Embarassing

Real Salt Lake went into DC this weekend with a chance to make up ground on LA and the Supporters Shield. Instead of taking the challenge head on, though, Jason Kreis put out a reserve filled lineup that got thoroughly worked. In a bit of a "taste of your own medicine" opening half, DC United found the back of the net not once, not twice, not even three times. No, in the opening half hour DC United found the net a whopping 4 times against RSL. It wasn't just a bad showing, it was really embarrassing.

A lot of the blame for this rather pathetic showing can be put on the manager. Kreis took a huge risk with his starting 11. 8 players were, in fact, making either first time debuts, returning from injury, or were guys that typically are fighting just for a spot in the 18. Up top he put in Jean Alexandre and Paulo Junior. Alexandre was incredibly out of position, Paulo still has yet to come back to the form we have come to expect. Those injuries have damaged more than just his leg muscles, they seem to have hit his confidence quite severely too. In the middle of the pitch, where the game was being lost from pretty much the opening whistle, Kreis put in Collen Warner, Ned Grabavoy, Arturo Alvarez, and Kyle Beckerman. This midfield has potential, but simply didn't get the job done. Grabavoy, like Paulo Junior, is still in recovery mode. Warner continued his year of disappointment. Beckerman had far too much to handle in this one as everyone in front of him was having a bad game. And lastly, Arturo Alvarez proved just how bad of a signing he has proven to be. The most glaring deficiencies for RSL, though, were in the defense. Blake Wagner made his first MLS start for RSL, one he'll want to forget. Rashawn McKenzie was paired with Borchers in the middle and he simply isn't at the level of Olave or even Schuler. Chris Wingert returned from a long injury and it showed in some of his decision making. Overall, the lineup was a recipe for disaster.

I understand that Kreis wanted to give some guys rest and was showing his faith in the bench with this one. However, looking back on it, this game pretty much officially eliminated us from Supporters Shield contention. The team was on a tear, 5 straight wins, and making up ground on LA. This one loss, though, slowed it all down in a horrific crashing fashion. It was a tall order to win the SS no matter the result, but I'd rather us make the right moves at the end and push LA than pretty much mail it in. No matter what though, it seems the SS is out of reach and RSL is destined to finish either 2nd or 3rd - both overall and in the West.

Man of the Match: Dwayne De Rosario

While it could very easily be argued DeRo shouldn't have been playing in this match but should have been serving a suspension, the guy punished RSL with ease. Maybe Kreis was assuming the disciplinary committee was going to suspend him or something because his team had absolutely no answer for the Canadian. Regardless, the guy had a tremendous night. Gotta give credit where it is due. I'm more and more convinced this guy should be league MVP. If DC can get into the playoffs, it'll be almost all in part because of DeRosario.

Wankers of the Match: Blake Wagner, Arturo Alvarez, and Jason Kreis

Blake got his first start in an RSL shirt... I wouldn't be too surprised if its his last as well. Horrible night. Exposed early and often for his lack of positioning and speed.

When we signed Alvarez in the off season almost every single RSL fan was ecstatic. The guy had burned us so many times for San Jose he just had to be a great player. Well, there was a reason San Jose was fine with him leaving. I don't think the guy even knows how to spell the word "right" because everything with him is left. It is utterly shocking to me that a guy can play at this level yet not even use his weak foot to make routine passes. Alvarez has been possibly the biggest bust in RSL's short history.

Kreis took a huge gamble and paid severely for it. Lesson learned, hopefully. He doesn't belong in this category all the often, but I have to be honest. A lot of the blame for this loss belongs with the manager. Not his better night at all. Maybe he had a deal with DC United? Because we helped them a ton these past two weeks.

Looking Forward: Securing a top 3 spot
RSL's new task for the rest of the season is simple: get healthy and get into form. We have yet to win a single piece of hardware this year - one in which we started with discussions of pulling off the "quad". RSL almost has to win the MLS Cup, in my mind, to not label this season as a bit of a disaster. To do that, we  have to find form. The playoffs are all about who is in the best current form, not who is the best team over the whole season. We've shown we can get hot and win a handful of games in a row both home and away. That's exactly what is in store with the playoffs.

Not only would it be beneficial for RSL to secure a top 3 spot (preferably 2nd) in terms of playoffs, but for next seasons CCL as well. LA is pretty much a lock for the Supporters Shield, thus they will have a ticket punched for next season's CCL edition. Seattle looks to have the USOC locked up as well as its on their home field against the Fire. That means that if we get into the playoffs on the Western side all we'd need to do to make the playoffs is have LA win their first round  match up against the wild card. This is because if they advance, one of RSL, LA, and Seattle will be in the MLS Cup. Both the Cup winner and runner up go to the CCL. If a team holds two spots (as Seattle and LA would if they made it to the final) the second spot would be passed to the next best team on the overall table - which in this case would be Real Salt Lake. I'd much rather  have RSL qualify through earning a spot (making it to the final) but I'd also rather be in next year's CCL no matter how its earned. Thus, despite what many may think, finishing in the top 3 and thus in the Western Conference for the playoffs has huge advantages.

The bottom line is this, though: RSL needs to get into form and play some good soccer here in October and November. They do that, and they'll surely be in next year's CCL. Something we all know we want after having the final on our pitch and then not even get into the group stages of the current edition.

FORZA REAL

Cheers,

15 to 32

Potentially Huge Weekend

RSL travels to DC this Saturday to take on DC United in what is truly a massive game. Both teams are in the hunt for playoff spots, though both at different ends of the playoff standings. DC United is just a point out of the last spot in the playoffs while RSL is in second place, looking to possibly make a move on the Galaxy for that top spot. This game, and this weekend, are huge for MLS. We could see the Supporters Shield essentially be put away by LA, or it could suddenly become a 2 or even 3 team race in the last weeks.

3 Keys to Win for RSL:

1. Midfield Domination

 - With Kyle Beckerman expected to return to the starting lineup, RSL should be that much better in the middle of the park. At New York, on Wednesday, the opening half was pure RSL midfield domination - the second half, not so much. If RSL wants to find a way to get a massive win this weekend, they have to win the midfield battle. DC is without Chris Pontius and the status of De Rosario is still up in the air (possible suspension for his dive). Between Beckerman, Johnson, and whichever other two midfielders Kreis plugs in (Gil and Williams, likely) RSL should be able to win the midfield battle. Win the middle - win the game. That's the typical RSL mantra.

2. Contain Charlie Divies and DeRo (if he plays)

 -  The DC attack is built around these two players. Quaranta and Najar will surely make contributions, but these are the two most dangerous players out there for DC in my opinion. Borchers, Olave, and especially Beckerman have to be at the top of their game. I'd also be in favor of an early hard tackle on Davies for the dive he did when DC visited RSL earlier this year. KB has a fresh start on yellow card accumulation, look for him to likely deliver the blow.

3. Samurai Espindola

- RSL's attack is at its best when Espy gets the ball in dangerous places. The guy is simply on fire right now. RSL needs to use this to their full advantage. Espindola is a headache for every team in this league with how he plays: controlled aggression (great line from Dunseth). He and Sabo work great off of each other when Espy does this and Sabo finds the spaces as a target man. DC's defense showed just how porous they can be against Chivas midweek, time to show it again.

My Starting XI for RSL:
GK: Rimando
LB: Wingert
CB: Olave
CB: Borchers
RB: Schuler
LM: Johnson
CDM: Beckerman
RM: Williams
CAM: Gil
FW: Espindola
FW: Saborio

Key Player for RSL: Luis Gil

 - I fully expect to see Luis return to the starting lineup for this match. In the second half of the New York game it became very obvious we were lacking an attacking midfielder to help release pressure. Luis has shown he can be that guy. To get a win, Luis will need to be on the top of his game. He is the connection between the stout defense and deadly attack.

Prediction: RSL 1 - DCU 0
- Goal from Espy
This is going to be a tight game that could easily be quite sloppy. With both teams coming in off of very short rest, expect the level of play to not be high for the full 90. RSL has a huge advantage, in my opinion, with Beckerman coming in after a suspension. His work rate in the middle could very well be what makes the difference in this game. He and Gil have to work hard for the win. I think they can do it.

Why this Weekend is so big:

 - I mentioned at the beginning of the post that this weekend has huge implications; here is why. While RSL travels to DC this weekend, Seattle and LA will also be on the road. Seattle heads up to Vancouver for the last game at Empire field for the Whitecaps. I'm sure Vancouver really wants a win from that one and thus it should be a great game. LA, who played and lost in Costa Rica on Wednesday, heads to Columbus Saturday for a game that has huge implications as well. LA looks to be faltering a bit, the schedule congestion likely catching up to them, and their once firm grasp on the Supporters Shield is slipping.

LA sits on top of the table with 58 points through 29 games. If they lose (which I fully expect given Columbus will likely need to win to stay on top of the East), they'll obviously stay at 58 points. Seattle (51 points through 29 games), after a tough midweek loss at home, will have their hands full in Vancouver. The loss of Rosales could really sting if they fail to pick up the full 3 points. I expect that game to end in a draw as Vancouver will be throwing everything at them to make their fans happy. Thus, I expect Seattle to be at 52 points come Sunday morning. RSL, 51 points through 28 games, has a huge opportunity on their hands then (assuming these things happen). With a win, they could be just 4 points back of the Galaxy with still one more game in hand - the game next week at home against Chicago. This weekend could very easily, as I said before, determine the Supporters Shield or turn it suddenly into a 3 team race.

FORZA REAL

Cheers,

15 to 3

Half Amazing, Half Brutal, All Awesome

RSL went into Red Bull Arena last night and did something I don't think anybody really had predicted. Not only did they jump out to an early lead, but they thoroughly demolished the home side in the first 25 minutes. The rest of the first half was impressive, though not as much as the first 25 minutes. The second half, on the other hand, was incredibly brutal. Lucky for RSL, they had done enough in the first half to play as bad as they did in the second. All in all, an incredibly huge win for Real not only in terms of playoff positioning, but confidence as well.

 From the opening whistle this game looked like it was going to be wildly entertaining. New York was throwing numbers forward and RSL was answering right back with attacks of their own. The break through came off of a controversial corner kick call. Espy went to whip a ball in from the wing with Albright defending him. Upon replay, Espy crossed the ball into his own foot but the sideline official thought the ball had struck Albright and gone out. Regardless, the defending the NY exercised on the subsequent corner was inexcusable. Saborio got open far too easily and headed the ball home into the near post - where a defender was not for some reason. Only minutes later RSL added to their lead. Tim Ream, who continues to show just how over hyped he truly is, went to play a back pass to Rost, the goalkeeper for NY, as Espy applied some pressure. The back pass went maybe 5 feet and sat right in front of Espindola. He coolly touched the ball around Rost and fired into the open net. As if things couldn't get any worse for the home side, in the 21st they were broken down again. A nice combination play in the midfield found Warner alone in the middle. He split the two center backs for New York with a simple - though very beautiful - through ball and Espy was in again. His toe poke past Rost made it 3-0 to the visitors with only 21 minutes taken off the clock. The rest of the first half was much like the opening minutes. Both teams were throwing numbers at each other and the game looked to be very much in RSL's favor. Halftime came and you could tell the home side, and especially their fans, were simply stunned.

The second half was something completely different. Possibly Kreis told his side to take it easy (hopefully) or RSL just thought the lead too large for New York to come back. In any case, the second half was all New York. RSL didn't look to possess the ball much, nor did they look to overexert themselves past the midfield stripe. In fact, it seemed the game plan was to solely win the ball and then subsequently dump it long to Espy and Sabo and have them figure it out on their own. To say it simply: that didn't work. New York was applying pressure and it became incredibly obvious by about the 60th minute that they were going to find the net. Lindpere nearly opened up the scoring shortly thereafter for the home side with a shot that was absolutely indredible. Equally incredible was the save by Rimando, it must be said. This shot served as a warning, not desperation, though, as New York found the back of then net only minutes later. With 20 minutes remaining, New York had all the momentum and was only down by 2 goals. The chances came for them to get another one back, but they simply couldn't do it: the story of New York's season right there. In the end, RSL walked away rather comfortably (overall) with a 3-1 win. A massive win, it can't be understated. Like the win at Seattle, against KC, and at Chivas, this win showed that RSL is capable of playing beautiful soccer and ugly soccer - in the same match - to get a win.

Man of the Match: Fabian Espindola

 A lot of players were in the running for this. Schuler, once again, showed he is a capable replacement at outside back. He got burned a few times by Richards, but that was to be expected. Will Johnson, similarly, had an incredible night I thought. Saborio, especially in the first 45, looked very dangerous. Even the new guy in the middle, Cuban Alvarez (not to be confused with Lefturo Alvarez), had an incredible night given the expectations. Espy, though, was the man. With the brace he put the game away. Dude is on fire, lets hope it continues through October and especially November.

Wanker of the Match: Tim Ream

Both he and Marquez had especially bad nights. Tim Ream, though, should appear on the stat sheet for game winning assist. That alone vaults him to the top of the wanker list for this match. Though, to Marquez's credit, he did start to go at it with his own fans. As if the wheels weren't coming off enough already in New York, one of their DP's (who will be gone next season, no doubt about it) has to show just how big of a diva he truly is.

Looking Forward
This weekend could be the deciding weekend in terms of the Supporters Shield race. LA, after a tough 1-0 loss in Costa Rica last night, travels to Columbus for MLS play. RSL travels to DC for a game that looks to be a must win situation for DC. If LA losses, which I fully expect them to do after playing their first team on turf in Costa Rica, and RSL wins (very hopeful thinking) RSL will only be 4 points behind LA with still one more game in hand. Equally important is the Seattle match at Vancouver. If they get a win there (which I expect them to do) coupled with a LA loss, they too will only be 4 points back (though level on games played). Its a massive weekend. One which could all but wrap up the SS for LA, or make it suddenly a 3 team race again.

FORZA REAL

Cheers,

15 to 32