needs to be a rock in the center with Pope, in fact I think Ka-Chow’s! play will be a deciding factor in this game. Third, goalscoaring. This has always been a problem for our team. It seems as though only one player on the team is able to score (Cunningham, now Findley). We need to learn how to incorporate all players in the offensive half, and I certainly hope that Coach K has been working on those things lately. Potential Lineup:                                                               Rimando

-Kipre-Pope-KaChow!-Wingert- 

-Beckerman-Sturgis-Talley-

-Morales-

-Findley-Eskandarian- 

 

 My Prediction: 2-1 RSL. I honestly feel positive after the Houston win, positive enough to predict a win coming our way. Goals from Findley and Beckerman, Rolfe for Chicago.

 

Onward boys, to victory! 

We finally signed the Argentines…

RSL signs Mantilla, Espindola

 Well, it only took us forever, but we’ve finally got it done, or at least two thirds done. Today we signed the defender (Mantilla) and the striker (Espindola), but we are expected to sign Javier Morales (midfielder) soon. I’m excited to see these guys coming to RSL. These trialists have gotten a lot more attention than others have, and I’m ecstatic to see what happens with them. It is possible that all three players could see action on Friday vs. Chicago, and I believe we will. Mantilla should start, while the others will likely come in as subs. I feel that RSL is actually progressing now. We aren’t just trying to bring in Ellinger’s old friends from Bradenton anymore. We are trialing guys who have played with Boca Juniors! This is amazing to me, and I’m finally starting to feel positive about this team.  

 NOTE: You can find this photo, and many great others by Boz at The RSLFM Report.

David Beckham debuts…

and all of the inner soccer world moans. The man who has had all the hype in MLS lately debuted for the Galaxy thursday vs. DC United. He was nothing special, just as I expected. David Beckham has been the focus of MLS this year. ESPN’s Beckham Cam dominated every game broadcast, and ticket sales shot way up. I, as well as many other die hard soccer fans, were excited to see Beckham come to MLS. But I think I’d rather watch a soccer game than watch David Beckham jog back and forth. This is the inevitable coverage, though. When an international soccer superstar comes to America, nobody cares. But when an international soccer superstar, who happens to be married to one of the Spice Girls comes to America, everybody cares. Where was this hype for players like Blanco for Chicago and to a lesser extent Reyna of the Red Bulls? David Beckham showed nothing spectacular while playing today, in fact he easily lost the MVP award to Luciano Emilio. 47,000 people showed up to RFK today to watch Becks play. I sat on my couch at home and laughed as his teammates continued their horrible play, Beckham being dragged down with them. Beckham isn’t the savior of the Galaxy as they expected him to be. Which is what brings me to my RSL related part of the post. I’m so happy that Kreis is using his huge amounts of money wisely, buying quality players instead of attempting to sign a “savior”. Thanks, Jason, I appreciate what you do. 

Ellinger finally finds the exit

John Ellinger Resigns  Well, after nearly 3 years of (crappy) service, John Ellinger has finally found the exit. He coached our mediocre team for two years and a couple games, almost all of which being losses.Sure, E was a great guy, but nobody cares about that when you lose every game you coach. We learned that John was excellent to bring in players (young, talented ones) but couldn’t coach a team of six year-olds. That’s why we finally let him go as head coach, but we kept him to attract young-ens. He suddenly took up the strange GM/Technical Director position, in which he went undetected for a few months.  Now he’s gone, and Kreis can make his own decisions. I like how Johnny put it when he said: “I haven’t come that far.” He finally got it right. Thanks for the help Johnny, but I’m sure we would have been better off without it.;) 

Someone’s got to go…

With the supposed three Argentinians that are being signed, it is evident that someone on the RSL roster must go. But who? Do we waive an injured player such as Jeff Rowland or Duke Hashimoto? Do we waive an expensive bench-warmer like Nik Besagno? Do we waive and aim to make money, or waive for the sake of roster spots?  My vote goes toward either Kenny Cutler or Jack Stewart. Neither have been great contributors to the team, and take up valuable roster space. Cutler hasn’t ever been great for us, despite having tons of time to prove himself. I still believe Cutler would not make any other team in MLS, and thus needs to be cut from RSL. Stewart has played a ton, and has been good at times, but has one huge flaw. He makes costly mistakes every game he plays in, and that’s something RSL certainly does not need. Plus, we have Nik Besagno on the bench, which makes another central back unnecessary. I’m sure the only reason Jack is still on the team is because Pope is retiring and we have no others. But I still don’t think he’s worth keeping around. He hasn’t dresses for the last few games, which really gives me hope for his waiving.  Those who are safe would have to include Jimenez, Kyle Brown, Watson, Harris, Forko and Williams. Every one of those players either has potential to be great (see Jimenez, Forko, Brown), is a solid backup (Williams, Harris, Forko, Brown) or an energizing spark (Watson, Jimenez, Brown). These kind of players are all needed on RSL, and I think these guys should be safe.  It will be interesting to see who Jason waives within these next few days. My top choice is Jack Stewart. 

Win #2 is finally here!

Well, we finally pulled another one off.

It’s really too bad that I was unable to see it due to my vacation. And I thought vacation was awesome…

But anyway, I just thought I’d express the few feelings I have. I was reading BigSoccer, and it seemed as though we actually played well. I was surprised to see a zero on the score sheet for Houston, something rarely seen when anybody is playing RSL. After watching the highlights, I found Robbie(nho) Findley’s finish to be really nice, should be a GOTW candidate. I saw Kreis smile, a very rare occurrance. I was a little disappointed however, that no highlights occurred before the goal. Was it even play before that? Was it dominated by either side. If someone could leave me a comment and let me know, that would be great.

Congrats to all who saw this win, I’m sad I couldn’t.