Keepin' It Real

Keepin’ It Real has moved!

2010-01-17T08:00:00.000-07:00

Although Blogger has served us well, we've made the jump to our own hosted solution with a little more robust functionality. Mosey on over and check out the new site at www.keepinitrealsoccer.com.

Don't forget to update your bookmarks!

RSL Draft-related Tidbit & Player Profiles

2010-01-14T22:16:00.001-07:00

Real Salt Lake landed four players in the 2010 draft, but lost one in the process. They ended up with:

1st Round (#15) - Collen Warner, University of Portland:

21 year-old two-way midfielder. Partially drafted to replace the departing Clint Mathis. Has good size. Reported as a good wide player with good crossing skills, but according to coach Jason Kreis, that’s not his strong suit. He will fit well into the “outside of our diamond”.

Position: Midfielder

Height: 5-10

Weight: 170

Born: June 24, 1988 in Denver, Colo.

Hometown: Denver, Colo.

College: Portland

Citizenship: USA

UNIVERSITY OF PORTLAND CAREER: Concluded his UP career with 20 goals, 20 assists, 60 points and six game-winners in 79 games as a combination midfielder/forward …

2009: Completed his UP career by helping guide the Pilots to the Third Round of the NCAA postseason … During Portland’s run through the 2009 playoffs, Warner scored both goals during a 2-1 overtime win at New Mexico and assisted on the game-winner in a 2-1 win at North Carolina State … Also went three-for-three on penalty kicks last fall … Led Portland last year with nine goals (three game-winners), seven assists, 60 shots and 25 shots on goal … Led the West Coast Conference in points (25), was tied for first in game-winners, tied for second in goals and he ranked third in assists … Named to his third consecutive All-WCC First Team …

2008: Named to the All-WCC First Team for the second consecutive year … Led the Pilots and the West Coast Conference with eight assists … Finished second on the team with five goals, 18 points and 43 shots … Ranked fourth in the WCC in points and was sixth in goals …

2007: Named to the All-WCC First Team and to Top Drawer Soccer’s All-Season Third Team … Finished second on the team with four assists and tied for third with 10 points … Also scored three goals and a game-winner … Started all 20 games he appeared in …

2006: Named to the All-West Coast Conference Freshman Team and named All-WCC Honorable Mention … Named to the Top Drawer Soccer All-Rookie Second Team … Finished third on the team with three goals … Also recorded an assist, one game-winner, 19 shots and eight shots on goal …

OLYMPIC DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM: Member of the Colorado ODP state team from 2001-04 … Part of the Region IV team pool from 2002-04 and a region team member in 2004 … Scored two goals with the Region IV team at the 2004 Disney Showcase …

DENVER EAST HS: Four-year letterwinner for coach Beth Hinz … Team MVP and an All-Conference selection in 2005 … Team won the Denver Prep League in 2002 and 2004 and reached the Colorado State semifinals during freshman season …

CLUB TEAM: Played for the Colorado Rush club team for five years and trained with English Premier League players and coaches at the Liverpool Youth Academy in 2002 … Trained with Italy’s prestigious Serie "A" Club Youth Academy Atalanta in 2005 …

PERSONAL: Born on June 24, 1988 in Denver, Colo. … Parents are Marcia Scott-Warner and Darrick Warner … Major is Environmental Science.

2nd Round (#32) – Justin Davis, University of New Mexico:

21 year-old midfielder/forward will actually return to his “natural” position as a left-back. He initially played this position in college, but has been moved into an attacking role.

Position: Defender

Height: 6-0

Weight: 170

Born: May 6, 1988 in Avondale, Ariz.

Hometown: Litchfield Park, Ariz.

College: New Mexico

Citizenship: USA

UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO CAREER: Not only a dangerous striker who was lethal from distance, but a versatile player that is comfortable anywhere on the field … Completed his four-year career last fall and was a two-time All-Mountain Pacific Sports Federation first-team selection … Selected to the All-Far West Region squad twice in his Lobo career, and earned two Academic All-MPSF nods … Finished his UNM career ranked ninth all-time in points with 58, tied for eighth in goals with 20 and tied for seventh in assists with 18 … The Litchfield Park, Ariz., native was fourth all-time in shots with 184 …

2008 - SENIOR SEASON
Davis led the Lobos in scoring with seven goals and six assists for 20 points on the year, earning All-Far West Region first-team honors … The Lobos posted a 12-7-1 mark in 2009, advancing to their seventh NCAA Tournament in the last nine years … New Mexico earned at at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament and hosted Portland – and fellow RSL draftee Collen Warner – in a first round game, which the Lobos lost 2-1 in OT …

2008 - JUNIOR SEASON
Played in 17 games while starting 16 of them … Lobos' leading scorer with seven goals and six assists for 20 points … Also led the MPSF in scoring while earning First Team All-MPSF accolades … Earned Second Team All-Far West Region honors … Scored five game-winners against second ranked Akron, San Jose State, Sacramento State, at Stanford and Sacramento State in double overtime … Logged 1,310 minutes …

2007 - SOPHOMORE SEASON
Played in all 19 games, with 14 starts … Second on the team in scoring with five goals and three assists … Had game-winning goals at San Francisco and Air Force and against Sacramento State … Earned Academic All-MPSF honors …

2006 - FRESHMAN SEASON
Played in all 21 games on the year (10 starts) … Scored a goal and three assists … Had the game-winner in overtime against UNLV …

HIGH SCHOOL
Four-year letterman at Westview High School in Avondale, Ariz. … Three-time All-State and All-Region selection and two-time regional player of the year …

CLUB
Played club soccer for the Sereno Golden Eagles … Won the 2005 and 2006 Arizona Club State Championships …

OLYMPIC DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
Was a member of the Arizona '88 ODP squad …

PERSONAL
Born May 6, 1988, Justin is the son of Dan and Jackie Davis … He has one older brother, Jeff … Majoring in Business at New Mexico.

3rd Round (#39) – Chris Schuler, Creighton University:

22 year-old central defender was added at a point in the draft, when RSL didn’t initially have a pick. The player was projected by the media as a late first round, beginning of second round pick.

Position: Defender

Height: 6-4

Weight: 195

Born: September 6, 1987 in St. Louis, Mo.

Hometown: Aurora, Ill.

College: Creighton

Citizenship: USA

CREIGHTON CAREER:

2009 (Senior) Co-captain was named Second-Team All-Region in 2009, his third All-Region honor as a Bluejay … One of the most dominant defenders in school history, Schuler was a first-team honoree in 2008 and also earned second-team notice in 2007 … The 2008 MVC Defensive Player of the Year helped the Bluejays lead the MVC with a 0.76 goals against average in 2009, ranking among NCAA leaders in both GAA and shutout percentage (eight clean sheets in 16 matches) … Center back became the ninth player in school history to be named First-Team All-MVC three times - the first since MLS product David Wagenfuhr (2001-03) … CU posted 37 shutouts over the last four years with Schuler anchoring the defense …

2008 (Junior) – Missouri Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year, NSCAA Second-Team All-America and NSCAA All-Midwest Region First-Team … All-MVC First-Team, MVC All-Tournament Team and College Soccer News Second-Team All-America honoree … Twice honored on the Soccer America National Team of the Week (Sept. 23, Oct. 7) and named MVC Defensive Player of the Week twice (Sept. 22, Oct. 6) … Led the team with 1,852 minutes played, playing every minute of every match with the exception of a 12-minute break against UMKC (Sept. 13) … Captain and anchor for record-setting defense which led the NCAA in shutout percentage (.650) and ranked second in goals against average (0.48) … Helped team set school record with 13 shutouts … Scored his only goal of the season against No. 22 Connecticut (Nov. 29) in the NCAA Tournament, the equalizer in the 79th minute of the overtime win …

2007 (Sophomore) – Tabbed First-Team All-MVC and Second-Team NSCAA All-Midwest Region … One of six Bluejays to start all 20 matches, while his 1,864 minutes played ranked second among field players … Played all but one minute in CU’s final 19 matches, playing every minute of CU’s final 15 contests … Leader on a CU defense which posted seven shutouts and led the MVC with a 0.79 goals against average …

2006 (Freshman) – Honored on the Soccer America Freshman All-America Second-Team and MVC All-Freshman Team … Named to the MVC All-Tournament Team after scoring the game-winning goal of the championship match … Each of his three goals were game-winners, two in overtime, ranking second on the team in game-winning goals … First collegiate goal came in the 99th minute against Georgetown (Sept. 1) to give CU a 3-2 win in his home debut …

2005 (Freshman/Indiana) – Redshirted in his only season at Indiana after appearing in the Hoosiers’ first exhibition match against UCLA … Tabbed a Top 100 Freshmen to Watch by College Soccer News …

PREP CAREER: Named a 2005 PARADE All-American for Waubonsie Valley HS … Ranked as the top defender and seventh-best player in the nation by StudentSportsSoccer.com … 2004 NSCAA/adidas Youth Boys Region II All-American and earned NSCAA/adidas All-Region V honors as a senior … First-Team All-State defender in Illinois as named by the Chicago Tribune ... Two-time All-Conference and All-Area First-Team honoree … Played high school soccer for 1978 Hermann Trophy winner Angelo DiBernardo … Played club soccer for the Chicago Magic, leading the team to State Cup Championships from 2001-04 and three regional championships … Served as four-year captain for the Magic … Member of the Illinois and Region II Olympic Development Program … Participated in two events with the national team in summer 2005 … Tabbed the MVP at the US Youth Soccer National Championships in July 2006 …

PERSONAL: The son of Chris and Christina Schuler, Chris was born Sept. 6, 1987, in St. Louis, Mo. … Has one younger sister, Christen (21), who plays soccer at Northern Illinois University …. Management Information Systems major.

4th Round (#64) - Kris Banghart, University of Denver:

21 year-old defender. Gets the Mr. Irrelevant label as the last pick in the draft. An extreme long shot to make the team.

Position: Defender

Height: 6-1

Weight: 190

Born: March 1, 1988 in Loveland, Colo.

Hometown: Ft. Collins, Colo.

College: Denver

Citizenship: USA

2009: Denver co-captain … Named to Duke Nike Classic All-Tournament Team … Earned All-MPSF First-Team honors … Selected to MPSF All-Tournament Team … Started in 16 games …

2008: Earned All-MPSF Second-Team honors … Started in all 19 games for the Pioneers … Tallied two shots at New Mexico and UC Davis …

2007: Started all 18 games for DU… All-MPSF Second-Team member … Tallied one shot …

2006: Started all 19 games for North Carolina Wesleyan during his freshman season … Recorded three points on a goal and an assist …

High School: Helped lead Fort Collins High School to the Colorado State Title …

Personal: Born March 1, 1988 in Loveland, Colo. … Son of Steve and Tommie Banghart … Has one sister, Katie … Enjoys snowboarding, mountain biking, Frisbee golf and camping.

Real Salt Lake and LA Galaxy Trading Places

Real Salt Lake did alot of trading places with the La Galaxy in this one. They completed two trades with the team during the draft:

Trade #1: RSL sent Clint Mathis to the LA Galaxy along with their #16 pick for LA’s #15 pick, and a 3rd rounder in 2011. Clint Mathis had asked to be traded to LA so that he could be closer to family. Lagerwey mentioned that this was consistent with RSL being a player-friendly club (although I’m not sure that Yura Movsisyan would agree).
Trade #2: RSL traded LA their 2011 3rd round pick for LA’s #39 pick in this draft, which they turned into Chris Schuler.

So what to make of it? At the end of the day RSL and LAG swapped first rounders this year, and third rounders in 2011. They also effectively traded Clint Mathis for Chris Schuler. Good trades? Depends on how good Schuler is, but Warner and Davis were the ones that Kreis and Lagerwey seemed most interested in. I think LAG ended up with the best out of the situation, but when a player asks to be granted a trade (and to a specific location), it’s unlikely that you’ll get equal value.

Garth Lagerwey on the Draft

2010-01-14T16:34:00.003-07:00

While we are awaiting the real comments from Garth Lagerwey, here is what Steve Davis says every GM will be saying about their selections:

At the end of the day, every official from every team will stand before the God, country, blogger and mainstream media scribe and declare, unflinchingly and unequivocally, that they got "exactly who they wanted."

I thought this was amusing.

Seriously though, we'll be talking to Collen Warner, Garth Lagerwey and Jason Kreis momentarily.

Some Feedback/Insight on RSL’s Draft Selections

2010-01-14T16:28:00.002-07:00

Jeff Carlisle’s analysis of RSL’s first round trade and pick:

15. Real Salt Lake -- Collen Warner, M, Portland

RSL created an odd end to the first round by shipping Clint Mathis to Los Angeles, swapping picks with the Galaxy, and getting a third-round selection next year. Evidently that was needed to acquire Warner, whose stock rose considerably at the combine, and could give the champs more of a classic wide presence on the right side of midfield.

Additional comment by JR, “College Soccer Professor” from Goal.com’s draft coverage:

LA traded their pick and a pick next year for Clint Mathis and RSL's pick. I like Collen Warner. I think he fill an outside mid spot on that team.

Ives Galarcep’s comments on Schuler and Warner:

18. New York Red Bulls- CHRIS SCHULER, D, Creighton

Another big and confident centerback for the Red Bulls, Schuler quietly impressed at the Combine and his 6-foot-4, 200 pound frame should help New York's awful back-line.

19. San Jose Earthquakes- COLLEN WARNER, M, Portland

One of the draft's true sleepers, Warner comes from a small school but has impressive skill and can play on the right wing or centrally.

Here are Buzz Carrick’s thoughts on Warner, Schuler and Davis:

19. Collen Warner, M, Portland: His combine performance moves one of the best-kept West Coast secrets into the top 20. He's arguably the best wide midfielder in the pool and has good pace and a solid crosser, a combination that is rare these days.

3. Chris Schuler, Creighton -- The first of two good defenders coming out of Creighton this year, Schuler is an intimidator and dominant physical presence in the back for the Bluejays. Schuler helped Creighton to eight shutouts this year, a school-record 13 last year and 39 total in his career. A top-10 prospect out of high school, Schuler redshirted at Indiana in 2005 before transferring to Creighton. Despite his size and power at 6-4, 185 pounds, Schuler plays a disciplined game, earning very few yellow cards.

10. Justin Davis, New Mexico -- "Fast" and "lefty" are the two key words you need to know when talking about Davis, although "good long-range shot" and "nose for goal" don't hurt. Like Schilawski before him on this list, Davis might find a living out wide in midfield at the next level. With multiple Mountain Pacific Sports Federation first-team nods to his credit, Davis notched 13 goals and 12 assists through his junior year and then led the Lobos in scoring this season with seven goals and six assists.

Interesting note: two tweets from RealSaltLake refer to Davis as a defender. Are they planning on converting him? Everything I have read about him lists him as an attacking player.

RSL and Galaxy Trade Again

2010-01-14T15:32:00.010-07:00

In what may have been a package deal, Real Salt Lake and the LA Galaxy announced a second trade on the day. In this one RSL received LA's 3rd round pick (#39), picking up Chris Schuler who a couple of weeks ago most speculated was an end of first round, top of second round player. RSL gave up a 2011 pick for the exchange. I'm still trying to confirm which pick in 2011 the LAG gets.

The pick of Schuler comes on the heels of picking Justin Davis with their second round pick.picks gives RSL added defensive-depth which is needed. Schuler is a big central defender from Creighton who was projected at #18 in Ives most recent Mock Draft. He reportedly had a good Combine - I'm not sure why he dropped so far.

Also, Garth Lagerwey tweeted this message regarding the Mathis trade. Still not sure that it makes sense to me:

Took care of a veteran player in moving him where his wife's family is. All the best Clint we wish you well! RSLGM

Thoughts on Mathis Trade

2010-01-14T14:34:00.001-07:00

The recent trade of Clint Mathis is a bit puzzling on both sides. First of all, I don’t see Mathis and Beckham on the pitch together. The two are both great on the offensive-side of the ball, but neither player has the endurance or speed to effectively cover and help out on the defensive end. Both players have a lot of soccer savvy, good vision, and can deliver quality long balls forward to a player like Landon Donovan. Maybe a sign that Beckham is not likely to return? I can’t imagine Bruce bringing in a $100K, 33-year old reserve player.

For Real Salt Lake this takes away a quality, productive player who fit into the system pretty well. Mathis was actually the best player on the roster during the first third of the season last year. The only potential benefits of this trade that I can see are: 3rd round pick next season (worthless), moving ahead of LA to take a player LA was interested in (unlikely), or freeing up $$$ to bring in a new, younger midfielder (could be the case). Otherwise I don’t see the reason for making this trade. Hopefully we can get some insight once the draft concludes.

Real Salt Lake Trades Mathis & Picks Collen Warner

2010-01-14T13:38:00.001-07:00

Real Salt Lake has traded Clint Mathis and their 1st round pick (#16) to the LA Galaxy for the LA Galaxy’s 1st round pick (#15) and their 3rd round pick in 2011.

With the #15 pick, Real Salt Lake selected Collen Warner, the 21 year-old midfielder/forward from the University of Portland. He can play the right wing or centrally. Warner was thought of as a potential “sleeper” pick, but was often listed in

the middle to the end of the second round. The website, Pro Player Pipeline, had him ranked as the #13 player overall.

Mathis has had a strong relationship with Galaxy manager Bruce Arena, through his time with the USMNT and with the New York Red Bulls.

Mathis had also settled in Southern California prior to coming to Real Salt Lake.

Warner was recently described as quick and dangerous, with a good passing touch. He trained with the Liverpool Youth Academy.

Warner finished this season at Portland with 9 goals and 7 assists.

Haiti Relief Telethon

2010-01-14T13:28:00.001-07:00

Here’s a chance to help out with the situation in Haiti. RSL rookie Jean Alexandre is from Haiti, and currently has a couple of family members missing, including his father. If you can donate, please do so. If you would like to help man the phones, they are looking for volunteers who can help out in 1, 2 or 4-hour blocks. If you would like to participate please email Trey Fitz-Gerald @ tfitz@realsaltlake.com letting him know when and for how long you can assist.

KUTV 2 HAITI TELETHON
TOMORROW – Friday, January 15^th

· Telethon will kick off at 6:00 am and will go until at least 6:30 pm. If the phones are still active, we will continue until 10:40 pm.

· The American Red Cross will be processing all donations.

· The money raised will be put into the International Response Fund for Haiti.

· The telethon will take place in the lobby of the Wells Fargo Center (299 South Main St, SLC, UT 84101)

· We will have 12 phone banks going all day.

· There will be a lot of exposure on TV. We will be covering the telethon during all of our shows as well as the two shows we do on KJZZ. We will also be cutting in throughout the day.

· We will encourage individuals to call and donate or donate through the American Red Cross web-site.

· Please contact Stephanie Avis (o: 801.839.1154 or c: 801.635.7244) with any questions.

MLS Superdraft 2010: RSL selects…

2010-01-14T09:45:00.001-07:00

I’ve been racking my brain over this one. Last year I felt I at least knew the direction the team would go in, but was surprised as most were by the pick of Jean Alexandre. This year it’s much more difficult to predict the direction that the team will go in. Long-term depth is likely the key. Real Salt Lake is least deep currently at defender, but among the current squad the midfield is the most likely to thin due to a couple of aging players (Mathis, Williams).

Based on recent conversations with Garth Lagerwey, I would expect RSL to play this one more straight forward (No Jean Alexandre picks from left field), but I would also bet they favor younger players or players with upside. Think 2013 – that’s what RSL cares about with this pick.

Here are the latest projections for Real Salt Lake’s #16 pick by several online sources:

Goal.com: Kwame Watson-Siriboe, D, UConn

MLS Draft Net: Toni Stahl, M, UConn

Soccer By Ives: Zach Schilawski, F, Wake Forest

WVHooligan: Zach Schilawski, F, Wake Forest

I like the Schilawski pick, but I like his teammate Austin da Luz better. I’m still doubting that Stahl will fall that far, despite a poor Combine performance. Watson-Siriboe would be a decent pick, but could be gone.

A few players that RSL fans should hope are still on the board:

Zach Lloyd: Versatile N. Carolina midfielder. Unlikely as his stock really rose during the Combine. Likely top 10, could surprise and be top 5.

Blair Gavin: Akron midfielder. Generation Adidas status will also likely keep him in the top half of the draft. Likely around #10 spot.

Blair Wiedeman: California forward. Poor Combine performance could push him our way. Generation Adidas status would be a nice add. Likely just out of top 10.

Side note: Ogden Outlaw alum, Nick Cardenas, could be available in the second round for RSL. He’s big, positions himself well, but has slow feet. Think Nat Borchers.

Who do you think RSL should pick at #16?

Lagerwey says “No”

2010-01-13T14:35:00.001-07:00

Real Salt Lake GM Garth Lagerwey has confirmed that River Plate did indeed make a bid for Jamison Olave, but the team has rejected the offer.

Olave a goner?

2010-01-13T08:09:00.001-07:00

New reports out of S. America indicate that River Plate is close to finalizing the signings of Jamison Olave AND Juan Pablo Angel. After the end of the recent MLS season, Angel, a former River Plate star, had been speculated for a return to his old club. This is the first time I have heard anything definitive about his return. Stay tuned.

Combine Reports: Day 3 & Wrap-up

2010-01-12T21:39:00.001-07:00

MLS Insider Blog: VIDEO: Game 1 Commentary, VIDEO: Halftime Game 1, VIDEO: Game 1 Goal, VIDEO: Game 1 postgame, VIDEO: Halftime Game 2, VIDEO: Game 2 postgame, VIDEO: Game 2 Goal, VIDEO: Interview w/ Ben Olsen & Robin Fraser

MLSNet, Kyle McCarthy: Combine notes

Goal.com, Kyle McCarthy:

MLSDraft.net, Sean Keay: Player Reports, 5 Up, 5 Down

Soccer By Ives, Ives Galarcep: Matchday 3 commentary, Day 3 Recap, Combines top performers

Pro Player Pipeline, Joe Mauceri: Game 1 Recap, Game 2 Recap

MLS Combine Reports: Day 2

2010-01-12T09:16:00.003-07:00

Here are the reports from Day 2. Sounds like the weather is much better in Florida:

MLS Insider Blog: VIDEO:Game 1 Preview, VIDEO: Game 1 Halftime (w/Alexi Lalas), VIDEO: Game 1 Post-Game (w/Pat Onstad), VIDEO: Game 2 Halftime, VIDEO: Game 1 Goals, VIDEO: Game 2 Post-game, VIDEO: Game 2 Goal, VIDEO: On the couch with Teal Bunbury

MLSNet, Kyle McCarthy: Combine notes

Goal.com, Kyle McCarthy: Combine notebook, Monday MLS Breakdown

MLSDraft.net, Sean Keay: Combine Report, 5 Up, 5 Down

Soccer By Ives, Ives Galarcep: Day 2 Sees Prospects Improve

Pro Player Pipeline, Joe Mauceri: Game 1 Recap, Game 2 Recap

Update: River Plate IS after Jamison Olave

2010-01-12T08:20:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, you heard it first on Keepin’ It Real that River Plate was after Real Salt Lake’s massive defender, Jamison Olave. I only reluctantly and half-heartedly passed along the rumor because it came from a River Plate message forum AND it mentioned that option as plan D in the River Plate master plan. Well, either plans A-C didn’t work out, or PLAN OLAVE moved to the top of the list. Today, two new reports - one out of Argentina, and one out of Colombia - have said that River Plate President is after Olave.

This report from La Nacion in Argentina mentions that Passarella has made an offer for Olave.

While this report from Terra in Colombia mentions that Passarella has seen video of Olave and likes what he sees. He has recommended the “hiring” of Olave, but says that the final word is in the hands of club manager, Leonardo Astrada.

Once again, Jamison Olave has a contract with Real Salt Lake/MLS through 2012, and any movement for the player would have to be agreed upon by RSL management and would likely involve a significant transfer fee.

I have an inquiry in with the team about this. I will pass along anything that I find.

MLS Superdraft 2010: What will the Champs do?

2010-01-11T14:21:00.000-07:00

There alot of perks that come with winning the MLS Cup: there’s that trophy, an invite to CCC play, and some bragging rights. But picking #16 isn’t one of them. So what is RSL likely to do?

Well, as Garth told KIR recently – in that position you simply need to look for the best potential talent. Striker, central defender, and 3rd keeper are some of the “needs” for a team that has a solid core of players in the fold. But at 16, you look at what’s available and take the best talent. You aren’t looking for a player that can help you in 2010, but 2, 3, or 4 years down the road.

With this in mind, RSL may envision midfield being a higher priority need. After all in 2013 it’s not likely that Mathis and Williams will still be in the league, and Morales will be edging towards mid-30’s. But with the movement of players in and out of the league it’s impossible to predict what your lineup will look like 3 years out. So forget about picking for position.

Because there are few immediate needs, look for RSL to go for upside. Young players, players from smaller schools, and “projects” will likely be favored over solid, but not exceptional seniors.

Also, expect RSL to have a bias for “versatile” players, although sometimes in the draft that is synonymous with “not good at any particular position.”

With this in mind, it’s impossible to know what players will be up for consideration. Tomorrow’s DAY 2 of the Combine will move certain players down in many people’s eyes, and move other players up. Here are a few players who are almost certain to be picked before RSL’s turn:

Danny Mwanga, F, Oregon State: done deal – headed to Philly
Ike Opara, D, Wake Forest: defensive standout, likely # 2 pick
Corben Bone, F, Wake Forest: will be top 10
Teal Bunbury, F, Akron: speedster also a sure fire top 10 pick
Toni Tchani, M, Virginia: d-mid that many think could one day emulate Shalrie Joseph
Andre Akpan, F, Harvard: great touch, and passing ability: can play back to the goal
Dilly Duka, M, Rutgers: Talented, but with question marks, former NYRB academy player
Zach Lloyd, D/M, UNC: versatile player, and “MLS ready”
Amobi Okugo, M, UCLA: d-mid from the Sam Cronin mold, lots of upside

Now if any of the players above are available at #16, it would be a surprise. Most likely the team would snatch them up.

So who is likely to be available, and up for consideration in that spot? Well, this is a tricky answer. There is the standard list (below). These are the guys that everyone assume are first rounders/early second rounders. However, there are likely some “unknowns” that will find their way into the mix. Some of these, like one of yesterdays standouts at the Combine, Andrew Hoaxie, will begin to generate a buzz over the next several days. Other players are already on the radar of certain teams, but they are more than happy to keep quiet about them. For now, though, here is the more traditional list of players expected to go in that range.

Andrew Wiedeman, F, Cal
Blair Gavin, M, Akron
Toni Stahl, M, UConn
Jack McInerney, F, U-17
Kwame Watson-Siriboe, D, UConn
Austin de Luz, M/F, Wake Forest
Ofori Sarkodie, D, Indiana
Kyle Nakazawa, M, UCLA
Zach Schilawski, F, Wake Forest
Mike Stephens, M, UCLA
Chris Schular, D, Creighton
Sean Johnson, GK, Central Florida

Now among this 12, several of them will likely have been taken (in addition to the 9 "sure things” above) by the time RSL picks. I would rule Sean Johnson out. Four of the names really standout to me as potential to be picked by RSL if available:

McInerney: A high-risk, high-reward pick. Could become a great player, or turn out to be a bust. Very skillful but has yet to put it all together. Had a poor showing at U-17 WC.
Gavin: young, skilled midfielder with a lot of upside.
Schilawski: talented striker sat in the shadows of a couple other great attackers at Wake, but was able to shine this year. Best yet to come?
Stephens: outplayed more highly regarded midfielders at DAY 1 of the Combine, very versatile, which would fit the bill.

My guess at the pick? Who knows? I wouldn’t be surprised to see one of the above, but my guess is young, player with upside will be the key.

River Plate after Jamison Olave?

2010-01-11T10:10:00.001-07:00

Well, not exactly. However, this was an interesting read, from a River Plate online forum.

The post suggests that Daniel Passarella, River Plate’s current president and Leonardo Astrade, the team’s manager are in possession of a DVD of Real Salt Lake’s Jamison Olave and are considering him to bolster the lineup.

River Plate had been trying to work out a deal to get venerable Argentine defender Roberto Ayala to return to the club from Real Zaragoza in Spain. This post seems to indicate that will not likely happen, and mentions Olave as not Plan A, Plan B or even Plan C, but Plan D.

The 28 year-old Colombian defender was, in my eyes, Real Salt Lake’s most valuable player in 2009. It’s not surprising that his play has garnered some interest from abroad. It’s also interesting to note that before arriving here on loan, Olave told the Colombian media that he hopes this (coming to RSL) could be a springboard for a move to Europe.

This is also partially a side-effect of Real Salt Lake winning the MLS Cup. This has raised the profile of the club (and its players) to those on the outside looking in.

Olave’s rights were purchased by the club following a loan stint and is locked up through the 2012 season. Any movement would require a transfer fee, and likely a fairly significant one.

So should RSL fans worry? Olave says “NO”. The source for this info is hardly reliable, and only mentions this as a remote possibility. A long shot at best.

At this point consider it flattery that the interest is there.

MLS Draft 2010: What are they thinking?

2010-01-11T07:54:00.000-07:00

Most of the draft projections are in now. There are some out there who spend alot of time analyzing these prospects. There are 4 sites with mock drafts out there: SBI, WVHooligan, Goal.com, and MLSDraft.net. I have taken their latest projections and listed them below. In addition, the website Pro Player Pipeline has ranked all of the draft prospects, and I have included their top 32 players on this list. As you will see several players received only one nomination in the picks. Others seem to have some pretty good consensus among the evaluators.

If tradition holds, the actual draft will look nothing like the picks below, but it can give you a good idea of some of the top prospects. Enjoy!

Player Name	SBI	WVH	Goal	MLSDraft.net	Pro-Player	AVERAGE
Danny Mwanga	1	1	1	1	6	2
Ike Opara	2	3	2	2	2	2
Corben Bone	3	7	5	3	1	4
Teal Bunbury	4	4	3	4	9	5
Mark Blades					5	5
Tony Tchani	5	5	4	5	7	5
Andre Akpan	6	6	6	6	19	9
Andrew Wiedeman	7	8	8	9	12	9
Dilly Duka	12	2	12	8	15	10
Zach Lloyd	9	11	7	10	13	10
Blair Gavin	14	12	13	12	3	11
Toni Stahl	10	9	9	7	24	12
Jack McInerney	11	15	11	15	7	12
Amobi Okugo	8	10	10	11	25	13
Kwame Watson-Siriboe	13	18	16	19	4	14
Austin Da Luz	15	16	15	17		16
Ofori Sarkodie	21	13	17	13		16
Justin Morrow					16	16
Kyle Nakazawa	17	17	19	14		17
Zack Schilawski	16	14	14	25	18	17
Michael Stephens	18	19	18	22		19
Kwaku Nyameke					20	20
Michael Thomas		27			14	21
Paulo da Silva		21	21			21
Nelson Becerra		26	23	24	11	21
Chris Schuler	19	22	24	21		22
Tim Ream	26				17	22
Collen Warner	22	23			22	22
Sean Johnson	20	20	30	20		23
Jovan Bubonja	25	25	29	26	10	23
Nick Cardenas	23	24	26	23		24
Zachary Herold		32	22	18		24
Irving Garcia			27		21	24
Brian Perk	32	30	20	16		25
Phil Edgington	24			27		26
Two-Boys Gumede				28	23	26
J.T. Noone					26	26
Neil Barlow					27	27
David Walker	27		25		32	28
Ross LaBauex	28	29				29
Drew Yates	29					29
Ryan Petterman	31	28	28			29
Bright Dike				29		29
Ryan Soroka					29	29
Conor O'Brien			32		28	30
Seth Sinovic				30		30
Jon Ports					30	30
Ronnie Bouemboue	30	31	31			31
Mike Pezza				31		31
Michael Seamon					31	31
Barry Rice				32		32

MLS Combine Reports

2010-01-10T14:27:00.001-07:00

Having watched the web closely for info from the MLS Combine last year, my impression is that there is a little more coverage of it this time around. Hopefully things will evolve to a point where the games are at least streamed on the net, if not televised.

Here is some of the coverage of Day 1 that I’ve come across. Today’s matches have been cancelled because of the weather. Tomorrow was a scheduled off day. Not sure if they will play them then to make up:

MLS Insider Blog: Game 1 Preview, VIDEO: Game 1 Pregame, Game 2 Preview, VIDEO: Game 1 Halftime, VIDEO: Interview with Ike Opara and Brian Perk, VIDEO: Game 1 Highlights, VIDEO: Interview with Andre Akpan

MLSNet, Kyle McCarthy: Combine notes

Goal.com, Kyle McCarthy: Combine notebook

MLSDraft.net, Sean Keay: 5 Up, 5 Down

Soccer By Ives, Ives Galarcep: MLS Combine Preview, Day One Commentary, Day One Quick Recap, Day One Rewind

Pro Player Pipeline, Joe Mauceri: Game 1 Recap, Game 2 Recap

Draft Resources: Final Update

2010-01-10T13:36:00.002-07:00

Final update of draft resources (below). Added new mock drafts for SBI and WVHooligan. Also included the forward rankings from Buzz Carrick.

I’ll pass along some of the Combine info from Day 1, and give you my thoughts on RSL’s draft in the next couple of days.

ESPN, Buzz Carrick: Goalkeeper Rankings, Defender Rankings, Midfielder Rankings, Forward Rankings

Pro Player Pipeline, Joe Mauceri: Overall Rankings, Goalkeeper Rankings, Defender Rankings, Midfielder Rankings, Forward Rankings

Soccer By Ives, Ives Galarcep: Mock Draft 3.0, Mock Draft 2.0, Draft Big Board

MLSDraft.net, Sean Keay: Mock Draft 3.0, Mock Draft 2.0, Mock Draft 1.0

WVHooligan, Drew Epperley: Mock Draft 4.0, Mock Draft 3.0, Mock Draft 2.0, Mock Draft 1.0

Goal.com, J.R. Eskilson: Mock Draft 2.0, College Soccer Professor: 2010 Mock Draft

CAMP CARSON: January 2010 edition

2010-01-08T01:04:00.004-07:00

Make sure you check out the US Soccer website, and blog for info coming out about the camp currently being held in Carson. As you know, RSL'ers Nick Rimando, Robbie Findley and Kyle Beckerman are taking part in the action there.

pic courtesy of US Soccer

Here are some facts about the last three teams in camp in January during World Cup years, and a video with interviews with several of the participants including Robbie Findley.

Comparing the last three WC January camps

Video: including RSL's Robbie Findley

In addition, here is an update on the condition of NT striker Charlie Davies:

Soccer Insider: Davies Update

Updated MLS Draft Resources

2010-01-06T15:15:00.001-07:00

Updated draft resources (below). Added new mock drafts for MLSDraft.net and Goal.com. Also included some older versions of the mock drafts for this who might be interested. Still no forward rankings from Buzz, but hopefully that will come out in the next couple of days.

Coming up I intend to give my thoughts on RSL draft strategy based on my knowledge of RSL needs, philosophy, and players available. Also, I’ll pass along some of the MLS Combine info as soon as it starts to come out from this weekend’s action – the schedule of games is as follows, and you can find the rosters here:

Saturday, January 9
3:00 p.m. Predator X vs. Jabulani 4:45 p.m. Condivo vs. F50i

Sunday, January 10
2:00 p.m. Predator X vs. Condivo 3:45p.m. F50i vs. Jabulani

Tuesday, January 12
9:30 a.m. Jabulani vs. Condivo 11:15 a.m. Predator X vs. F50i

ESPN, Buzz Carrick: Goalkeeper Rankings, Defender Rankings, Midfielder Rankings, Forward Rankings

Pro Player Pipeline, Joe Mauceri: Overall Rankings, Goalkeeper Rankings, Defender Rankings, Midfielder Rankings, Forward Rankings

Soccer By Ives, Ives Galarcep: Mock Draft 2.0, Draft Big Board

MLSDraft.net, Sean Keay: Mock Draft 3.0, Mock Draft 2.0, Mock Draft 1.0

WVHooligan, Drew Epperley: Mock Draft 3.0, Mock Draft 2.0, Mock Draft 1.0

Goal.com, J.R. Eskilson: Mock Draft 2.0, College Soccer Professor: 2010 Mock Draft

Some Worthwhile Reading

2010-01-06T08:40:00.007-07:00

Four interesting articles:

First article is very enlightening on Mwanga's thought process relative to MLS.

I thought the second one was a joke at first, but read it through – he’s serious.

The third shows the positioning that’s starting to go on between the two sides in the CBA negotiations, with FIFPro as an ally to the players union.

The final article tries to clarify some of the assertions that FIFPro is trying to make. It’s becoming more clear that this is (at least partially) a clash between the traditional structure of American sports and the structure of international club sports. Of course, the single-entity structure is somewhat unique to both cultures.

OSU's Danny Mwanga: No. 1 pick in MLS SuperDraft?: Toshio Suzuki, OregonLive.com

"I wanted to go to Europe," he said, "and I didn't want to be in the MLS for that long."

"One week after meeting with Nowak, Mwanga changed his mind about the MLS. His contract includes a marketing aspect from Adidas and performance incentives from the league."

"Both of Mwanga's former coaches agree that Nowak's willingness to fly to Portland and make a personal appeal is a strong indication Mwanga could be the No. 1 pick in the draft."

A birth certificate worth questioning: Mark Zeigler, The San Diego Union-Tribune

"He is 20 now and headed for his sixth pro club in seven years, meaning we can no longer pass off his rapidly spiraling career to mere youth and inexperience. Instead, we are left with two basic explanations:
1. He has crumbled under the weight of unrealistic expectations.
2. He’s not how old he says he is."

Updated: Donovan, Keller Blast League Over CBA Talks: TJ, MLS Daily

• Player contracts are routinely terminated by the league during their term, as almost 80% of players in MLS do not have guaranteed contracts;
• MLS operates as a cartel in that every player’s contract must be entered into with the league instead of his club;
• The contract of virtually every player in the league contains multiple unilateral one-year options that may only be exercised by the league;
• Virtually any player in the league can be transferred to another club within the league without his consent even if such transfer is international, such as a transfer from an MLS club in the United States to or from an MLS club in Canada;
• There is no freedom of movement for any MLS player to any other MLS clubs when his contract expires – in fact, even if a player’s contract is unilaterally terminated by a club during its term, that club continues to hold such player’s rights and he is prohibited from signing with another club in the league.

FIFPro's latest salvo: fact and fiction: Ridge Mahoney, Soccer America Daily

"Stalemated in its efforts to spark momentum in the Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations with MLS, the players' union is rallying more support overseas. FIFPro, the international players' union, has fired another salvo to apply pressure on MLS as well as FIFA. Without taking sides, Soccer America is presenting FIFPro's statement in its entirety in italics, along with clarifications or counterpoints marked in bold letters following each issue of contention."

MLS Draft: A Real Crapshoot

2010-01-05T21:20:00.001-07:00

The MLS Draft is coming up next week. Real Salt Lake holds three picks in the draft, picking last in the first, second and fourth rounds (Note: some sources have indicated RSL has a 3rd, but not a 4th, but this contradicts the info from Garth Lagerwey). What can they expect? The answer is probably not alot.

I pulled out some of the noteworthy picks through the last decade (avoiding the temptation to list all of the flops). In many cases these are the better players that have shown their worth in MLS, on the US international team and playing abroad. I have left off some equally deserving players in some cases in the the interest of brevity.

So what does it show? Well to be honest the jury is still out on 2008 & 2009. Generally speaking, however, there are between 3-5 above average players that come through the draft annually. That’s it. A few other decent players sprinkled in that aren’t listed, and you hardly have the talent to field a viable team from each years selections in the draft.

2009
Steve Zakuani (1)
Sam Cronin (2)
AJ DeLaGarza (19)

2008
Brek Shea (2)
Tony Beltran (3)
Geoff Cameron (42)

2007
Maurice Edu (1)
Bakary Soumare (2)
Robbie Findley (16)
Omar Cummings (31)

2006
Marvell Wynne (1)
Yura Movsisyan (4)
Sacha Kljestan (5)
Josy Altidore (17)
Jonathon Bornstein (37)

2005
Brad Guzan (2)
Chris Rolfe (29)
Gonzo Segares (35)

2004
Freddy Adu (1)
Chad Marshall (2)
Joseph Ngwenya (3)
Clarence Goodson (7)
Clint Dempsey (8)
Matt Pickens (19)
Zach Wells (20)
Jeremiah White (23)
Michael Bradley (36)

2003
Ricardo Clark (2)
Pat Noonan (9)
Arturo Alvarez (13)

2002
Taylor Twellman (2)
Brad Davis (3)
Shalrie Joseph (14)
Alejandro Moreno (27)

2001
Brian Ching (16)
Eddie Johnson (19)

2000
Nick Garcia (2)
Carlos Bocanegra (4)
Danny Califf (6)
Bobby Convey (12)
Nick Rimando (35)

With Real Salt Lake holding picks #16 and #32 for their first two picks, I thought I would focus on those two selections to see what those picks would normally yield (see charts below).

There is some good news. Pick #16 has brought Brian Ching and Robbie Findley into the league. As would be expected, over the last 12 years Pick #32 has not led to any players yielding significant dividends. So while there is hope, it’s very slim. Hopefully RSL can find this years Geoff Cameron, or Omar Cummings – but don’t count on it.

Generally speaking, there have been very few picks below #15 that have produced significant dividends. Some would argue that there are too few worthwhile picks ABOVE #15 to make the draft meaningful.

As an RSL fan – put all your stock in the open transfer market, but hope for a minor miracle from the draft.

History of Pick #16

Year	Rd	Pick	Team	Player	Previous Team
2009	2	16	Seattle Sounders	Evan Brown	Wake Forest University
2008	2	16	New York Red Bull	Eric Brunner	Ohio State University
2007	2	16	Los Angeles Galaxy	Robbie Findley	Oregon State University
2006	2	16	Kansas City Wizards	Lance Watson	University of New Mexico
2005	2	16	Kansas City Wizards	Ryan Pore	University of Tulsa
2004	2	16	Colorado Rapids	Adrian Cann	University of Louisville
2003	2	16	Los Angeles Galaxy	Scot Thompson	UCLA
2002	2	16	Colorado Rapids	Danny Jackson	University of North Carolina
2001	2	16	Los Angeles Galaxy	Brian Ching	Spokane Shadow
2000	2	16	San Jose Earthquakes	Justin Evans	Pittsburgh Riverhounds
1999	2	16	New York MetroStars	Kevin Knight	James Madison University
1998	2	16	New York MetroStars	Billy Walsh	Rutgers University
1997	2	16	Dallas Burn	Alan Branigan	Rutgers University
1996	2	16	New England Revolution	Imad Baba	Clemson University

History of Pick #32

Year	Rd	Pick	Team	Player	Previous Team
2009	3	32	Seattle Sounders	Jared Karkas	Azusa Pacific
2008	3	32	New York Red Bull	Luke Sassano	UC Berkeley
2007	3	32	D.C. United	Jay Needham	Southern Methodist University
2006	3	32	Houston Dynamo	Andre Schmid	St. John's University
2005	3	32	San Jose Earthquakes	C.J. Klass	University of Washington
2004	4	32	Columbus Crew	Jamal Sutton	Missouri State University
2003	4	32	New York MetroStars	Kenny Arena	University of Virginia
2002	3	32	Kansas City Wizards	O'neil Peart	Long Island Rough Riders
2001	3	32	Colorado Rapids	Ryan Lee	UCLA
2000	3	32	Chicago Fire	Yuri Lavrinenko	Indiana University
1999	3	32	Colorado Rapids	Bobby Meyer	Dartmouth College
1998	3	32	Kansas City Wizards	Mario Sanchez	Fresno State University

Thoughts from Garth Lagerwey: Part V – Effects of CBA negotiations

2010-01-03T09:30:00.000-07:00

This is the final segment of a 5-part series with thoughts from Real Salt Lake General Manager Garth Lagerwey.

I wanted to get his thoughts on the following topics:

the current squad
offseason needs
the upcoming draft
the RSL youth program
some of the consequences of the current CBA negotiations.

Here is part 5:

The collective bargaining negotiations in Major League Soccer are bound to have many impacts. Since the league is a single-entity system, the negotiations are technically between the league and the players union, with little involvement from the individual clubs. I’ve asked Garth Lagerwey about the status of these discussions on several occasions, and he genuinely acts like he has little information (although it’s also possible that he’s subject to a gag rule of sorts). However, he’s clearly planning for all possibilities during this offseason.

My first concern was how the CBA negotiations would affect the preseason plans.

“We signed up for the Carolina Cup, and we’re close to locking down the first segment of our preseason which looks like it’s going to be somewhere out west. All of those contracts have clauses that say in the event of a work stoppage we won’t be participating. You have to make those plans, but you try to do so in a way that isn’t damaging to the club in the event of a work stoppage.”

My next concern was how the CBA negotiations would impact the clubs ability to recruit foreign players.

“For the foreign players you are just not going to get into it (the CBA negotiations). You are just going to say here is what we are willing to commit at this point and that is what is. My job is always about making your best guess about how things are going to come out. So you make a prediction and you try to allocate resources according to that best guess, and you try to get a contract done. With the foreign signings it tends to be strike while the anvil is hot. Either the player is interested or he is not. And he’s either going to play in the salary range that you want him to play in or he won’t. Those conversations are often very brief. So if you have someone who is interested, then there is usually a way to get a deal done – at least to have him come in and have us have a look at him.”

I also wanted to understand how the CBA and the January transfer window could play out. From Lagerwey’s perspective a delay in getting the CBA renewed may slow things down, but wouldn’t be the end of the world.

“It’s short in Europe, but you need to remember our window is from January 15^th to April 15^th. Often times, the high-priced guys don’t become available until after the Europe window closes, because everybody thinks that they can sign in Europe for a million dollars. It turns out that not all of them can, and they reduce their expectations in some cases, and our willing to come for a lot less in February. I would suspect that you may not hear anything for a long time, but then you may hear a lot all of the sudden.”

This is probably especially relevant since Real Salt Lake has shown a propensity for recruiting from South America. Recent reports had RSL looking at a couple of players from Quilmes, but apparently losing out on both of them.

For RSL’s GM, the important thing is to be ready for any outcome.

“The CBA is the primary piece, and you need to be ready to go when it closes.”

I hope you enjoyed this series. This was the final installment. Look for more good things to come in 2010!

2010 MLS Draft: General Resources and RSL Speculation

2010-01-03T00:29:00.001-07:00

Here is some information on the upcoming MLS draft which will be held on January 14th. There have been four players listed as going to RSL in the first round in Mock Draft’s from various sources. Here are the four players with some links to information, and ratings regarding the players. Following that you’ll find the sources for these picks, and then some general draft resources. I will try to give my thoughts on RSL’s draft decision after I have had time to absorb the information a little more thoroughly.

Jack McInerney, M, US U-17

– ranked 6th best overall player by Joe Mauceri at Pro Player Pipeline

- profile at MLSdraft.net

- reportedly was courted by Hertha Berlin and Vitesse Arnhem

Brian Perk, GK, UCLA

- ranked 3rd by Buzz Carrick in what he calls a “solid but not spectacular” crop of keepers.

- profile at MLSdraft.net

Zack Schilawski, F, Wake Forest

- ranked 3rd among forwards at Pro Player Pipeline

- profile at MLSdraft.net

Zach Lloyd, D, North Carolina

- ranked 9th best player overall at Pro Player Pipeline

- profile at MLSdraft.net

SBI 2010 MLS Mock Draft

16. Real Salt Lake-JACK McINERNEY, F, U.S. Under-17

The champions head into 2010 with all its key players set to return so there's not much on the need list. Adding a 17-year-old prospect as highly-regarded as McInerney makes the most sense, assuming McInerney slides this far. RSL could use a goalkeeper, but taking one here would be a reach.

32.Real Salt Lake- BRIAN PERK, GK, UCLA

The champs traded back-up goalkeeper Chris Seitz to Philly, but land a quality prospect in Perk, who is cut from the Nick Rimando mold as a quick and aggressive shot-stopper (who also happens to come from goalkeeper factory UCLA).

MLS Draft Net Mock Draft

Brian Perk

Comments: With Chris Seitz moving, and Nick Rimando not getting any younger, the defending champs have to look to find themselves a strong backup and a face for the future. Perk is the safest and possibly the best option for keeper in this year’s draft.

WVHooligan Mock Draft

16. Real Salt Lake – Zach Schilawski, F, Wake Forest

RSL is a club I go back and forth on here but the more I hear from folks out there the more it sounds like they are leaning on taking a guy with experience rather than a project player. Schilawski fills a need up top for RSL and gives them someone that can step in early and contribute.

Goal.com’s Soccer Professor

16. Real Salt Lake – Zach Lloyd, D, North Carolina

32. Real Salt Lake – Eric Alexander, M, Indiana

Draft Resources:

ESPN, Buzz Carrick: Goalkeeper Rankings, Defender Rankings, Midfielder Rankings, Forward Rankings

Pro Player Pipeline, Joe Mauceri: Overall Rankings, Goalkeeper Rankings, Defender Rankings, Midfielder Rankings, Forward Rankings

Soccer By Ives, Ives Galarcep: Mock Draft 2.0, Draft Big Board

MLSDraft.net, Sean Keay: Mock Draft 2.0

WVHooligan, Drew Epperley: Mock Draft 3.0

Goal.com, J.R. Eskilson: College Soccer Professor: 2010 Mock Draft

Thoughts from Garth Lagerwey: Part IV – Youth Program

2010-01-01T08:36:00.000-07:00

This is the fourth segment of a 5-part series with thoughts from Real Salt Lake General Manager Garth Lagerwey.

I wanted to get his thoughts on the following topics:

the current squad
offseason needs
the upcoming draft
the RSL youth program
some of the consequences of the current CBA negotiations.

Here is part 4:

Real Salt Lake has seen great strides with their youth program over the last couple of years. The highlight probably has been the U-17 team’s trip to Madrid this past summer to compete in the world youth club championship.

However, the organization is far from achieving their ultimate goals with their efforts at the youth level. The near-term goal is to evolve into a full-academy program. This essentially involves competing in the US Academy League.

“You get to a point where you have an under-18 team and an under-16 team in the US Developmental Academy League. That’s where a lot of the MLS teams play, and that’s where a lot of the elite US youth teams play. That’s the goal, and the direction we want to head. We are trying to work with youth soccer, not only here, but in Arizona to make that happen. But it’s a work-in-progress and it’s going to take us a while to get there.”

Currently the following MLS teams are represented: Chicago, Colorado, Dallas, Houston, LA Galaxy, NY Red Bulls, Chivas, Columbus, Kansas City, DC United, and New England. In order to put this together the club has to either build a club system or tap into a strong existing club system. It also requires putting together a thorough year-round effort. Put simply, it just takes time to build such an infrastructure.

“We have won a Championship, and that’s great, but we are such a young club – only 5 years old. That’s part of the infrastructure that’s got to get built up over time. I wish we could snap our fingers and make it happen, but that’s not the way it works. The other clubs have had a 10-yr head start, and have more of an infrastructure in place.”

However, the long-term goal is to utilize the league’s Home Grown Player rule to cultivate young talent. Lagerwey sees this, in combination with the draft, as a potential pipeline to continue to generate young players to move through the system and ultimately into the senior roster.

“You understand what a player is after three years in the league. We think of the draft, and we think of our young player signings as a pipeline. And if we add a couple of guys every year, and the pipeline system works, then you are going to push one or two through to the first team every year. By doing that you are going to have a continual influx of talent, even if it’s hard to follow from outside of the team .”

Look for the final segment with Garth on the effects of the CBA negotiations coming up soon!

PHOTOS: MLS Cup Rewind: The Match

2009-12-30T22:00:00.002-07:00

The last batch of photos. I chose to make them a bit larger this time, and used a little bit of post-processing, which I tend not to do. This group of photos includes match photos and a couple of celebration photos. All of these photos were taken from the stands, and I was concentrating on enjoying the match, so I didn’t take many pictures. Unfortunately, we were on the wrong side for the celebration, but a few of the players did head over to our side after spending some time with the Cup first.

A few photos to point out:

The first pic is of the tackle by Beckham on Morales that resulted in a torn meniscus for Javi.
I didn’t catch either of the goals unfortunately.
You can see Donovan’s penalty attempt as it sails over the bar.
I did catch Russell’s penalty as the keeper dove in the opposite direction (although it’s hard to see).

Enjoy!

Some light reading

2009-12-29T11:44:00.001-07:00

A couple of articles on the collective bargaining negotiations, and one on some of the possible top transfer targets for MLS teams.

Labor issues may pose hurdle for start of MLS season

Thoughts on the labor dispute, with input from Jimmy Conrad.

Playing the "What If" Game with the 2010 MLS Season

Some speculation on how the offseason could unfold with the CBA negotiations.

Top 5 Potential 2010 MLS Freebies

Greg Seltzer’s list of which players should find their way into an MLS uniform this season.

#5 - Cristian Bolaños+ (IK Start)

#4 - Steve Cherundolo* (Hannover 96)

#3 - Patrick Vieira* (Inter Milan)

#2 - Juan Román Riquelme*+ (Boca Juniors)

#1 - Michael Ballack* (Chelsea)

Thoughts from Garth Lagerwey: Part III – MLS Draft

2009-12-29T11:28:00.001-07:00

This is the third segment of a 5-part series with thoughts from Real Salt Lake General Manager Garth Lagerwey.

I wanted to get his thoughts on the following topics:

the current squad
offseason needs
the upcoming draft
the RSL youth program
some of the consequences of the current CBA negotiations.

Here is part 3:

The upcoming draft on January 14th will mark Garth Lagerwey’s third at the helm of the club. Each year, he’s seen the club move back further in the draft. In 2008, Lagerwey and team selected Tony Beltran at the #3 overall spot. They also grabbed David Horst and Alex Nimo at spots #14 & #17. Last year they had a late first rounder, and selected Jean Alexandre at #12, while finding a potential steal in the fourth round with the pick of Raphael Cox at #54. This year, they will find themselves picking last (#16), and Lagerwey seems realistic about the prospects,

“For sure picking 16, we are looking at best player available. We aren’t looking at the draft as something that’s going to make us better next year.”

Last year the team did not have 2nd or 3rd round picks, but had an additional 4th round pick. This year they have their normal allotment of picks, with one exception,

“We have a first, a second, and a fourth, but no third because that went to New York for Dema Kovalenko.”

The players available for the draft are not fully set yet, and because of this Lagerwey doesn’t yet have a firm grasp on who they might be looking at,

“However, until you know college senior signings and generation adidas signings, you aren’t even going to have a ballpark of who you are looking at with #16. To be honest we’re more focused on contract negotiations and foreign signings at the moment.”

I would look for the team to add the player that they believe may have the best long-term potential. A GA would be favorable, but it may be hard to get at the #16 spot. We should have a better idea of the possibilities after/during the combine which is set to be held January 8-12th in Fort Lauderdale. However, here is the RSL GM’s assessment of this years crop,

“It’s not as good as last year, but last year was an aberration. You just aren’t gonna have that level every year.”

As far as Garth’s picks in the 2008 & 2009 drafts?

“I think that the jury is still out on those first two drafts. Those guys haven’t come in and established full time starting positions, but I would add that is consistent with what we thought. Tony Beltran was consistently in the mix, and he was the highest pick that we have made, by far. We suspected Alex Nimo was going to be a minimum of 3 years before he contributed. The jury is out. We’ve got to get them more minutes.”

He correctly pointed out that many people confuse playing time early in their career with whether or not it was a successful pick. It’s evaluating the player at that 3-year mark that seems more appropriate. For the 2008 crop (Beltran, Horst, Nimo) that means this upcoming season will be crucial for them,

“David had an excellent preseason last year, but he still needs to keep working on it. He (Horst) and Jean (Alexander) went down to Austin, and that was good for their development in terms of getting those guys games. I hope that those guys come into preseason and try to prove to us that they deserve minutes.”

Look for the fourth segment with Garth on the RSL youth program coming up soon!

Real Salt Lake loses out on another Quilmes target

2009-12-29T08:51:00.000-07:00

Following yesterday’s news of the Quilmes board rejecting a bid by Real Salt Lake for young forward Enrique Narvay, come reports today that another Quilmes target was being pursued by RSL. The player? 22-year old attacking midfielder Juan Olivares. He is reportedly on his way to Everton de Vina del Mar. A separate report published earlier had him headed either to RSL or to the Chilean club, but it appears that Real Salt Lake lost out on the bid. There was apparently a $100,000 price tag associated with his transfer. Did RSL back out because of the price tag, or get outbid by the Chilean team?

In separate news, after voting to reject the bid by RSL for Narvay, the Quilmes board apparently mentioned attempting to make a loan agreement for one of the following players:

22 year-old midfielder Enzo Kalinszki (6’0”, 158 lbs) – from Quilmes youth program
18 year-old forward Adrian Toloza (5’10”,170 lbs): reportedly had a dispute over a new contract - from Quilmes youth program
21 year-old defender Nicholas Romat (5’11”, 180 lbs) – from Quilmes youth program
21 year-old defender Nicholas Elicio (5’11”, 165 lbs) – from Berazategui

It appears that these four players are not part of the plans for Quilmes. It is unclear if RSL is pursuing any of these players. However, it must be noted that Nicholas Elicio was one of the four players that head coach Jason Kreis was reportedly scouting on a recent visit to Argentina.

PHOTOS: MLS Cup Rewind: Pre-Game Festivities

2009-12-28T13:24:00.002-07:00

This next set is from the pre-game. It started off with honoring the Seattle Sounders and recognizing them as Open Cup Champions. This delighted the hometown crowd who held up their scarves and chanted “Sounders” in unity. Next came the arrival of the cup, and then finally the players themselves made their way through the “tunnel” of flags. The anticipation for opening kick was building as each team first huddled together, and then made their way out onto the pitch.

Enjoy!

No “Quique” for Real Salt Lake

2009-12-27T23:44:00.003-07:00

Reports out of Argentina had Real Salt Lake chasing young Quilmes forward Enrique Narvay.

The 19 year-old player has created a buzz in the Quilmes ranks as a promising prospect. He reportedly had some interest from River Plate, and San Lorenzo in Argentina and an opportunity in France.

This report comes shortly after a private workout of four players for Real Salt Lake head coach Jason Kreis. In addition to Narvay, the players scouted were Nicholas Elicio, Damián Go'mez, and Paolo Cardozo

Narvay was prolific in the junior ranks at Quilmes, scoring a torrid 22 goals in 28 matches a season ago before stepping into the senior roster. He did not see senior action this past season.

He reportedly has been waiting to see what would happen with his status, as a new technical director was hired by the club. With the denial of a transfer to RSL, it was indicated that he was in the plans for Quilmes this season.

Quique is a teammate with ex-RSL’er Matias Cordoba at Quilmes, and was briefly teammates with current RSL’er Nelson Gonzales prior to Gonzalez arriving in Salt Lake this past summer.

It’s not clear if this just means that the initial offer was rejected or if this is the end of negotiations. The deal was reportedly being worked through often utilized agent Alejandro Taraciuk who has been in involved with numerous RSL-related deals in South America.

Thoughts from Garth Lagerwey: Part II – Offseason Needs

2009-12-26T08:28:00.000-07:00

This is the second segment of a 5-part series with thoughts from Real Salt Lake General Manager Garth Lagerwey.

I wanted to get his thoughts on the following topics:

the current squad
offseason needs
the upcoming draft
the RSL youth program
some of the consequences of the current CBA negotiations.

Here is part 2:

If you have read any of the early Mock Drafts for Real Salt Lake, most of them mention RSL wanting to find a goalkeeper to replace the recently departed Chris Seitz. However, according to Lagerwey this may not be the case,

“Kyle Reynish, we like, as our #2 goalkeeper. I think we do want to have 3 goalkeepers in the mix. So I think it’s likely that there is a young goalkeeper to be added. Everyone assumes it’s going to be in the draft, but you can add a young goalkeeper a number of ways – from the USL, from the draft. One thing there is never a shortage of is young goalkeepers.”

Last season at this point, the mantra seemed to be that the team was looking to acquire at least a couple of players out on the open market – an attacking player, and a left-sided player. This year the situation is a little more vague,

“I would think that we are either going to add one or two players, but again there are just so many unknowns right now it’s difficult. We don’t have a cap, so we don’t know how much money we have. We are trying to resign some of these guys on our team, but until we do that we don’t know where that money is going to go. It’s just such a wide swing.”

With the departure of Yura Movsisyan, it’s not surprising that the team would be looking at a replacement. They did pick up Abe Thompson from the waiver draft, but he hasn’t yet shown himself to be a primary option in this league. So it’s no secret that the team would like to find more strike power up top,

“We’d like to add an offensive minded player, but we aren’t going to blow up our salary structure to do that.”

The CBA negotiations definitely have an impact on addressing the teams needs, but unfortunately you can’t just sit around and wait until a resolution is in place. In fact, coach Jason Kreis was reportedly in South America recently, presumably doing scouting. According to Lagerwey it’s important to keep marching on,

“So what we do is follow a two-track policy right now. We go out and do all of our scouting. We identify all of the players that we might want to sign and then I suspect that once the CBA is done it’s going to be like dominoes: once one domino falls they’ll all fall into place, but until then it’s going to be very difficult to predict how it all shakes out.”

Look for the third segment with Garth on the upcoming draft coming up soon!

PHOTOS: MLS Cup Rewind: The Atmosphere

2009-12-25T22:10:00.001-07:00

Merry Christmas!

A few memories from November’s MLS Cup in Seattle. This time the Qwest Field atmosphere and fans awaiting opening kick are the subject. There are a few snaps of La Barra Real, a few shots of the stadium, and some of the amazing group of fans in and around Section 338. I included a couple of snaps of the few Galaxy fans that I encountered as well :)

Enjoy!

Thoughts from Garth Lagerwey: Part I – Current Squad

2009-12-23T15:42:00.002-07:00

This is the first segment of a 5-part series with thoughts from Real Salt Lake General Manager Garth Lagerwey.

I wanted to get his thoughts on the following topics:

the current squad
offseason needs
the upcoming draft
the RSL youth program
some of the consequences of the current CBA negotiations.

Here is part 1:

At this time of year, each team in the league has to start with an evaluation of its roster, before they can decide on what changes or additions to make. It was obvious that RSL plans to retain a large part of its roster, with exceptions of the already known departures of Yura Movsisyan and Chris Seitz.

According to Lagerwey, the first step taken in this process is to exercise contract options for players that they would like to retain. This has already occurred,

“We have retained options on anyone that we want to re-sign long term. There is nobody that we are in danger of losing for next season.”

Lagerwey also mentioned on a couple of occasions that attempts were being made to sign players to long-term contracts. We already know of the following players being locked up long-term:

The team has been reportedly in negotiations with both Captain Kyle Beckerman and emerging forward Robbie Findley to lock them up to long-term contracts. The results of these negotiations may pave the way for the way the team looks going forward,

“The way we are going to assess our team is by who has signed with us long-term and who doesn’t.”

Obviously Real Salt Lake is happy with the starters on the team. After all, they did just win the MLS Cup. However, I was interested in three reserve players who joined the team midway through the season:

Pablo Campos: “Two game winning goals, and two assists in five starts. We would not have made the playoffs without Pablo Campos. He was the fourth forward – so good news there – the other guys were playing so well that the fourth one didn’t have a bigger role. We have Fabian and Robbie coming back, and Pablo is going to be battling with them for time. And we pick up Abe Thompson, so we feel like we have a good group. And Pablo’s going to be in the mix. He’s got plenty of talent. It’s a question of getting the opportunity and being able to take advantage of the opportunity.”

Rachid El Khalifi: “He’s a little bit of an older player, and may want to play a larger role were he to come back. So I know that he’s exploring all of his options right now. He’s under contract, but with foreign guys we try not to be jerks about it. If they say they want to start somewhere, and want to leave - we try to accommodate them. Those guys may choose to go back home, and get more time at home rather than staying with us and being on the bench. And that’s the decision that Rachid’s making right now.”

Nelson Gonzalez: “Another young kid that just didn’t get a ton of minutes. Nelson has plenty of talent. He’s capable of getting in the mix, and capable of potentially earning a starting spot in preseason.”

I also confirmed with Garth that Alex Nimo did not lose his Generation Adidas status as was reported just prior to the Philadelphia Union expansion draft a few weeks ago.

Look for the second segment with Garth on the offseason needs coming up soon!

Findley, Beckerman, Rimando to US Nat Camp

2009-12-22T09:32:00.001-07:00

Findley and Beckerman were expected, but the Rimando invite caught me a little off guard (although much deserved in my opinion). Here is the presser:

BRADLEY CALLS 30 PLAYERS TO BEGIN TRAINING CAMP ON JAN. 4 AT THE HOME DEPOT CENTER IN CARSON, CALIF.

First Training Camp in 2010 Marks Beginning of 2010 FIFA World Cup Preparations; Camp to Culminate in Match against Honduras on Jan. 23 Live on FSC and Galavision

CHICAGO (Dec. 22, 2009) — U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Bob Bradley has named 30 players to the training camp roster that will begin gathering Jan. 4 at U.S. Soccer's National Training Center at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. The group will prepare for the USA’s first match of 2010, a friendly against fellow FIFA World Cup finalists Honduras on Jan. 23 at The Home Depot Center. The match will be broadcast live on Fox Soccer Channel and Galavision beginning at 6 p.m. PT. Fans can also follow the game live via ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker.

"This is the start of six months of preparations for the World Cup, and it is important that we get started off heading in the right direction,” said Bradley, who led the U.S. to first place in CONCACAF qualifying. “We have had the chance to work with many of these players through their time with the national team, while others performed well for their clubs throughout last season and have earned this opportunity. We are continuing to evaluate the player pool as we move towards finalizing our roster for this summer.”

The annual camp held in January for players in their offseason is a largely domestic-based group that includes 25 players who ply their trade in the United States. Major League Soccer is well represented, with 13 of 16 clubs contributing players to the Carson camp. The roster boasts several year-end award winners, including MLS Goalkeeper of the Year (Zach Thornton), Visa Defender of the Year (Chad Marshall), Budweiser Golden Boot Winner (Jeff Cunningham) and Gatorade Rookie of the Year (Omar Gonzalez). Chivas USA supply a team-leading four players to the roster, led by defender Jonathan Bornstein, whose game-tying goal in the closing moments of the USA’s 2-2 draw against Costa Rica secured the top spot in final round qualifying while guaranteeing Honduras’ place in the World Cup. MLS Cup champion Real Salt Lake send three players, along with Columbus Crew and FC Dallas.

A total of 15 players headed to Carson earned at least one cap in 2009 with the full team. Nine players - Kyle Beckerman, Jimmy Conrad, Brad Evans, Benny Feilhaber, Clarence Goodson, Marshall, Heath Pearce, Troy Perkins and Robbie Rogers – were part of the squad that reached the finals of the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup. Beckerman, Goodson and Rogers all netted their first international goals in that tournament, with Goodson depositing the game-winner in the semifinal against Honduras. Meantime, MLS Best XI striker Conor Casey potted his first two goals for the full team in fine fashion, pulling the U.S. level on Oct. 10 in Honduras before Landon Donovan’s game-winner secured the team’s ticket to South Africa. Cunningham’s first goal in 12 tries for the full team also marked the last of 43 goals scored by the U.S. in 2009, the FC Dallas attacker tallying the lone strike in the 3-1 loss on Nov. 18 to Denmark.

Feilhaber is the leading capwinner with 30 appearances, the midfielder having started in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup final against Brazil. Pearce stands second in line with 28 caps, including nine starts in the successful World Cup qualifying campaign. At the other end of the experience spectrum, there are 23 players on the roster with 10 caps or less, and nine will be in search of their first-ever appearance with the full team.

There are five Scandinavian-based players joining the group in Carson. In addition to Feilhaber and Goodson, Valerenga goalkeeper Troy Perkins returns to the fold having earned his first six caps during the USA’s run to the 2009 Gold Cup final. Aalborg striker Marcus Tracy and Örebro SK midfielder Alejandro Bedoya will make their first appearances in a camp with the full team.

Following the Honduras match, the United States will play third-ranked Netherlands on March 3 in Amsterdam, allowing the U.S. to face one of the top teams in the world prior to the start of the FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Kickoff at the Amsterdam ArenA is set for 8:30 p.m. local time (2:30 p.m. ET), and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN2 and Galavision. Fans can also follow along on ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker.

The U.S. Men's National Team has been drawn into Group C with England, Slovenia and Algeria for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. The U.S. will open its sixth consecutive World Cup finals tournament against England on June 12 in Rustenburg, and will follow that game with matches against Slovenia on June 18 in Johannesburg and Algeria on June 23 in Tshwane/Pretoria.

ROSTER BY POSITION - Detailed Roster

GOALKEEPERS (4): Kevin Hartman (Kansas City), Troy Perkins (Valerenga), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake), Zach Thornton (Chivas USA)

DEFENDERS (8): Kevin Alston (New England Revolution), Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Jimmy Conrad (Kansas City Wizards), Omar Gonzalez (Los Angeles Galaxy), Clarence Goodson (IK Start), Chad Marshall (Columbus Crew), Heath Pearce (FC Dallas), Marvell Wynne (Toronto FC)

MIDFIELDERS (12): Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Alejandro Bedoya (Örebro), Geoff Cameron (Houston Dynamo), Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo), Brad Evans (Seattle Sounders), Benny Feilhaber (Aarhus), Eddie Gaven (Columbus Crew), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA), Jeff Larentowicz (New England Revolution), Dax McCarty (FC Dallas), Chris Pontius (D.C. United), Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew)

FORWARDS (6): Justin Braun (Chivas USA), Conor Casey (Colorado Rapids), Jeff Cunningham (FC Dallas), Robbie Findley (Real Salt Lake), Brandon McDonald (San Jose Earthquakes), Marcus Tracy (Aalborg)

PHOTOS: MLS CUP Rewind: “March to the Match”

2009-12-21T23:46:00.001-07:00

Here is the first in a series of pictures that I took at the MLS Cup. These have never been published before. I will share them in a few installments over the next couple of weeks. This first set is from the “March to the Match”. For those not aware of this, the Sounders have a tradition of gathering at Occidental Park a couple of blocks from the stadium and marching together to the match. On this day, RSL fans completely took over this march.

It was one of the most incredible things that I’ve ever been a part of related to sports. I was totally immersed in the middle of the crowd, but did try to run ahead and get a couple of shots from above once I made it into the stadium. However, much of the crowd had already dispersed.

Enjoy!

VIDEO: MLS Cup Celebration

2009-12-15T10:03:00.003-07:00

I think we discovered the real reason that Yura is heading to Europe...to learn how to open a bottle of wine!

Real Salt Lake Honored by US House

2009-12-14T22:27:00.005-07:00

In a rare moment of political unity, the US House voted unanimously (347-0) to honor Real Salt Lake for its recent MLS Cup victory. The feel-good legislation, sponsored by Reps. Jason Chaffetz, Jim Matheson and Rob Bishop from the Beehive State may not have been an agreement on a budget or universal health care, but at least for a brief moment the two sides of the aisle were able to find a bit of common ground.

Below is a letter from Rep. Jason Chaffetz to Dave Checketts, along with the Congressional Record for the vote of congratulations. You can read more details in this Deseret News article by Lee Davidson.

2010 Generation Adidas: An RSL Connection?

2009-12-10T06:34:00.004-07:00

Real Salt Lake’s youth program has arrived. While it’s not yet a full Academy system like envisioned, the program is starting to produce some quality players. In fact, there have been whispers about two of the players as prospective Generation Adidas players. I’m not so sure either are in the running for that designation, but both have promising futures.

Danny Mwanga

He’s young – just 18. A boy really. Playing, learning, studying, and working hard in a collegiate setting as a sophomore at Oregon State University. He may be getting ready to make the leap, into a man’s world: Major League Soccer.

Danny Mwanga is not really a product of the RSL youth system, but does have that connection based on playing with the RSL U-17 team in Spain this past summer. Since then he has really started to shine as an underclassman at OSU. And he has had quite a story getting to this point. You can read my interview with Mwanga here.

Mwanga hasn’t officially made a decision to leave school, but sounds like he’s leaning that way,

“This season was basically a sign that I probably should think of moving on and going to the next level. I’ve always had that in mind, but at the same time I want to keep all my options open. I’m definitely looking at moving on to the next level which is professional level. I’ll pretty much say that I’m still thinking about it. I just got done with my fall term and I know that the MLS draft and Combine are coming pretty soon, so it’s something that I need to really make the decision in the next maybe couple of weeks or maybe couple of days.”

According to Greg Maas, State Technical Director with the Utah Youth Soccer Association and Mwanga’s Coach with the RSL U-17 team this summer in Spain, it’s not at all a surprise that he’s making the leap to the professional ranks.

“I knew he was going to come out after his sophomore year,” said Maas.

After all Mwanga followed up his 2008 PAC-10 Freshman of the Year campaign with the 2009 PAC-10 Player of the Year award. The only question is whether he’ll land with MLS or somewhere in Europe.

In the mind of Maas, Mwanga has separated himself from many of the other players in the college game.

“He’s a professional player playing youth sports right now.”

Mwanga apparently doesn’t have an agent and is relying heavily on his club coach Monty Hawkins from the Westside Metro’s (Portland area).

“I have my club coach Monty – he’s basically the guy that I talk to before I make any decision. I’ll say he’s basically like my father.”

Mwanga had options for a couple of trials in France during the month of December, but couldn’t work them in with his busy schedule with finals at Oregon State: One was with a first division team, and the other was with Strasbourg (2nd division).

As far as MLS, Mwanga has not been approached yet by the league. Because he is an underclassman he can’t be approached until he declares his intentions to turn pro. However, he’s read some of the early draft speculation out in cyberspace, and believes there is some interest out there.

So what kind of player is Mwanga? What does he bring to the table? How can he help an MLS team?

Mwanga has the skills of a true #10, although he can play “up top”. He is very skillful with the ball. He’s a very good passer and a strong finisher, but one of the most impressive characteristics is his footwork according to Maas. In addition, he is reportedly a humble person and a very good teammate.

“Every coach has their own opinion, but me as a player I like being underneath the striker, almost as a second forward but I like being the guy that picks up the ball right between the midfield and the back four.”

“I can score, and I’m a pretty good dribbler with the ball at my feet. I’m pretty technical, and I can pass, too.”

If there is a potential knock on his game, it’s that he needs to improve his aerial game. He has good size, but this hasn’t been a strong facet of his game.

“I should get better at having my back to the goal. You have to be able to hold the ball.”

I have a feeling that Mwanga will get the chance to “hold the ball” professionally some day soon. Real soon.

Michael Chesler

Traditionally, I’m told, there is one Generation Adidas goalkeeper each year. Over the past couple of weeks, word on the street has been that two of the leading candidates for the 2010 crop are Zac MacMath and Michael Chesler. MacMath is a Sophomore at Maryland and comes from the vaunted Bradenton Academy.

Chesler played High School soccer at Mountain View High School (Utah). He also played on the RSL U-17 team, and with the Ogden Outlaws PDL team. Chesler is a Sophomore at High Point University (North Carolina) where he registered a team record 5 shutouts this season. He feels that this has been a great school for him,

“I found a great spot (at High Point). I was able to come in and earn a starting spot my freshman year, and I was actually the captain of my team as a sophomore.”

However, Chesler has no plans of leaving school early and turning pro at this point. In fact, he was surprised by these rumors as he hasn’t been contacted by any MLS teams. Chesler actually believes he can use another year in school,

“I feel like I wouldn’t be able to start. It would take some time. I could probably use another year of experience, but if the opportunity came it would be kind of hard to pass up.”

According to Coach Maas, Chesler has a remarkable story of getting to where he is at. For three years running Chesler showed up to compete for Maas’ State ODP team, and was turned away each time. As Coach Maas put it, “he wasn’t just a small goalkeeper, he was undersized.”

But Chesler had something that most of the other players didn’t have: a dogged determination, and tremendous desire. He came out every year, and each year he was better than the year before. When he was turned away, he always found out what he needed to work on and took that to heart.

Despite numerous rejections he stuck with it. And then when he was about 15 or 16 something important happened for Chesler…he hit a growth spurt. He made the ODP ‘89 team his last two years and in the final year became the starting keeper, unseating a keeper who had owned the spot for a couple of years.

In addition to Coach Maas (a goalkeeper by background), Chesler has trained with some of the best including two coaches who have been affiliated with the US youth national teams: Peter Mellor and Tim Mulqueen.

“Peter (Mellor) trained with me 4 or 5 times when he was here with Real. I actually loved Peter a lot – he was probably one of my best coaches – I learned a ton from him. I also learned a lot when I trained with Tim Mulqueen for a week.”

Chesler is a tremendous striker of the ball, and therefore has great distribution ability. More importantly, he’s a player that doesn’t get rattled, even after giving up a goal.

Chesler shares his views on some of his additional strengths and weaknesses:

“I’m a pretty good shot-blocker, and I would say I’m a good communicator.”

“I think crosses are a big weakness for me. I’m good in the air, but my decision-making on them is not the best.”

It’s likely that Chesler will stay another year at High Point, but look for him in MLS some day soon.

Xango MLS Cup Celebration Video

2009-12-07T09:24:00.002-07:00

2009 Plus/Minus Data

2009-12-07T09:01:00.001-07:00

Thanks to ScaryIce we have plus/minus data available for 2009. Here are the RSL nums with only the players who logged 500 or more minutes…

PLAYER	MINS	GF	GA	+/-	Per 90
Andy Williams	736	19	8	11	1.345
Ned Grabavoy	701	16	10	6	0.77
Jamison Olave	1890	35	20	15	0.714
Fabian Espindola	1377	24	15	9	0.588
Nick Rimando	2070	38	26	12	0.522
Tony Beltran	1728	30	20	10	0.521
Will Johnson	2054	36	26	10	0.438
Nat Borchers	2367	40	29	11	0.418
Yura Movsisyan	1548	25	18	7	0.407
Chris Wingert	2169	40	31	9	0.373
Clint Mathis	1767	28	21	7	0.357
Kyle Beckerman	1928	31	24	7	0.327
Robbie Findley	1559	29	25	4	0.231
Javier Morales	1833	25	22	3	0.147
Robbie Russell	1286	17	22	-5	-0.35

As I think we already knew, Andy Williams had quite the impact – much of it down the stretch. His was the highest number (by far) of anyone in the league playing 500 minutes or more, and Olave and Espindola ranked in the top 10 for players playing 1,000 minutes or more.

This is interesting information, but it almost begs more questions than it does provide answers. For instance, which combination of forwards fared better? Findley/Yura? Findley/Espy? Which combo of outside backs was better? Beltran/Wingert? Wingert/Russell? Beltran/Russell? What was Russell’s plus/minus at center back versus outside? How effective was Espindola in the 4-4-2 versus 4-3-3?

CBA Negotiations/Chris Seitz Trade Details

2009-12-04T22:10:00.001-07:00

Ridge Mahoney from Soccer America’s MLS Confidential brings up the “S-word”, regarding the Collective Bargaining Agreement discussions. Let’s hope this doesn’t turn out to be the case.

The S-word is "strike," which could result if no agreement is reached by Jan. 31, when the current CBA expires. Discussions began early this year and haven't gone anywhere, from what I've heard, and the dynamics may have slid backward two weeks ago when MLS Commissioner Don Garber decried the involvement of FIFPro, an international players agency, which had petitioned FIFA on behalf of the MLS Players' Union regarding certain strictures utilized by the league in its contracts.

Keepin’ It Real was able to learn specific details regarding the Chris Seitz trade to the Philadelphia Union. Michael C. Lewis from the Salt Lake Tribune reported that RSL “received north of $200,000 in allocation money” in the deal. KIR has discovered that the deal included the following:

$175,000 in allocation money (from Philadelphia Union’s pool of $1.2M received as an expansion club)
agreement that the Union would not select an RSL player in the expansion draft
a “sell-on” agreement, giving RSL a percentage of any transfer fee should the Union sell the rights to Seitz to another team in the future.

2010 World Cup Draw

2009-12-04T21:54:00.002-07:00

I attended the gathering at Rio Tinto for the 2010 World Cup group drawings. However, to be honest my main reason for attending was the potential of winning a raffle for an official 2010 World Cup game ball. Unfortunately, luck is rarely on my side in these sorts of things. I blame Nick Rimando who was drawing out the raffle tickets. I didn’t count, but they probably gave away 3 or 4 #5 soccer balls, and maybe 10 mini-balls.

Official 2010 World Cup South Africa “Jabulani” Game Ball

2010 World Cup Groupings

(including most recent FIFA/Coca-Cola World Rankings)

Group A: South Africa(86), Mexico(15), Uruguay(19), France(7)
Group B: Argentina(8), Nigeria(22), Korea Republic(52), Greece(12)
Group C: England(9), USA(14), Algeria(28), Slovenia(33)
Group D: Germany(6), Australia(21), Serbia(20), Ghana(37)
Group E: Netherlands(3), Denmark(26), Japan(43), Cameroon(11)
Group F: Italy(4), Paraguay(30), New Zealand(77), Slovakia(34)
Group G: Brazil(2), Korea DPR(84), Côte d'Ivoire(16), Portugal(5)
Group H: Spain(1), Switzerland(18), Honduras(38), Chile(17)

As it turns out, the US ended up with a very good group drawing. Aside from South Africa, England was the lowest ranked seeded team. And the US is ranked higher than the other two teams in the group. Opening against England may also be a benefit to the US as seeded teams will often struggle in their opening match. The US team ended up in one of only a couple of groups in which they would likely have been considered a favorite.

Open Letter from Jason Kreis

2009-12-03T14:34:00.001-07:00

From Behind the Shield:

To the RSL Nation:

The smile hasn’t left my face in a week, but I have a message for our fans, all of you, whether you have been there since day one over five years ago, or whether you put us on your radar on that fateful Sunday, Nov. 22, 2009.

We have no more time to bask in the glory of our first title – our early February report date for training camp is mere weeks away, and our March 27 opener at San Jose kicks off our title defense. I personally cannot wait to see you all at Rio Tinto Stadium when we host Seattle on April 10!

As I write this, I am assembling my itinerary to travel both domestically and internationally in the coming weeks to bolster the depth, breadth and quality of our roster as we prepare for meaningful international competition, something we will enjoy as a club for the first time ever in 2010. Long-term, we look to build Real Salt Lake into the dynasty that our ownership and fans deserve.

But I wanted to take a quick moment to thank you, the fans, our lifeblood, for your faith and belief in us as we captured MLS Cup 2009. As you have been for five years, you were our heartbeat in Seattle – you were felt, seen and heard all over the city. The sea of RSL claret-and-cobalt evident in the video and pictures from the match (and SLC Int’l Airport, and the Utah State Capitol, and State Street, and Rio Tinto Stadium last week) made it clear to the world that our declarations about the best fans in Major League Soccer calling Utah home were not hyperbole, were not bluster – they are the truth.

As I communicated to our players in the Qwest Field locker room two Sundays ago: Be confident, be bold, be aggressive.

Now I want to let all of you know, my message to the players, the staff, and the entire organization, of which you are an integral part, is that now is not the time to be complacent – efforts by all of us who love RSL and are responsible for both its short-term and long-term prosperity must be redoubled and rededicated.

Be confident as a fan of RSL. Wear your Championship colors with pride, with boldness. Be aggressive in helping us educate our city, our state, our region about not only what we have accomplished in 2009, but our long-term goals for 2010 and beyond.

I implore you to renew your season tickets, if you haven’t already. I ask you to take advantage of our Christmas ticket specials in order to expose your friends and family to the magic of our sport, and help us continue to establish Rio Tinto Stadium as the most dominant home-field advantage in MLS, and hopefully CONCACAF.

As I told our players again at halftime and throughout the game: It is our time.

We want to prove that our first title is the first step of many, as we pursue additional hardware. Throughout our scintillating run through the postseason, we were empowered by belief – in ourselves, shared by few outside the locker room, and even fewer outside Utah.

But you believed, and because of that, we are Champions.

It is our time.

Jason Kreis
Head Coach
Real Salt Lake
2009 MLS Cup Champions

Behind the Scenes at MLS Cup

2009-12-03T14:26:00.002-07:00

Espindola Contract Extended Through 2013

2009-12-03T08:03:00.001-07:00

REAL SALT LAKE EXTENDS CONTRACT OF FORWARD FABIAN ESPÍNDOLA

Argentine Forward Inks Deal to Stay with MLS Cup Champs through 2013 Season;

South American Trio of Espíndola, Morales and Olave all Undergo Successful Knee Operations

SANDY, Utah (Wednesday, December 2, 2009) – Real Salt Lake announced today that FW Fabian Espíndola will continue to wear Claret-and-Cobalt for the next four years, as the club and Argentine striker agreed to a contract extension that will keep him with the reigning MLS Cup champions through the end of the 2013 Major League Soccer season. Per club policy, financial terms of the deal will not be announced. Today’s extension follows similar four-year pacts inked with MF Javier Morales, DF Jamison Olave, and DF Chris Wingert over the course of the last 14 months as the squad continues its attempts to lock down the talented core members of its roster.

“We are excited to reach a long-term agreement with Fabian and are looking forward to seeing him in a Real Salt Lake uniform for the foreseeable future,” said RSL General Manager Garth Lagerwey. “Fabian’s talent and determination have been clearly evident over the last three seasons, and we are thrilled that he’ll be a cornerstone of our attack as he enters the prime years of his career.”

Espíndola has spent portions of the last three MLS seasons with Real Salt Lake, making 46 regular season appearances, including 33 starts, since joining the Utah side in August of 2007 alongside fellow Argentine Javier Morales. The 24-year old attacker has posted 10 goals and five assists in MLS play, including a career high five goals during his lone full season with RSL in 2008. Outside the MLS ranks, Espíndola has played with a myriad of clubs in South America, including Boca Juniors (2005) and Talleres de Córdoba (2006) in his native Argentina, Sociedad Deportivo Aucas (2006) and Sociedad Deportivo Quito (2007) of Ecuador, and Venezuelan club Deportivo Anzoátegui (2009).

Espíndola joined Deportivo Anzoátegui following Real Salt Lake’s 2008 campaign, only to return to the Utah side on his 24^th birthday this past May 4. After reacquainting himself with his former squad, Espíndola’s lighting speed, boundless energy, and striking ability would not be denied, as he appeared in 22 games (17 starts) during the 2009 regular season, recording three goals and three assists along the way. Espíndola was also an integral part of RSL’s championship run, starting both wins against the defending champion Columbus Crew in the Eastern Conference Semifinals while also playing key minutes against the Chicago Fire and LA Galaxy in the Eastern Conference Championship and MLS Cup 2009, respectively.

South American Trio of Espíndola, Morales and Olave all Undergo Successful Knee Operations

Real Salt Lake also announced today that FW Fabian Espíndola, MF Javier Morales, and DF Jamison Olave all underwent successful knee operations performed by team doctor Andrew Cooper, M.D., Tuesday at Salt Lake Regional Medical Center. Morales underwent surgery to repair a torn meniscus and strained LCL in his left knee suffered after David Beckham’s challenge in the beginning stages of the Utah side’s MLS Cup 2009 victory over Los Angeles on Nov. 22, while Olave (loose cartilage and bone spurs in right knee), and Espíndola (torn meniscus in right knee) had procedures to shore up nagging injuries suffered during the course of the 2009 campaign. All three players are expected to be back at full strength in time for the beginning of RSL’s preseason in early February.

RSL related news

2009-12-01T12:21:00.002-07:00

Three RSL players go under the knife. Did they have a Tuesday 3-for-1 discount at Salt Lake Regional?

“That's what RSL is facing today, as three of its starters are expected to have knee surgery at the Salt Lake Regional Medical Center. Midfielder Javier Morales, defender Jamison Olave and forward Fabian Espindola all are scheduled for repairs on their injuries — though a team spokesman said all are expected to be ready for the start of next season.” SL Trib Blog/Michael C. Lewis

RSL working on contract renewals for 2 of their top players.

“Two of the best players on the team, Findley and Beckerman are entering the final year of their contracts, and will be able to negotiate with other teams starting in June if they do not sign extensions or new deals. That's what forward Yura Movsisyan did last season, ultimately leaving to join Randers FC in Denmark.” Salt Lake Tribune/Michael C. Lewis

RSL assistant coach in demand.

“Add RSL assistant Robin Fraser and at least two Europeans to long list of #DCU coaching candidates” Soccer Insider (Steven Goff) Twitter

Worst Miss Ever?

2009-12-01T12:08:00.001-07:00

For those who complain about the finishing in Major League Soccer. It could be worse…

Seitz Deal Now Official

2009-11-30T15:45:00.001-07:00

REAL SALT LAKE ACQUIRES ALLOCATION MONEY IN TRADE WITH PHILADELPHIA UNION

2010 Expansion Side Receives GK Chris Seitz from MLS Cup Champions in Return

SANDY, Utah (Monday, November 30, 2009) – Real Salt Lake made its second roster move of the nascent 2009/10 offseason this afternoon, officially announcing a trade with MLS’ newest side, Philadelphia Union, that garnered allocation money from the 2010 expansion squad in exchange for GK Chris Seitz. Per Real Salt Lake policy, financial terms involved in the deal will not be disclosed.

“Firstly, we would like to thank Chris for his three years of exemplary service on behalf of Real Salt Lake and wish him all the best on this next step in his career,” said Real Salt Lake General Manager Garth Lagerwey. “His professionalism and tremendous talent made this a very difficult move for us to make, however, we felt it was time to do right by Chris and allow him this opportunity to achieve a starting position within Major League Soccer. With the trade also giving our Technical Staff added resources to improve our roster this offseason, we believe the deal is a win for both sides.”

Despite being widely regarded as one of the United States’ brightest young goalkeeping prospects, the 22-year-old Seitz could never break through to claim Real Salt Lake’s starting job from Nick Rimando after being selected third overall in the 2007 MLS SuperDraft. During his three-year tenure in Utah, Seitz made seven starts – three in his rookie season and four during RSL’s recent MLS Cup championship campaign – and recorded a 1.86 goals against average and 1-4-2 record in 630 minutes between the posts. Seitz showed well during his four appearances in 2009, posting a 1-1-2 record and 1.25 GAA while also notching his first professional win and shutout back on August 29 via a 1-0 triumph at Kansas City.

Seitz also represented his country in various competitions during his RSL stay, helping the U.S. Under-23 Men’s National Team qualify for the Olympics with a solid performance in the CONCACAF Qualifying Tournament in March 2008 before serving as the squad’s back-up to over-age selection Brad Guzan for the Summer Games in Beijing that August. Seitz also received call-ups to Bob Bradley’s Senior U.S. MNT camps and training sessions on a handful of occasions across the last two seasons.

Offseason Updates

2009-11-30T11:20:00.009-07:00

Here at Keepin' It Real we are dedicated to providing top-notch information about Real Salt Lake. Information that those closest followers of the team will appreciate. In the process, we have chosen to largely ignore discussion on topics that don't directly impact RSL. However, during this offseason we'll do our best to provide you insight to two additional topics:

Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) negotiations, and;
The 2010 World Cup

I don't expect much on the World Cup newsfront until January (other than the groupings),but here are some articles to get you up to speed on the CBA negotiations:

The Difference Between an American Sports Contract and a European Football Contract: Eric Altshule/MLS Talk

Monday MLS Breakdown: Rhetoric Ensures Truth Remains Pliable In CBA Negotiations: Kyle McCarthy/Goal.com

MLS and its Players: Third Party Ownership? Player and Club Rights Non Existent?: Kartik Krishnaiyer

CBA dispute threatens MLS progress: Chris Nee/Soccerlens.com

CBA Bluster Hurts Process: Jason Davis/Match Fit USA

Other big non-RSL news to watch out for in Major League Soccer? Will Amado Guevara and new Toronto head coach, Preki, kiss and make up? Methinks not.

Of course, we'll also continue to provide you the RSL offseason talk as well, and hope to get some insight soon into what the team will be looking to add over the next couple of months. We may not have updates as frequently as during the season, but we'll definitely be active with information that you are interested in.

And pictures - oh yeah, pictures! I have a number of them from the MLS Cup: pre-game, the game itself, and post-game. I'll share them with you gradually over the next few weeks.

Seitz Trade Details

2009-11-25T21:33:00.003-07:00

This is being reported by Michael C. Lewis at the Deseret News:

"League sources said RSL received north of $200,000 in allocation money for Seitz -- allocation money can be used to sign other players -- which was about three times as much as several teams dangled in trade offers during the season. Team officials and Seitz all declined to comment until the league officially approves the deal."

If this is true, then wow! About a year and a half ago there was alot of buzz around Seitz after the U-20 World Cup, but this is a rather large allocation and will give Real Salt Lake some good acquisition dollars to use as they wade into the foreign markets over the next couple of months in search of a striker to replace Yura Movsisyan.

Highest Seeded Club to Host MLS Cup

2009-11-25T20:37:00.005-07:00

I didn't see this reported anywhere, which is quite odd. Maybe I just missed it, but last night Dave Checketts dropped what I thought was a mini bombshell.

When asked about the upcoming year, he mentioned that RSL needed to do better as an organization during the regular season.

Here is the comment that he made:

"Next year we'll have hopefully a more mature club, with wins on the road, that doesn't have to squeak in. And the only way we can top this now that Major League Soccer has decided that the Championship should be in the home of the best seeded club - we should have this game in Salt Lake next year."

Real Salt Lake Acquires Abe Thompson via Waivers

2009-11-25T16:19:00.002-07:00

SANDY, Utah (Wednesday, November 25, 2009) – On a day where teams are used to losing a player due to the MLS Expansion Draft, Real Salt Lake became the only other team besides the expansion Philadelphia Union to add to its roster by selecting Houston Dynamo FW Abe Thompson in this afternoon’s MLS Waiver Draft. Thompson was the only one of 11 available players plucked from the Waiver Draft today, which followed on the heels of Philadelphia’s selection of the first ten players to its roster that will begin play as the League’s 16^th team in 2010.

Thompson comes to the newly-crowned MLS Cup champions after spending time with both the Kansas City Wizards and Houston Dynamo during the 2009 MLS campaign. The five-year MLS veteran has notched 15 goals and 12 assists in his 89 regular season appearances (40 starts), with his best season coming in 2007, when he tallied four assists and registered career-highs with five goals; 15 starts; 24 appearances; and 1,127 minutes played as a member of FC Dallas. Thompson was selected by the “Hoops” in the 2005 MLS Supplemental Draft’s second round following a standout collegiate career for the Maryland Terrapins from 2000-04. Thompson left College Park as the school’s all-time leader with 43 goals and 112 points to go along with 26 assists, numbers that twice earned him semifinalist status for the prestigious M.A.C. Hermann Trophy Award.

After failing to find the back of the net in eight games with the Wizards through this past September, Thompson ended up scoring the game-winning goal in his lone regular season appearance with the Dynamo, a 52^nd minute tally in a 3-2 win at Chivas USA on the final day of League play on Oct. 25. Thompson would also make a pair of appearances for Houston in CONCACAF Champions League play, making his first Dynamo start and notching an assist on Sept. 22, in a 5-1 win against Árabe Unido (PAN) and coming off the substitute’s bench on Oct. 21, at Isidro Metapán (ELS) in a 2-3 defeat.

Abe Thompson

Position: Forward

Height: 6-0 Weight: 170 lbs.

Born: January 12, 1982 in Tucson, AZ

Hometown: Fairfax Station, VA

Citizenship: United States

College: Maryland

MLS Experience: FiveSeasons (2005-2009)

Last Club: Houston Dynamo (2009)

Acquired

RSL: Selected by Real Salt Lake in the MLS Wavier Draft from Houston Dynamo on 11/25/09

HOU: Acquired via trade from Kansas City in exchange for Kei Kamara on 9/15/09

KC: Acquired via trade from FC Dallas in exchange for allocation money on 9/05/08

DAL: Selected in the 2^nd Round (16^th overall) of the 2005 MLS Supplemental Draft on 2/04/05

REGULAR SEASON GAME HIGHS

Goals 2 – Oct. 6, 2007; DAL @ CLB

Assists 2 – Sept. 16, 2006; DAL @ RSL

Shots on Goal 2 – 6 times, last: May 10, 2008; KC @ RSL

Shots 5 – 2 times, last: May 10, 2008; KC @ RSL

Fouls Committed 3 – 3 times, last: Oct. 11, 2008; KC v. NE

Fouls Suffered 2 – 9 times, last: Oct. 5, 2008; KC v. CHI

Expansion Draft Results

2009-11-25T13:12:00.004-07:00

Here is the result of today’s Philly Union expansion draft. The Union had 10 picks in which they could poach an unprotected player from another MLS team. Each team could only lose 1 player.

Selection:

GK: Brad Knighton (NE Revolution)

DF: Dave Myrie (Chicago)

DF: Shavar Thomas (Chivas)

DF: Jordan Harvey (Colorado)

MF: Shea Salinas (San Jose)

MF: Stefani Miglioranzi (LA Galaxy)

MF: Andrew Jacobson (DC United)

MF: Nick Zimmerman (NY Red Bulls)

FW: Alejandro Morenjo (Columbus)

FW: Sebastian LeToux (Seattle)

RSL Reportedly Trades Seitz for Allocation $$$: This word came from Steve Goff at the Soccer Insider. It is assumed that the trade also came with assurance that Philadelphia would not select an RSL player. KIR has not yet been able to confirm this.

Update: although no confirmation was given, KIR's divining rod tells me that this is indeed correct. Look for details to come.

MLS Cup Championship Celebration

2009-11-24T22:33:00.002-07:00

A good crowd of 4,000-plus turned out at Rio Tinto Stadium to celebrate Real Salt Lake’s MLS Cup victory. The celebration was the culmination of a day of festivities that started at the State Capitol, featured a parade down State Street, and ended at the stadium.

It was there that dignitaries, coaches, and players took the stage to put the victory in perspective. The event was emceed by former RSL-er Brian Dunseth. He first invited Sandy Mayor Tom Dolan up to be recognized. Mayor Dolan read the official proclamation recognizing the teams victory.

Owner Dave Checketts was then given the mic, after a short video of photos of him was shown capturing him at various moments during the history of the club. Very cool.

After that, Coach Kreis was brought forward, and he was obviously revelling in the experience, and showed a smile or two.

Next came RSL forward Robbie Findley who was asked a few questions by Dunny and then brought out the Rocky Mountain Cup trophy to start the display of hardware for the appreciative fans.

Then team MVP Nat Borchers was brought out and he lightheartedly mentioned that this was the first time he has ever won anything. Nat mentioned that Dave Checketts flew the family of the entire team to Seattle, something that he didn’t think any other owner would do. He then recognized Jamison Olave who did not appeared prepared to come forward, but the fans demanded it and he did well with a short speech in English.

After witnessing a video of Nick Rimando’s saves during the playoffs, fans were then treated to a few words from their self-proclaimed “homeboy”. At the end of his words, Rimando brought out the second piece of hardware, the Eastern Conference Championship Cup.

Next on the stage was a very humble, and emotional Andy Williams. He gave his appreciation for the fans and their support for him and his wife during this difficult season. He also mentioned that Marcia came to Seattle “against doctor’s orders”, but it was important to him that she was there.

Finally, Captain Kyle Beckerman took the stage and expressed his appreciation of the fans and their support. He also brought out what everyone had come to see, the MLS Cup.

At the end of the presentation the players came off of the stage to Queen’s “We are the Champions”, while pulling a tarp featuring “2009 MLS Cup Champions” designed to fit above the tunnel. Afterwards, fans were allowed to line up for a photo with the MLS Cup.

TAKE OVER THE AIRWAVES

2009-11-24T13:22:00.001-07:00

There has been decent coverage of the RSL win, and I'm not sure if the stations have anything planned for the celebration this afternoon. But it drives me nuts to hear them talking incessantly about rivalry week with this event coming up in a few hours. So my idea is that we all call, text, and email the local radio shows between 4:00 and 5:30 and try to force them to acknowledge RSL. Maybe this will make more people aware of the celebration, and help give RSL some well deserved recognition. Who's with me?

Here is the contact info:

1320 KFAN: Locked on Sports: They'll want to talk about the lousy Jazz team (it does pay their checks I guess) and Rivalry week. Don't Let them!
Salt Lake City: 483-1320
Provo: 470-1320
Ogden: 670-1320
Text the keyword 'KFAN' and then your message to 64636

David Locke: Email HERE
Ben Bagley: Email HERE

1280 The Zone: Monson and Graham: Monson was at the game. He's up for a Real discussion I bet. Graham...not so much.
UTAH COUNTY :: 801-470-1280
SALT LAKE COUNTY :: 801-570-1280
DAVIS COUNTY :: 801-670-1280
TOLL FREE :: 1-866-233-1280
Text "ZONE" and your message to 53318

Email Addresses:
Gordon Monson
Kevin Graham

KALL 700 Sports: Bill & Spence: This is the easy one. I assume they'll be at the stadium, and likely talking RSL anyway (mixed in between other sports discussion). But it doesn't hurt to let them know how you feel.

KALL 700 STUDIO / CONTEST LINES UTAH COUNTY: 801-470-0700
SALT LAKE COUNTY: 801-570-0700
DAVIS COUNTY: 801-670-0700
TOLL FREE: 1-877-353-0700
TEXT LINE: 29909

Bill Riley: bill@kall700sports.com
Spencer Checketts: spencer@kall700sports.com

Details of RSL Celebration on Tuesday

2009-11-23T21:50:00.001-07:00

SANDY, UT (Monday, November 23, 2009) – Having arrived to a spirited welcome from several hundred fans earlier today at Salt Lake City International Airport, the Real Salt Lake family will rest easy tonight before bringing its celebration to the people of Utah TOMORROW, Tuesday, Nov. 24, when the club will host events stretching from the State Capitol to Sandy in celebration of the Utah side’s MLS Cup 2009 Championship. Real Salt Lake claimed Major League Soccer’s title Sunday evening at Seattle’s Qwest Field by defeating the Los Angeles Galaxy, 5-4, in seven rounds of penalty kicks following a 1-1 draw in regulation and overtime, providing Utah sports fans with their first champion in a major professional league since 1971, when the Utah Stars claimed the American Basketball Association title.

To begin the day, the team will serve as guests of Utah Governor Gary Herbert and the State’s First Lady at a special luncheon at the Governor’s Mansion, which will be followed by a 3:00 p.m. public celebration on the south steps of the Utah State Capitol building. Governor Herbert and other dignitaries will congratulate Utah’s champions before giving way to addresses from RSL Owner Dave Checketts, Head Coach Jason Kreis, and Captain Kyle Beckerman, among others.

“What an amazing day for Real Salt Lake, soccer fans, and the entire State of Utah,” Governor Herbert said earlier today. “Once again, Salt Lake and Utah have been showcased on an international scale. In 2002, it was the Winter Olympics. And now it is Real Salt Lake — the 2009 MLS Cup Champions.”

Following the rally at the Capitol, Real Salt Lake will make the 16-mile trek down State Street via a motorcade procession – fans are encouraged to line either side of State Street downtown from the Capitol to 500 South from 3:30 to 3:45, and State Street in Sandy between 9000 South and 9400 South from 4:00 to 4:15 – to its Rio Tinto Stadium home in Sandy, where the squad invites fans to gather for the MLS Cup 2009 Celebration Rally. Gates at Rio Tinto Stadium will open for fans at 5:00 p.m., with the festivities kicking off at 5:30 p.m. Fans will be able to park on-site at Rio Tinto Stadium’s west and north lots, enjoy free hot chocolate and popcorn at all open Levy Restaurants concession stands, and take pictures with the Phillip F. Anschutz Trophy on the field following addresses from RSL ownership, coaches, and players and local civic dignitaries and a video presentation on the north-end DakTronics Video Board chronicling the Claret-and-Cobalt’s historic 2009 season.

Following the celebration, Real Salt Lake players, coaches, technical staff and ownership will be made available to members of the local media in the RSL locker room from 6:15-6:30 p.m. MT.

Fans that can’t make tomorrow’s celebration events can follow along via RSL’s English radio partner KALL 700 Sports, which will broadcast live from the rallies at the Capitol and Rio Tinto Stadium and will feature interviews with RSL personalities throughout the day.

Real Salt Lake MLS Cup Celebration Timeline for Public & Media – Tuesday, Nov. 23

3:00 p.m. Declaration at the Utah State Capitol, South Steps

· Featuring speakers Utah Governor Gary Herbert; RSL Owner Dave Checketts, Head Coach Jason Kreis, and Captain Kyle Beckerman

3:30 p.m. Motorcade from Capitol down State Street to Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy

5:00 p.m. Gates open to Stadium for fans

· Free parking available in Rio Tinto Stadium North and West lots

5:30 p.m. Real Salt Lake’s MLS Cup 2009 Championship Celebration

· Speeches from RSL ownership, coaches, and players and local civic dignitaries

· Highlight video chronicling Real Salt Lake’s 2009 championship campaign

· Free hot chocolate and popcorn for all fans

· Fans can take photos with Phillip F. Anschutz Trophy on the Rio Tinto Stadium field following formal presentation

Real Salt Lake’s MLS Cup Weekend

2009-11-23T20:12:00.001-07:00

Sunday evening’s capturing of the MLS Cup was the highlight of a fabulous weekend of events for RSL Fans. I have never been part of a sporting event that even approached that. It was an expensive adventure on short notice, and completely worth it. Witnessing the events of the weekend made me very proud to be counted among the community of RSL fans. Here are some of my thoughts:

Pre-Game Get-Together

I won’t go into this any further, since I already discussed this shortly after the event, but the gathering at FX McRory’s on Saturday night was a fabulous display of supporters of the team, and I even heard a couple of Sounders fans talking about this at the match on Sunday. Apparently word got around!

Here is a video of the event from Big Soccer poster, RSLSteve:

RSL ruled the pre-game.

March to the Match

I was looking forward to this event, but I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I believe there was to be an announcement around 3:45 local time. Some people said Don Garber was going to speak, others mentioned Drew Carey. The Sounders band came up Occidental street heading toward the park where RSL, Sounders and a few Galaxy fans were gathered. They had horns-a-blarin’ and it was quite impressive. They ended at the head of the park, and it looked like they were ready to lead the crowd on the return trip. Just then an army of RSL fans came up the street behind them. It seemed like there were thousands of them, and they had drums, and chants going that were many times louder than the horns that had just subsided. The group gathered at the edge of the park, completely dominating everything else that was going on. I’m not sure if there was a speech made, but if there was I didn’t hear a word of it. It was pandemonium!

Here is a vid from Westleyl of the event:

This group cut a wide swath from the park to the stadium, where they continued the festivities just outside of the stadium. Eventually I broke off from the group and headed into the stadium so that I could get a few photo’s from the ramp above. It was only then that I heard (and mostly saw) a concert going on at a nearby stage. I assume that this was Third Eye Blind, but they were overwhelmed by the rest of the festivities.

RSL ruled the March.

MLS Cup Champs

The stadium was impressive. It was my first time in Qwest Field and I was amazed at the size, and the view of the city. I was also saddened that the main contingent of RSL fans were up in the rafters, but I took an adventure up there and they seemed to be having a great time. There were RSL fans scattered all over the stadium, with a pocket down in one corner, and a larger (but not louder) LA Galaxy in the opposite corner (fairness issues abound with this one).

The Sounders crowd obviously out-numbered everyone else in the stadium. They seemed most gracious – we talked to many of them – and many of them were cheering for RSL. But most of all, they wanted to see good soccer.

I won’t re-hash the game for all of you, as I’m sure you all witnessed it. The weather was cold, but rain-free, and the soccer was choppy at times, but it had you on the edge of your seat throughout. It was indeed a spectacle! Examiner.com pics, GoalSeattle.com,

RSL ruled the Night.

Celebrations

Watching the win was very exciting, and nerve-wracking, but watching the celebration on the field was equally enticing. We had the butt-end view and couldn’t see the stage, but we could see RSL fans on that side responding, and many of the team made their way over to our side to show us the Cup. The team was obviously reveling in the moment: Yahoo pics

Although we had an early flight this morning, I’m sure the partying went on until well into the night in the Emerald City. And then the team made it back to SLC this afternoon to another celebration at the airport. SL Trib pics of the homecoming.

Here is Big Soccer poster Mauly’s eyewitness video of the gathering:

The final celebration is set to occur tomorrow at Rio Tinto Stadium at 6 PM. Here are the details:

Congratulations! We are all thrilled to have won the 2009 MLS Cup! We will be celebrating with our fans very soon. Here is the pertinent information:

What: Real Salt Lake 2009 MLS Cup Celebration Rally; includes the entire RSL team, coaching staff and special guests

When: Tuesday, November 24th, 6:00 pm

Gates Open: 5:30 pm

Where: Rio Tinto Stadium

Who: All.

Free parking in the West and North parking lots; no ticket necessary for admission
Other: We will invite the supporter groups, VIP’s, player families and select youth teams to stand on the field for the event. The remainder in the West side stands until its full. Select suites will be open (DWC, Rio Tinto, etc.)

More details will follow.

Expansion Draft List Including G/A Graduates

2009-11-23T18:22:00.002-07:00

Real Salt Lake

Beckerman, Kyle

Beltran, Tony

Borchers, Nat

Espíndola, Fabian

Findley, Robbie

Johnson, Will

Morales, Javier

Olave, Jamison

Rimando, Nick

Seitz, Chris

Wingert, Chris

Chivas USA

Bornstein, Jonathan

Braun, Justin

Flores, Jorge

Padilla, Jesus

Galindo, Maykel

Lahoud, Michael

Kljestan, Sacha

Nagamura, Paulo

Thornton, Zach

Cuesta, Yamith

Santos, Maicon

Chicago Fire

Busch, Jon

Conde, Wilman

Brown, C.J.

Mapp, Justin

McBride, Brian

Nyarko, Patrick

Pappa, Marco

Pause, Logan

Thorrington, John

Robinson, Dasan

Ward, Tim

Colorado Rapids

Baudet, Julien

Casey, Conor

Clark, Colin

Cummings, Omar

Gibbs, Cory

Kimura, Kosuke

LaBrocca, Nick

Mastroeni, Pablo

Moor, Drew

Pickens, Matt

Smith, Jamie

Columbus Crew

Brunner, Eric

Carroll, Brian

Ekpo, Emmanuel

Gaven, Eddie

Hesmer, Will (GK)

Lenhart, Steven

Marshall, Chad

Moffat, Adam

O'Rourke, Danny

Rogers, Robbie

Schelotto, Guillermo

FC Dallas

Benitez, Jair

Chavez, Marvin

Cunningham, Jeff

Davies, Kyle

Ferreira, David

Harris, Atiba

Hernandez, Daniel

Ihemelu, Ugo

John, George

McCarty, Dax

Pearce, Heath

D.C. United

Burch, Marc

Carreiro, Fred

Jakovic, Dejan

James, Julius

Moreno, Jaime

Namoff, Bryan

Pontius, Chris

Quaranta, Santino

Simms, Clyde

Szetela, Danny

Wallace, Rodney

Houston Dynamo

Ashe, Corey

Boswell, Bobby

Cameron, Geoff

Ching, Brian

Davis, Brad

Hall, Tally

Hainault, Andrew

Holden, Stuart

Mullan, Brian

Oduro, Dominic

Weaver, Cameron

Kansas City Wizards

Arnaud, Davy

Conrad, Jimmy

Harrington, Michael

Hercegfalvi, Zoltan

Jewsbury, Jack

Kamara, Kei

Leathers, Jonathan

Lopez, Claudio

Souter, Kevin

Wolff, Josh

Zusi, Graham

Los Angeles Galaxy

Beckham, David

Berhalter, Gregg

Birchall, Chris

Buddle, Edson

DeLagarza, AJ

Donovan, Landon

Franklin, Sean

Gonzalez, Omar

Kovalenko, Dema

Magee, Mike

Ricketts, Donovan

New England Revolution

Alston, Kevin

Barnes, Darrius

Dube, Mkhokheli

Joseph, Shalrie

Larentowicz, Jeff

Mansally, Abdoulie

Nyassi, Sainey

Osei, Emmanuel

Ralston, Steve

Reis, Matt

Twellman, Taylor

New York Red Bulls

Angel, Juan Pablo

Borman, Danleigh

Coundoul, Bouna

Goldthwaite, Kevin

Hall, Jeremy

Johnson, Carlos

Kandji, Macoumba

Mendes, Carlos

Obster, Ernst

Richards, Dane

Stammler, Seth

San Jose Earthquakes

Alvarez, Arturo

Burling, Bobby

Cannon, Joe

Corrales, Ramiro

Glenn, Cornell

Hernandez, Jason

Johnson, Ryan

Leitch, Chris

Moreira, Andre Luiz

Sanchez, Ramon

McDonald, Brandon

Seattle Sounders FC

Alonso, Osvaldo

Evans, Brad

Gonzalez, Leo

Hurtado, Jhon Kennedy

Ianni, Patrick

Jaqua, Nate

Keller, Kasey

Ljungberg, Freddie

Marshall, Tyrone

Montero, Fredy

Zakuani, Steve

Toronto FC

Attakora-Gyan, Nana

Barrett, Chad

Brennan, Jim

Cronin, Sam

de Guzman, Julian

DeRosario, Dwayne

Gomez, Emmanuel

Sanyang, Amadou

Serioux, Adrian

White, O'Brian

Wynne, Marvell

Generation adidas Graduates

Alston, Kevin

Avila, Eric

Beltran, Tony

Bowen, Tristan

Colaluca, Nico

Cruz, Daniel

Espinoza, Roger

Frei, Stefan

Gonzalez, Omar

Guarda, Bruno

Hall, Jeremy

Husidic, Baggio

Ibrahim, Fuad

Igwe, Amaechi

Lambo, Josh

Marosevic, Peri

Myers, Chance

Nimo, Alex

Nyarko, Patrick

O'Brien, Ciaran

Seitz, Chris

Shea, Brek

Valentino, Rob

Wallace, Anthony

Wallace, Rodney

Zakuani, Steve

“Legendary” Gathering of RSL Fans in Seattle

2009-11-21T23:38:00.002-07:00

Real Salt Lake held an epic gathering at FX McRory’s on Saturday night in Seattle. There were a couple of hundred RSL fans decked out in team gear, and yelling familiar (and not so familiar) chants. The room was so crowded it was hard to walk from place-to-place. In fact, FX McRory’s is known to be the more family-centered gathering place for the Sounders supporter’s group ECS (who also have another, more rowdy alternative). According to one waitress, “this is crazy”, “it’s legendary”, and “this is bigger than any Sounder’s game - it’s even more than a Seahawks game”.

Managed to have some good drinks, good fun and a lot of fun at this event. One RSL player was in attendance: Seattle native, Raphael Cox. Leo was also causing his usual havoc at the event. They had many give-away’s for autographed boots, and we managed to land Chris Seitz’ pair. The team also gave out window clings and the Budweiser scarves. They also revealed a new look flag: a checkered blue-and-red one. Let’s hope this goes up for sale to the public in the near future. We also found out the Rimando shirts will be available tomorrow. They come in black or red and say “Rimando is my homey” on the front and have his number (18) on the back with the word “Believe” above it. Can’t wait to get my hands on one.

We only managed to last until around 10PM, as did many RSL fans. With the time difference, and the long travel day, and a whirlwind of sightseeing it seemed like much, much later. I did hear from Luis with La Barra Real that they had arrived around 9PM, and were planning on making it over to the gathering, but we couldn’t stick out long enough to wait for their arrival.

Here are some more pics from the event:

Hello From Seattle

2009-11-21T18:58:00.001-07:00

Good trip thus far in Seattle. Flight went flawlessly. Checked into the hotel at 10:30 am (who lets you do that?). Saw numerous RSL fans around the city, a few Galaxy fans, and several other clubs represented (DC United, NE Revolution, KC Wizards, and Sounders of course).

Had a good lunch at Pike’s Market with a few fellow RSL fans. Good eats. Grabbed a Starbucks of course, and headed to the Seattle Center. Now we are just about to depart for the RSL convention at FX McRory’s.

Weather? Cold and rainy. Surprise, surprise. Can’t wait for the match to get here. It can’t come soon enough.

Speaking of Pike’s Place Market, here is a pic of Chris Seitz showing off his sure hands. Or is he highlighting his distribution capabilities?

Photo credit: Scott Bales, MLS

And just to give you a few more snaps of the city, here are some KIR originals. I’ll try to get some photo’s of tonight’s event and pass them along. If not, I’ll definitely get some crowd shots at the match tomorrow.

MLS CUP Reading Materials

2009-11-20T21:42:00.001-07:00

Some MLS Cup related articles for reading enjoyment:

Seattle: A fine place for a final: MLS Confidential/Ridge Mahoney

RSL owner Checketts gets to MLS Cup his way: MLS Confidential/Ridge Mahoney

MLS Playoffs: MLS Cup Notebook: Beckham Wades Into Ankle Debate Carefully: Goal.com/Kyle McCarthy

MLS Playoffs: Friday MLS Forecast: MLS Cup: Goal.com/Kyle McCarthy

MLS Playoffs: After Early Stumbles, Real Salt Lake Found Their Way: Goal.com/Luis Bueno, Andrea Canales

Championship would mean just about everything to RSL: SL Tribune/Michael C. Lewis

Title reward not a huge windfall in MLS Cup: SL Tribune/Michael C. Lewis

Friendships put aside for MLS Cup: SL Tribune/Michael C. Lewis

Size matters? Not for spectactular RSL goalkeeper: SL Tribune/Michael C. Lewis

Real Salt Lake: Kreis evolving as a first-time coach: DesNews/James Edward

For Real Salt Lake, being late worked just fine: DesNews/Brad Rock

Real Salt Lake hopes to team up on L.A. stars: DesNews/James Edward

MLSCup Daily (from MLSnet)

2009-11-20T11:14:00.001-07:00

From mlsnet...

ESPN Classic to Air “History of the MLS Cup”

Tomorrow, ESPN Classic will air a two- hour documentary titled “History of the MLS Cup.” The documentary will air at 4:00 p.m. MT and will take viewers onto the field for the best action from the first 13 MLS Cup matches, including never-before-seen footage and exclusive interviews with players and coaches. Copies of the DVD are available at www.mlsgear.com.

Clean and Green Seattle Event

MLS W.O.R.K.S. has partnered with the City of Seattle to engage the local community in a “Clean and Green Seattle” event. MLS players and executives and Seattle Government officials, Washington Youth Soccer volunteers and Seattle Sounders FC players, executives and fans will plant trees, pick up litter and restore green spaces near Qwest Field. The Clean and Green event is a partnership between MLS W.O.R.K.S. and the City of Seattle, working together to promote the importance of environmental sustainability and volunteerism, attempting to make a difference in the lives of the people of Seattle.

The program, which will include Commissioner Don Garber and select players, will commence at 9:30 a.m. PT. Media members will be able to interview MLS All-Stars from 10:00 a.m. to 10:15 a.m.PT.

Press Conferences Today to Feature Beckerman, Rimando, Donovan and Beckham

A press conference will be held at Qwest Field after each team’s training session today. Each team’s coach and players not participating in the press conference will be available in a mixed zone format prior to the press conference. Upon the conclusion of the mixed zone access at approximately 11:55 a.m. PT, Real Salt Lake captain Kyle Beckerman and goalkeeper Nick Rimando will address the media in the Post Game Press Room. After the LA Galaxy’s training and mixed zone end at approximately 2:05 p.m., team captain Landon Donovan and midfielder David Beckham will answer questions from media in the same room. Note: This will be the last media access to Donovan and Beckham until after Sunday’s match. As a reminder, only the last 15 minutes of each team’s training session will be open to media. Media members should pick up their credential prior to attending training.

Price is Right to Offer MLS Cup Package

For the first time since the league’s inception, Major League Soccer will be featured in a prize package for a major television game show. Hosted by Seattle Sounders FC investor owner Drew Carey, The Price Is Right airs daily on CBS at 11:00 am to an average of 4.5 million viewers. The episode will air today and will feature an MLS Cup Prize Package that includes a trip to MLS Cup 2009 in Seattle. Airfare, hotel stay and merchandise are included.

MLS Cup Players to Participate in Fish Toss

Before the Galaxy and Real Salt Lake battle it out on the pitch, LA forward Alan Gordon and RSL goalkeeper Chris Seitz will meet at Pike Place Market at 4:00 p.m. PT for an iconic “Tossing of the Fish.” There will be a limited amount of media parking at the Market on 1st and Pike Street, so parking is on a first come, first serve basis. For media covering Friday’s training sessions and press conferences, a shuttle bus will be available for transportation from Qwest Field to Pike Place Market and then to the Grand Hyatt Hotel in downtown after the event.

MLS Cup Game Guide Available

With both the LA Galaxy and Real Salt Lake coming from the Western Conference, the dominance of that division in recent MLS Cups will continue. Since 2001, Western Conference clubs have won six of the eight MLS Cups. Until last year’s all-East matchup between Columbus and New York, a 3-1 Crew victory, only D.C. United’s 2004 victory had broken the West’s hegemony. For more analysis, complete rosters, bios, game notes and probable lineups, click here for the MLS Cup Game Guide.

Seattle Weather Update

According to Weather.com, there will likely be rain in Seattle today through Saturday. Matchday forecast shows a 40% chance of precipitation. Temperatures are expected to stay in the mid-40s during the day, and drop to the low-40s at night. Check back tomorrow for an updated weather forecast.

Weekend Schedule in Seattle

2009-11-19T23:52:00.001-07:00

FX McRory's - RSL's "Official" Fan Headquarters
FX McRory's will be the Real Salt Lake headquarters while in Seattle for the 2009 MLS Cup. Be sure to stop by FX McRory's throughout the weekend to meet up with fellow RSL fans in preparation for Sunday’s big game! FX McRory's is located in the shadows of Qwest Field at 419 Occidental Avenue South. The establishment offers a full food and beverage menu and is family friendly, with kids of all ages welcome to join. For more info, visit www.fxmcrorys.com.

Friday, November 20

· RSL staffers will head to FX McRory’s early in the day to “dress up” the team’s headquarters in Claret-and-Cobalt. There are no official events taking place at FX McRory’s on Friday, but fans are still encouraged to use the establishment as a meeting place to show their support for what will be “RSL HQ” for the rest of the weekend.

· RSL’s Chris Seitz and Galaxy FW Alan Gordon will take part in an iconic tradition in Seattle – “Fish Throwing” with the fish mongers at the world-famous Pike’s Place Fish Market. The media photo opportunity – in which fans are welcome to attend – will begin at 4:00 p.m. PT.

Saturday, November 21

· The annual MLS Supporters Summit, hosted by various Seattle Sounders FC Supporters Groups, will be hosting events throughout the weekend, highlighted by Saturday’s events at Qwest Field. For a full listing of MLS Supporters Summit events and more information, visit http://sounderscouncil.com/summit/.

· Two players from both squads will take part in a photo opportunity at the top of Seattle’s famed Space Needle, which has been painted in the image of a soccer ball in honor of Sunday’s MLS Cup 2009. The media/photo opportunity is scheduled to take place at 2:30 p.m. PT (players still to be confirmed).

· Real Salt Lake supporters will host the official “RSL Cup Kickoff Party” at FX McRory’s Saturday night at 7:00 p.m. Come and meet up with the RSL contingency of fans, make posters, and grab some great food as we turn they turn the venue Claret-and-Cobalt!

Sunday, November 22

· RSL fans are encouraged to gather at FX McRory’s for a pre-match party by no later than 1:00 p.m.

· From the restaurant, fans will head over to join the “March to the Match” at 4:00 p.m. in Occidental Park in Pioneer Park. The parade of fans will head south down Occidental Avenue towards Qwest Field shortly thereafter. RSL fans are encouraged to wear their colors – and bring their scarves – to show their support for Utah’s MLS side!

MLS Broadcast Info – Sunday, Nov. 22 – MLS Cup 2009

Real Salt Lake v. Los Angeles Galaxy – ESPN, Galavision

Qwest Field, Seattle, Wash. – 6:30 p.m. MT

Expansion Draft – Projected Toll on RSL

2009-11-19T15:53:00.001-07:00

Regardless of the result on Monday, Garth Lagerwey and Jason Kreis will be forced to sit down with the players on Monday as they have to turn in their list of players protected and exposed in the upcoming Expansion Draft for the addition of the Philadelphia Union. The draft will occur on Wednesday of next week.

Garth Lagerwey isn’t a fan of the expansion draft, “I hate the expansion draft. No matter what I do we are going to lose. We’re going to lose a player that we really like. The only thing we can do is be honest with people, look them in the eye, and say thanks.”

Lagerwey is indeed prepared to lose a player, “I don’t think we’re going to be one of those teams that doesn’t have a player selected.”

Lagerwey feels that this is an indication of where they are at in terms of developing the team, “If in the expansion draft we lose a good player, I feel like we’ve done something right. That’s a small consolation in the whole thing.It’s an indication that we have a depth of talent that other teams want to pick a player from.”

Soccer By Ives, pointed out the recently released Expansion Draft Rules (which you can find here).

Teams get to protect 11 players, both senior and developmental

Generation adidas players do not need to be protected

Designated players only need to be protected if they have a no trade clause

Teams can only lose one player -- after a team has a player selected, they are out

The expansion draft will last ten rounds

Our good friend Drew at WV Hooligan, gave us his list of what he thinks. I think his list is spot on, but I think there is a chance they could protect a talented young player: Alexandre, Cox or Gonzalez and gamble on leaving an older veteran off the list.

Protected	Available	Exempt
Kyle Beckerman	Jean Alexandre	Tony Beltran
Nat Borchers	Raphael Cox	Alex Nimo
Pablo Campos	Rachid El Khalifi	Chris Seitz
Fabian Espindola	Nelson Gonzalez
Robbie Findley	Ned Grabavoy
Will Johnson	David Horst
Javier Morales	Clint Mathis
Jamison Olave	Yura Movsisyan
Nick Rimando	Tino Nunez
Robbie Russell	Kyle Reynish
Chris Wingert	Andy Williams

With this in mind, there are a few options that the Union could take:

Andy Williams – the veteran has had a great run at the end of 2009.
Raphael Cox – the kid has shown something in his limited opportunities.
Nelson Gonzalez – if they’ve scouted this kid, they may know that he’d be a steal.

Interview with Rancid Guitarist Lars Frederiksen

2009-11-19T11:56:00.001-07:00

Thanks to a heads-up from TheOriginalWinger, here is an interview with Rancid guitarist Lars Frederiksen. He discusses among other things his love for Millwall, the fact that he’s a San Jose Earthquakes season ticket holder and his planned attendance at the MLS Cup in Seattle. As you’ll recall KIR broke the news that he and teammate Branden Steineckart will be in attendance.

MLS Cup T-shirts on Sale NOW!!!

2009-11-19T11:41:00.001-07:00

These just came in today – available in the team store. $20, but STH get a 25% discount. If you are heading off to Seattle, get yours before you go.

Sendoff to Seattle

2009-11-18T22:57:00.001-07:00

SANDY, UTAH (Wednesday, November 18, 2009) – Real Salt Lake invites all fans of the Claret-and-Cobalt to give the squad a proper farewell for its first MLS Cup appearance TOMORROW, Thursday, November 19, at 3:30 p.m. MT, when the Utah side will host a “Sendoff to Seattle” rally at the Million Air facility in Salt Lake City (303 North 2370 West), located in the Executive Terminal at the Salt Lake City International Airport.

Real Salt Lake players, coaches, and the team’s entire front office staff will be departing for Seattle – the site of Sunday’s MLS Cup 2009 against the Los Angeles Galaxy (6:30 p.m. MT, live on ESPN & TeleFutura) – tomorrow afternoon. The Real Salt Lake travel party will leave for “The Emerald City” on JetBlue’s “RealBlue” airliner, which was christened by the team when it traveled to Southern California for its 2-0 road victory over the Galaxy back in June.

Please allow adequate time for parking, which will be located at the executive terminal in front of Million Air’s facilities.

WHAT: Real Salt Lake “Sendoff to Seattle” rally

WHO: Real Salt Lake players, coaches, front office staff and fans

WHEN: 3:30 p.m. MT, Thursday, November 19, 2009

WHERE: Million Air – Salt Lake City (Hangar 1)

Salt Lake City International Airport – Executive Terminal

303 North 2370 West in Salt Lake City

NOTES: Parking for fans and media will be available at the Million Air facility;

New Jet Blue Options to Seattle

2009-11-18T16:27:00.002-07:00

Beginning at 2:00 p.m. MT today, the following is valid:

JetBlue Airways offers RSL fans special pricing to Seattle.JetBlue Airways, the official airline of Real Salt Lake and Rio Tinto Stadium is offering a special $99 fare (one-way) from Salt Lake City to Seattle to cheer on Real Salt Lake!

The seats are EXTREMELY limited so fans will have to act fast to secure this great rate.
Important Details:
- $99 one way fare
- Flights will connect over Long Beach, CA
- Customers must call 1-800-JETBLUE (these fares are not available on jetblue.com)
- Mention promo code REAL
- Travel out of Salt Lake is on Thursday, Friday or Saturday
- Travel out of Seattle is Monday and Tuesday
- Seats are extremely limited so act fast!

MLS Cup tidbits

2009-11-18T10:55:00.001-07:00

There was a teleconference held yesterday with Galaxy Coach Bruce Arena and Defender Gregg Berhalter, and with RSL Coach Jason Kreis and Goalkeeper Nick Rimando. Rather than type up the text of this, here is the link on MLSnet. A couple of quotes are listed below, and additional Cup information that has been provided by MLSnet.

Quotables from Yesterday’s Teleconference

“At the moment, [Real Salt Lake players] are playing close to their capabilities and close to their potential. I believe that if they continue to do that this weekend, we've got every shot in the world and I don't care what any record or stat might say.”

- RSL Coach Jason Kreis

“Every time this team’s been knocked down a little bit, they got up. And you could see that character starting to develop as early as that date in June when we played Toronto. That to me was perhaps the first indication that we were a team that we had a chance to be a team that could qualify for the playoffs.”

- Galaxy Coach Bruce Arena, referring to his team’s 2-1 victory at Toronto on June 6.

Philip F. Anschutz Trophy to Arrive in Seattle Today at Noon via Ferry

The Philip F. Anschutz championship trophy will officially arrive in Seattle today. Escorting the trophy across the Puget Sound will be two former MLS Cup winners and current architects of Seattle Sounders FC’s on-field success – Technical Director Chris Henderson and Coach Sigi Schmid. The festivities will kick of at 12:05 p.m. PT at Pier 52.

Things to See and Do in Seattle This Week

The MLS Cup Insider Blog has created an outsider’s guide to Seattle and a rundown of live music and other events going on in the Emerald City this week. Also on the blog are audio clips from Nick Rimando, Santino Quaranta, and Peter Vermes – each with a different take on MLS Cup.

Injury Report

On Tuesday, the two teams set to compete in MLS Cup released their injury reports:

Real Salt Lake: QUESTIONABLE: FW Fabian Espíndola (L TFL strain). PROBABLE: DF Jamison Olave (R knee derangement), DF Chris Wingert (L adductor tightness).

LA Galaxy: OUT: DF Julian Valentin (R foot fracture); FW Alecko Eskandarian (head). QUESTIONABLE: MF Stefani Miglioranzi (L groin strain).

No players from either team are out due to suspension.

Seattle Weather Update

According to Weather.com, there will likely be rain in Seattle today through Saturday. Matchday forecast shows a 40% chance of precipitation. Temperatures are expected to stay in the high-40s during the day, and drop to the low-40s at night. Check back tomorrow for an updated weather forecast.

RSL/Seattle Trip Updates

2009-11-17T23:27:00.007-07:00

BUS UPDATE

It looks like a 3rd bus has been scheduled to take RSL supporters to the Emerald City. I believe that there are spots still available for this bus, but please call 801-727-2727.

SPACE NEEDLE PICS

Here are some pics of the RSL logo being added to the Space Needle (courtesy of RSL Communications). I'm hoping to get a pic of these from above as we fly in on Saturday morning.

In Case You Missed It

It's been a busy couple of days in RSL-land. Here are some brief recaps:

3 buses full of supporters heading up to Seattle on Saturday + separate hotel deal.
Jet Blue charter arranged for season ticket holders.
Media conference today at Rio Tinto, and separate teleconference with both teams (details to come).
Formal announcement of Dell Loy Hansen as new minority owner to be made tomorrow.
Announcement of FX McRory's as the headquarters for RSL fans in Seattle.
MLS Cup ticket info.
Some Seattle basics.
RSL to wear Red in MLS Cup.
Seattle Travel arrangement info.

Keep in touch. We'll keep you updated through the time of the big game.

Beck’s –v- Beck’s

2009-11-17T22:32:00.001-07:00

Hey Galaxy, our Beck’s……

The Hair

The Skills

Reggae Music

Captain

$160,000

…..is better than your Beck’s

The Hair

The Skills

Tell-all book

Ex-Captain

$6,500,000

Two stars: one a very understated player among the top American-born players currently playing in Major League Soccer, the other a star of a much different magnitude that has reached the heights of play at the highest level.

Two talents: one a guy with a motor that doesn't quite, the other a player that can bend a ball like no other.

Two personalities: one completely at home in the limelight of Hollywood, the other more at home playing a guitar or chillin’ with his teammates.

Two midfielders: one a roaming right mid reluctant to play both sides, the other a defensive midfielder with the range to get forward.

Two hearts: one dedicated and committed, the other here one day, gone the next.

Branden Steineckart at MLS Cup

2009-11-17T20:29:00.003-07:00

Well known Real Salt Lake supporter, and Salt Lake City native Branden Steineckart will be heading up to Seattle this weekend along with band-mate Lars Frederiksen . Branden is the drummer for the punk rock band Rancid, and his support of RSL has been very visible in the past.

Pic courtesy of TheOriginalWinger (more pics)

Rancid on Twitter

Branden's Myspace

Rancid Myspace

Branden at new stadium (VIDEO)

From Rancid to Real (VIDEO)

Jet Blue Deal to Seattle for STH

2009-11-17T20:28:00.001-07:00

Exclusive Offer to Real Salt Lake Season Ticket Holders Courtesy of JetBlue Airways
Real Salt Lake has been able to secure a limited number of seats for Season Ticket Holders to travel on Real Blue, JetBlue's Real Salt Lake branded aircraft, this Saturday, November 21st to Seattle, Washington. This flight is based on first-come-first-served basis and is strictly available to current Season Ticket holders and 2010 Season Ticket Holders.

Roundtrip Airfare to Seattle, Washington
• Leaving Salt Lake City at 12:15 PM on Saturday, November 21
• Arriving Seattle at 1:15 PM on Saturday, November 21

• Leaving Seattle at 5:30 PM on Monday, November 23
• Arriving Salt Lake City at 8:30 PM on Monday, November 23

Total cost for air travel - $300

Please call 801.727.2702 right now to secure your seats.

Remember you must be a Season Ticket Holder.

Seattle Bus Trip Lodging Info

2009-11-17T20:24:00.003-07:00

If you are travelling on one of the buses to Seattle, a block of rooms have been reserved for you at the Holiday Inn in Seattle, but you must book Wednesday

RATE: $76.54 + tax, per room, per night.

Holiday Inn - Seattle
211 Dexter Avenue North
Seattle, WA 98109
www.holidayinn.com/seattlewa

RSL to Make Major Announcement on Wed

2009-11-17T16:55:00.002-07:00

It sounds like all of the i's are dotted and t's are crossed on the ownership deal with Del Loy Hansen (see below). We'll share details with you as they emerge.

SANDY, UTAH (Tuesday, November 17, 2009) – In advance of this weekend’s Major League Soccer championship match between Real Salt Lake and the Los Angeles Galaxy, SCP Worldwide Founder & Chairman Dave Checketts will host a press conference TOMORROW, Wednesday, November 18, 2009 to unveil a new ownership partner for Real Salt Lake, Rio Tinto Stadium and KALL 700 AM Sports Radio.

RSL HQ in Seattle

2009-11-17T15:18:00.002-07:00

Courtesy of Trey Fitz-Gerald, RSL Communications, here are the details of RSL's home base in Seattle. Make sure that you stop by.

We have secured a headquarters for RSL in Seattle. We will be meeting at the bar named FX McRory’s, it is directly across the street from the stadium.

I have reserved half of the bar area for us on Saturday night starting at 7:00PM, this area should be able to hold about 150 people, if more folks show up that is fine, I have just set aside an area for us to call home. Families and children are all welcome, but children are not allowed to belly up to the bar. Everyone will be able to order off the full menu, and get their own checks.

They have agreed to allow us to decorate to our hearts content, and we can even set up RSL gear out front. I have the contact information for the maintenance guy who will allow us to come into the bar prior to opening to get things set up. They have 18 foot tall ceilings, so we should be able to get a lot of cool stuff up.

Sunday, the bar opens at 10:00 AM, we could not reserve any area, because it is sports day, so it is just a first come first serve basis, but we will still have all our gear up.

A Shower of Streamers & Confetti?

2009-11-17T10:29:00.004-07:00

Qwest Field reportedly has a no tolerance approach to flares, and other materials that may be considered "contraband". One RSL fan has suggested that the supporters emulate this from their digs in Section 318 on Sunday:

RSL HQ's in Seattle

2009-11-17T09:19:00.002-07:00

Look for further info coming, but Davy Ratchford from RSL has indicated that RSL will have a HQ in Seattle as a base for RSL fans to gather, and mingle. Below is his post on Big Soccer, regarding the issue:

Keep watching our Facebook, Blog and websites for more information, but we've been working with the Seattle FO and their supporter groups and we will have an RSL HQ up in Seattle at a pub near the stadium. We'll designate this are for info, sign making, window cling distribution, event info and so on.

We've been invited to march in with the seattle supporters from their ususal pioneer square location.This is from the thread on Tickets. Probably better served here.

The FO will be up there on Friday (near the stadium, exact location coming). We are hoping to organize a fan rally up there leading up to the game.

If you have any additional questions please email me at dratchford@realsaltlake.com

We've been trying to move on a lot of fronts to get additional tickets from Seattle, assisting barra with the buses, getting HQ details set up and talking with the airlines to open up more flights with better pricing. Some details are still coming.

One other thing. I'll be bringing up a gigantic (40' x 60') RSL Shield. I figured we'll want something up there in section 338 to make our mark

Some Seattle Tips for Newbies

2009-11-17T07:38:00.001-07:00

I’m not an expert on Seattle, but here are a couple of things that I do know that may be of use to any of those that are visiting for the first time:

Transportation: Seattle has phenomenal public transportation. If you are flying in, and staying downtown you can take a bus (or even light rail) for a couple of bucks. Doesn't sound glamorous (and it's not), but it's easy, quick and completely painless. A taxi from the airport to downtown is typically $30-$35.

You can use this site to plan your transportation needs. Just remember to have exact change. Also, there is a fare free zone downtown.

Getting Around (in general): the heart of downtown Seattle isn't all that big. You can walk from the Space Needle on the north end to Qwest Field in the south with relative ease (or take public transport). It’s only a couple of miles.

Food: Whatever you do, don't leave Seattle without sampling the fabulous seafood. I recommend Ivar's, but that’s just my preference. There are other fabulous options as well – here are some ideas.

Seeing the Sights: There's a lot to see in Seattle, but here are a few of my favorites:

the Space Needle of course. I'm a sucker for paying $15 to head to the top of a tall structure, and the SN is no exception.
the Aquarium: another thing that I'm a sucker for. Usually I blame this one on the kids, but they aren't coming along this time.
Pike's Place market: nothing quite like this. Whether it's the fish tossing, the fresh fruits and veggies, or the flowers – it’s surprisingly entertaining.
Watching Real Salt Lake win the MLS Cup at Qwest Field.
Here are some other sightseeing ideas.

Sportin' The Colors

2009-11-16T19:00:00.010-07:00

For those Real Salt Lake fans making the journey to the northwest for Sunday's MLS Cup, here is the suggested dress: RED!

RSL will be wearing the red kits,

while LA Galaxy will prove that bad guys sometimes wear WHITE.

And just in case you are in need of some new RSL threads, the team has put out this not-so-subtle, well-timed reminder about the 50% off sale at the team store through Friday: Behind the Shield - Let's Paint Another Town Red

Nick Rimando Chat

2009-11-16T17:28:00.002-07:00

Catch up with PK killer Nick Rimando on a facebook chat. Here are the details from the team:

Nick Rimando to Host Chat on RSL’s Official Facebook Page Tuesday at 10:00 a.m.

Real Salt Lake’s Official Facebook Page is gaining momentum along with the team, and the site will feature perhaps RSL’s hottest player on Tuesday at 10:00 a.m. MT, when GK Nick Rimando will hop online to answer questions for the more than 7,700 folks that have become official Facebook fans of Utah’s MLS side. RSL faithful that want to have their questions answered by Rimando – and find out details on how to purchase a limited edition “Nick Is My Homeboy” t-shirt in advance of Sunday’s MLS Cup – can click here to join the growing list of official friends of RSL.

Ironically, Real Salt Lake’s page jumped the Chicago Fire and then the Los Angeles Galaxy late last week to become the third most populous official Facebook site for MLS teams. After Andy Williams’ successful fan chat last week prior to the win against Chicago, Real Salt Lake’s Facebook page will again feature an on-site player chat from Seattle this Friday or Saturday leading up to MLS Cup … with player information and date/time details to be blasted out to RSL’s online fans by Thursday afternoon.

Bus Update #2

2009-11-16T16:38:00.002-07:00

Luis from La Barra Real has been hard at work on making bus arrangements. There are now TWO buses scheduled (and nearly full).

I can confirm that the plan is to leave at 6 am on Saturday morning from Rio Tinto Stadium (you can leave your car there, but make sure its locked and with no valuables). There will be a couple of brief stops along the way. The return will be at midnight on Sunday after the game and the bus will drive straight through, again with only a couple of brief stops.

If you haven't already done so, you will need to call 801-727-2727 to get a spot - they are limited! You will also need to stop by Rio Tinto by Wednesday in order to make your payment and guarantee your spot.

Luis is also looking into a group rate for a hotel in Seattle, and we'll pass along any news as soon as it's available.

Bus update

2009-11-16T15:05:00.005-07:00

I have been chasing down charter bus quotes to help La Barra Real who is working to arrange a bus that would travel to Seattle Saturday morning and return either Sunday night after the game (likely at midnight on Sun), or Monday morning. The cost is $120 per person, which includes the bus travel and a ticket to the game in the RSL supporter’s section. Everyone will be responsible for their own hotel arrangements.

Please call 801-727-2727 for details. It looks likely that there will be one full bus, and a second one may need to be arranged, but seats are limited to ensure a full bus.

Updated Ticket Info (Supporters Section)

2009-11-16T11:27:00.001-07:00

Each buyer will need to first enter the Special Offer Code and then create an account (or sign in using an existing Sounders FC group account). After creating an account they will be able to purchase tickets in the corresponding Supporters Section. A fee of $1.25 per ticket will be applied to the final cost (no other service fees) and all tickets will be printed by the buyer at home. They will not receive a hard ticket nor will they need to go to will call. Please let me know if you have any questions or need anything else.

4 ticket limit Tickets $25 each

Section 338 initially, could group depending on demand

Eastern Conference: https://oss.ticketmaster.com/html/go.htmI?l=EN&t=seattlemls&o=251&g=143

Special Offer Code: SEAMLSCUP

Tickets are also available through mlsnet.com if there is no need or desire to be in the supporters section. The link is:

http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/0F004328C95577D0?