Red and Blue Army vs Purple Dragons

The semi's have been set, and man are they juicy. RSL has drawn the Costa Rican powerhouse Saprissa; aka the Purple Dragons/Beasts/Monsters/etc.

This match up is interesting, if for nothing else, because of the home field advantage which each team enjoys. RSL, as we all know, plays at the RioT (Rio Tinto Stadium) and enjoys the altitude, cold thin air (at this time of year), dry air, and fans that are growing daily. Saprissa, on the other hand, plays in Estadio Ricardo Saprissa Aymá, an intimidating stadium regardless of the day or team they are facing. The number one thing that jumps out is the fans. Saprissa doesn't have a geographical advantage like RSL, but it does have fans that make you feel as though "you are in the cave of a monster". All the fans are right on top of you, with the supporters group called "La Ultra Morada" (The Purple Ultra) being the loudest.

These fans rival the Mexican fans in terms of craziness. They have been known to throw coins, rocks, bags of urine (no that's not a sick joke, I'm serious), etc at the opposing players, specifically keepers, while playing there.

What I am trying to say is that RSL will have its hands full for this one. To be comfortable going down there, I think RSL needs to get a 2-0 result here at the RioT. The clean sheet is vital, but the goal margin is even more so. Playing there is not an easy thing to do, but this club played well in Mexico City so who knows how much it will actually affect them. I have confidence in this squad, just hope they do themselves some favors and get a big lead while at home.

Regardless of how this series turns, this is a huge milestone for the club. To be in the semi finals of this regions grandest tournament is a testament to Jason Kreis, Dave Checketts, Garth Lagerway, Bill Manning, the players, the rest of the RSLFO staff, etc. All of these people have logged in hundreds if not thousands of hours for this club to get it where it is now. We are (I don't want to get ahead of myself but to prove how amazing this is) literally 4 matches, including these 2, away from going to Japan in the Club World Championships. Yeah, this is huge.

Get your tickets, invite everyone you know and then some, make some confetti, be loud, buy streamers, etc. This is, without a doubt, the most prestigious and important game this club has played at the RioT to date.

I will have a pre-game analysis of the first round at the RioT coming this weekend or Monday. Can't wait to write it, seriously. I want to go watch some history, how about you?

Cheers,

15 to 32

FORZA REAL