It’s that time of the season again….that time when we go up against our arch-rivals the Colorado Crapids. Now our favorite player, Pablo Mastroeni, won’t be making the trip, so we’ll have to do without. Luckily, we have a new player rivalry, that of Kyle Beckerman vs. Mehdi Ballouchy. They switched spots earlier this season and are out to prove themselves to their former team. My vote goes towards Beckerman, but probably only because he plays for us now. So now we get to our keys…First off, we have all three Argentineans back, but we lost Esky. Will the team’s ever-changing chemistry effect their play? I certainly hope not… Second, the Beckerman vs. Ballouchy face off. They’ll be playing on eachother, and the winner of this battle will severely effect the outcome of this game. Lastly, RSL’s defense needs to be strong. Last game, LA’s second goal was from a defensive breakdown. We can’t have that happening against Colorado. So here’s the lineup:
Rimando
Kipre Pope Mantilla Kotschau
Talley
Espindola Beckerman
Morales
Findley Yura
Not a bad lineup at all in my opinion. Look for FIndley to join Morales as a second A-MID so that we can play Yura as a target forward. Expect to see Williams, a Brown (likely both) off the bench. Prediction: 2-1 RSL goals from Beckerman and Yura.
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Well, it appears as though RSL has added a new player just before the deadline. Former Kansas City forward Yura Movsisyan joine RSL today, being traded for its natural 3rd round selection in the 2009 MLS SuperDraft and its natural 1st round pick in the 2009 MLS Supplemental Draft and a portion of a player allocation (Adu allocation) to Kansas City
This is the strangest feeling ever. Not only did we win for the second consecutive time, but we also came from behind to get that win. What a great four days for RSL. I have to say, though. This game was not the greatest play we’ve shown in a while. I happened to be watching the game at a friend’s house, who is not a soccer fan (but has HDNet, thank goodness). I looked over at him several times and found he was yawning, not from the daily fatigue but from the slow pace of the game. He said, “This is getting boring, why are we watching the REEAL lose?” Just a few minutes later, however, Robbie Findley entered the game. He scored minutes later, and my nonsoccer friend’s yawning ceased. The game was exciting again. He watched for another four minutes, when Eddie Pope slid the ball into the back of the net, my friend stood up and said “I didn’t know that REEAL has ever been ahead before, this is awesome!” It was a celebration of sorts, but it brought interesting perspective. Real Salt Lake’s results are being noticed. Sure, it’s two wins, but my friends whole family was excited for Real (none of them are soccer fans, either). I think I’ve helped bring some new fans into the fold, and hopefully they’ll attend some games. As for our play, the parts which made my friend yawn, I was not impressed. We started slow. Most of the game seemed to be possession play in our defensive half. LA was able to exploit that, and ended up getting several chances in that first half. The second half, which brought fresh legs, made it exciting. For the first time ever, our subs made a positive difference. Robbie, Andy and Wingert all played very well. The thing that makes soccer exciting is the fact that things can change in an instance. When Robbie scored that goal, my positive feelings came back, and the first half was in the back of my mind. And then Pope. Then came the time wasting, which reminded me of Ye Olde Ellinger Days. Bunker ball, something no RSL fan wants to see, because we all know where it leads. And now for my player reviews:
