Witnessed practice today for the 3rd time this week. Possibly a new record for me.
This one was short, but sweet as is the usual pre-game ritual. I only saw about half an hour of action, but here are a couple of thoughts:
1) Scrimmage on about a half-sized field. The players seem pretty focused.
2) I noticed a number of the vets shouting instructions to Rachid. They seemed to be interested in helping him get up to speed with where he is expected to be on the field under different situations.
3) Gonzalez still looks like he's a special player to me. He's young and raw in some aspects, but he appears to be fast, likes the ball at his feet, is tenacious, and can cross the ball. He is extremely short, however. Shorter than Javi. More like the height of Rafa Cox.
4) From my interview with Gonzalez, it sounds like his staying is a done deal, with the exception of "the paperwork". Not sure if that is visa application, contract or both. I have not confirmed this with the team.
Friday, August 7, 2009
Practice Observations - Friday Aug 7, 2009
Brief Interview with Nelson Gonzalez
On his thoughts on joining RSL:
Very positive thoughts. I just want to do my best to help the team, and I’m happy to be here.
On whether or not he feels confident that he’ll be with the team for the rest of the year:
I’m just hoping to get the papers done soon. I’m excited to sign for the club. I’m hoping everything goes well.
On Major League Soccer:
It’s a very dynamic game. A very competitive league. I knew a little bit about it. I’m excited to be here. They are really pushing, and it’s nice to be where they are really pushing to grow the league.
On his soccer background:
I’m 20 years old, but I’ve been able to play a couple of years with Quilmes in Premier Division in Argentina. I’ve played since I was a kid, so it’s really good to be able to grow as a fooball player.
On whether or not he played much with Quilmes first team:
Yes, I played a lot.
On which position he played for Quilmes:
Midfield – either left or in the center.
On the type of player he is:
I feel like I’m a very fast player. I try to have a very good touch, and not miss a lot of balls. I’m excited to play in the midfield with Fabian upfront – to be able to hold the midfield and give him some really good balls up front.
On how he thinks he can help RSL:
I think along with Javier Morales my goal is to really hold the midfield together. We are playing really fast, and moving the ball really quick, but it’s a job of the midfield to really hold the midfield together, make sure that we are keeping the pace right, and give good balls to the rest of the team.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Practice Observations: Tues Aug 4th
I made a rare back-to-back appearance at practice today. Today seemed to be a high intensity practice as the team did several mini-scrimmages and players were fighting all over the field for possession.
Russell spent the whole 90 minutes jogging. Yura did not participate. He has a bruise on the bone, and expected to be listed as doubtful for Saturday. Javi says his leg is much better. Beckerman given an extra day off after playing 4 matches in less than a two week span.
Here are some of Kreis' thoughts from practice:
On the importance of picking up points at home on Saturday:
"We stated from the very beginning that for home games it's 3 points or bust. It feels like there is a little more pressure, but for me it's been there all along."
On keeping an eye on the standings:
"From Garth's point of view it's important to do that. From my point of view it's important to keep the team focused on one game at a time."
On the challenges that Seattle presents:
"It's another team with some very some nice attacking options. You talk about a team with Freddie Ljungberg - he's a difference maker. You talk about a team that has Fredy Montero - he's a difference maker. And as we saw in our first game and a lot of times during this season, if Steve Zakuani's in the lineup he's a handful. So they've got quite a few guys that can break players down and score goals."
On whether or not Seattle's attacking nature can create opportunities:
"It could, it definitely could. Playing soccer is alot like sleeping with a blanket that's too small. If you pull it up to cover your head, your feet are probably going to be exposed, and that's what we'll hope for."
On Nelson Gonzalez:
"Yeah. He's a player that I saw initially on a trip that I took to Argentina early December and saw him in a training match, and I really liked what he's about. I could tell just by watching him play that he's a no-nonsense kid, he's a hard-worker, and had a real strong mentality. And so this year we were looking to add somebody like that during our window here. Somebody that we're not looking to throw into the lineup, but somebody that we think has a bright future. And we think that maybe that could be here. So I think it's a nice addition for us."
On Gonzalez' position:
"Actually I think he could play three positions for us in our current tactical scheme. He could play left wing, left back, and holding midfield. I saw him play at left wing, and in a holding midfield spot."
On the grind of the long season, and the teams approach to training:
"I think it has to be a consideration of ours. I don't know that we're always going to choose to lay off our guys, but we have started to talk about lighter weeks versus heavier weeks in order to cycle the guys and keep the energy level high for the matches."
Monday, August 3, 2009
Practice Today/Gonzalez
I made it to practice today. I typically don't make it out to Monday practice, and found out that all of the starters were on a "regeneration day" and didn't participate. However, it was good to get a chance to see El Khalifi, Campos and Gonzalez see a little more action in practice than they otherwise would.
El Khalifi: looks to be very fit. Coach Kreis agreed. Rachid strikes me as a cerebral player who watches as things develop, gets into the correct position, but lets the game come to him. He gives good effort, but he's not a Will Johnson type that is going to be all over the field.
Campos: Definitely dominant physically out there. He said that he is struggling with the altitude, but feels he'll adjust soon. He re-iterated his prediction that RSL will make the playoffs. Moves well for a big guy, and good with his feet. When will he get a chance to show this off? Who knows, but Kreis hinted at the fact that he may see more time, when he mentioned that Campos is a unique player for RSL, and well suited for the center forward role in the 4-3-3.
Gonzalez: New arrival. Didn't get a chance to chat with him yet. He is NOT signed by the team, but is here for an extended trial to evaluate him. Unlike Campos and El Khalifi, he is a young player and not much of a known commodity. I am not a talent evaluator and it's hard to tell from a short practice, but I thought he looked really good. He was comfortable with the ball, tenacious defensively trying to regain possession. He also put in a couple of really good crosses, and struck the ball extremely well on goal. I like. I hope to get more insight on him tomorrow.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Nelson Gonzalez Arrives!
Keepin' It Real has learned that Nelson Gonzalez, the young winger from Quilmes in Argentina that Real Salt Lake had indicated an interest in, has arrived in Salt Lake and is expected to practice with the club tomorrow.
We'll try to get more details as they become available, including a first look at the player.
Thoughts on Chicago Loss
Unfortunately Real Salt Lake failed to capitalize on an opportunity again on Saturday as they played against a depleted Chicago on the road. The 1-0 loss the seventh on the road in ten tries. They currently have three road points on the season, tied for 3rd worst in the league.
The opportunity lost was especially frustrating as Chicago is a good team (3rd in the league in points), but has struggled at home, as they only had two wins at home prior to Saturday. They were also playing without Brian McBride, Cuahtemoc Blanco, Wilman Conde, and John Thorrington. On the other hand, Real Salt Lake was mostly at full strength after players had returned from Gold Cup action. Both teams had multiple players who participated in the All-Star activities earlier in the week.
The loss, combined with the loss at Columbus two weeks ago, also reversed a trend where RSL appeared to be gaining confidence on the road. Prior to that they had gotten a result in 3 out of 4 matches.
It would also have been nice to pick up a win or at least a draw to start the month of August off right. The month will be a challenging one as RSL faces six opponents during the month - all of them with currently with more points than RSL. An unsuccesful month will almost certainly leave them out of the playoffs, as they currently sit 4 points outside of a playoff position.
The play on the field was not crisp for either side in the first half. Both teams gave away the ball far too easily and created far too few opportunities to really expect to break through the scoring ledger. RSL in particular seemed lethargic, and failed to push numbers ahead of the ball and generate attack. One bright spot was Yura Movsisyan who didn't get alot of touches on the ball in the opposing third, but when he did, he created some danger largely on his own as there was precious little support with him.
Javier Morales, who picked up an injury in the All-Star game as he received a set of studs on his calf, appeared to be tentative and failed to create much of the magic that we have come to expect in the midfield. He also failed to connect on several simple passes, which is uncharacteristic.
In the second half, Real Salt Lake did start to generate some positive play in the opposing end. However, disaster struck in the 76th minute just at looked like RSL may be on the verge of breaking through. RSL managed to give up yet another goal shortly following a set piece (this time a throw-in), as Chicago got off an un-checked cross into the box, where Patrick Narko easily put the opportunity away.
After that RSL increased the pressure, coming up with some near-misses, but they were unable to break through. Their best chance may have been Robbie Findley's opportunity from inside the area that hit the upright and bounded away.
If Real Salt Lake wins all six of it's remaining home matches, then they will likely only need to pick up 2 or 3 road points to make the playoffs. However, it's highly unlikely that they will win all their home matches against Seattle, Houston, Chivas, Chicago, New York and Colorado. This means that they need to pick up points on the road, probably at least five or six with only five remaining road opportunities. This is going to be a steep challenge for a team that has only five points out of their first ten road battles.
In short, the playoffs are slipping away. Not beyond hope, but the team has certainly put themselves in a difficult situation once again. You're likely to hear phrases like "must win", and "should have" for the remainder of the season. Hopefully the team is up to the task and can go on a run similar to last season.
