Goat Killin' Time

The last time this team came to the RioT was not pretty. It was awful. It was possibly worse than losing the CCL Final to Monterrey. It was easily the most hollow win I've ever watched RSL partake in. This year is about revenge. This year it's about taking the Goats out behind the woodshed, telling Robin Fraser to cover his eyes, and smashing this pathetic billboard of a team from "LA" to tiny pieces.

When you look at this match on paper, there isn't much to get excited about. You have possibly the worst team in the league, Chivas USA, taking on what most would consider the best in the league currently, Real Salt Lake. It's at the RioT, where RSL typically dominates. RSL is returning key players. Their on fire. Chivas hasn't scored yet. etc etc. This match is one that, if you were playing in it, you would feel the result was predetermined. The one aspect of this game, though, that blows up a whole lot of those other factors is the manager for Chivas USA. If there was a guy who could devise the best game plan against RSL possible, it'd probably be Robin Fraser. He knows this club, it's tendencies, it's players, and most importantly it's staff. Robin is the wild card, he is what will make this match much more intriguing than it probably should be.

My Predicted Starting XI for RSL
GK: Nick Rimando
LB: Chris Wingert
CB: Jamison Olave
CB: Chris Schuler (Nat Borchers could very easily start)
RB: Tony Beltran
LM: Ned Grabavoy
DM: Kyle Beckerman
AM: Javier Morales (sliding in for the injured Sebastian Velasquez)
RM: Luis Gil
FW: Fabian Espindola
FW: Alvaro Saborio (Could easily be Paulo Junior, but I bet we see Sabo get his first start)

Bench: Reynish (GK), Borchers (DF), Tanaka (DF), Steele (MF), Alvarez (MF), Johnson (MF), Paulo Jr (FW)

Key Player for RSL: Kyle Beckerman

- RSL is going to dominate for long stretches in this game. Chivas will likely pack it in a bit in search of trying to get a 0-0 draw. They don't have much offense, and it looks like they might be without Juan Pablo Angel, so going forward is going to be really tough. Kyle has to be the guy in the middle that dictates the flow of the game. When teams sit in you have to be patient with the ball, but you can't be slow with it. In order to get guys sucked out of position, there needs to be quick 1 or 2 touch passes dissecting their shell. Kyle will be the guy that initiates and, most likely, be called upon to make that lethal pass to the attack far more often than he typically would. I expect Kyle to have a stellar game in this one.

Prediction: RSL 3 - Chivas 0
 - The key to RSL getting a win will be a first half goal, preferably in the first 30 minutes. The longer we go without finding the net, the more confidence Chivas will gain and the more we'll be tempted to force the issue. Forcing them to come out of their shell with a goal in the first 30 minutes or so will do wonders for the game. It's either going to be a blowout win for RSL, or a tight 1-0 or 0-0 affair with Chivas holding on for dear life in the back. I prefer and believe the first will happen.

FORZA RSL

Cheers,

15 to 32