Controversy

The “Controversy”: As most of you are aware, Real Salt Lake had their second major controversy of the season this week in their match against San Jose. The first controversy occurred against Toronto early in the season when 3 minutes of stoppage time was signaled, but the referee blew the whistle after only about 1 minute. In retrospect this was most likely inconsequential, but it’s conceivable that RSL could have scored an equalizer with those last 2 minutes of lifeline. This incident played a major part in Jason Kreis later being fined by the league for some critical comments in the Deseret News.

This week’s big controversy appears to have a direct result on the outcome. The play that led to the controversy happened around the 72nd minute of the game, when Javier Morales put a well-placed corner kick onto the head of Robbie Findley who flicked the ball forward to a forward rushing Kyle Beckerman who appeared to be beyond the final defender when the ball was played and just managed to get his toe onto it to put the ball into the net. My initial reaction was that he was offside on the play, but there was no such indication. A goal was indicated on the scoreboard. Both the referee, Jason Anno, and the assistant seemed to indicate a goal and trotted toward midfield for the ensuing restart. However suddenly there seemed to be confusion as the team and crowd continued to celebrate. Some discussion took place with referee and players on the field. The referee took the ball down toward the San Jose goal and pulled an RSL player in for a chat (I believe it was Javier Morales, despite the fact that Beckerman was the goal scorer and the one with the captain’s armband I believe). Next thing you knew, Joe Cannon was placing the ball at the 6 yard spot for a goal kick.



Two points of controversy came out of this. The first point of controversy was the impression that the referee disregarded the assistant who kept his flag down on the play, and was somehow influenced (either by watching the scoreboard or by the appeals of the San Jose players) to change the ruling. Many have claimed to have witnessed both of these occurring, but I have not seen any visual evidence of this, or heard any confirmation of this from anyone on the field. Obviously if the referee is swayed by the replay or players on the field, that would seem to be a major integrity issue. The second point of controversy came after the fact, when evidence came to light that there was a defender out wide that appeared to keep Beckerman onside after all. This wasn’t initially obvious because the player was out near the sideline defending the corner and Beckerman was directly in front of the goal. This controversy would have been a point of discussion in any event, but likely would have quickly blown over. However, combined with the referee’s change of heart on the call, this has received much more attention.

What are your thoughts on this situation? It will be interesting to see what conclusion the MLS officials come to when they review this weeks on the field officiating.

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Home Sweet Home

Some thoughts on tonights match:

• Great outcome but should have been expected. Temporarily puts us 3 games out of 1st in the West. A word of caution though - we are just starting a phase heavy on home games. We are undefeated in 5 home games this season. We NEED to win these due to the inability we have shown to pick up points on the road.
• Kreis indicated that an article in todays newspaper (presumably Michael C. Lewis' article yesterday actually) may have provided motivation for the team.
• Chris Wingert: good game getting forward and helping to create havoc in the final 3rd. Was this elevated play on his behalf or just a result of him having more freedom due to San Jose's inability to put pressure on RSL's defense?
• Javier Morales: Man of the match. Probably best match of the season. Scored a goal and an assist to put him in the league lead in that category.
• Robbie Findley: Break out game or anomoly? The goal he scored was a solid strike (although I'm a bit surprised that Cannon didn't get a hand on it. He showed decent touch and actually did something with the ball on several occasions.
• Fabian Espindola: reportedly left the game with a slight injury. Appeared visibily upset on the sideline, and was dressed and exiting the stadium within about 3 minutes of the end of the match. Is there something beyond the injury at play here?
• Kenny Deuchar and Ryan Cochrane had an emotional, heated personal battle that lasted throughout the match.
• Word on the street is that the Leo that appeared at the match was an imposter.

(click images to enlarge)

MLS POSTGAME QUOTE SHEET (courtesy RSL communications)
REAL SALT LAKE 3 : 1 SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES
SATURDAY, MAY 31, 2008
RICE-ECCLES STADIUM – SALT LAKE CITY, UT

REAL SALT LAKE FW ROBBIE FINDLEY

On the flow of the game:
“The first half was a little bit sloppy, we didn’t have a real good flow of the game. But for the second half we got a little talking [in the locker room], got us riled up and we went out and played like we wanted to.”

On the pressure to win:
“We knew we had to get (the win), but we’re at home, we’ve been doing well at home so far, so we just had to go out there and keep doing the same thing we’ve been doing and be able to hold them for 90 minutes.”

REAL SALT LAKE FW KENNY DEUCHAR

On the play of Robbie Findley:
“I’ve got to hand it to Robbie, he came into the game and started the game for us with a goal and an assist. He was excellent for us today.”

On RSL’s home-field advantage:
“It’s real important when you play in any league that your home form is good. That’s obviously five games, six if you include the Open Cup game, that we’re undefeated at home. We’ve got a lot of good wins right here as well. We’ve got to concentrate on keeping this place a very had place to come to. Teams don’t like coming here, and if they know we are good at home they’re going to like it even less.”

SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES HEAD COACH FRANK YALLOP

On what happened after the good start:
“We did well in the first half and came into halftime nil-nil, which away from home is what you try to do. Obviously a goal would’ve been good but we didn’t even really look like scoring the first half. It’s just disappointing the goals that went in, the first one was a good goal, it was a good strike by [Robbie] Findley, the second one looked a little easy but I’d have to look at them on tape. It’s always a little difficult to figure out.”

On playing in Salt Lake City three times in seven weeks:
“I’m not in love with the field to be honest; it was a terrible game to watch. The first half was awful. It’s just tough for our players to come and play on it, that’s hard. We play them in a couple weeks and we better be ready for that one. We had the Open Cup and we conceded four goals and tonight three, so we need to make sure we’re ready for the next game.”

SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES MF RAMIRO CORRALES:

On the Earthquakes’ performance tonight:
“I think we did a good job in the first half. We were very compact and did a good job, but I think we lost our shape a little bit in the second half and then they scored the first goal and it was pretty much over after that. It felt like we started dragging a little more after the first one, and then they got the second, and then the third, and it’s tough after that.”

On missing key players:
“I think the guys that came in for the other guys did A-OK. I don’t think it was that [missing key players], I think we just lost it a little bit in the second half.”

SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES DF NICK GARCIA:

On starting strong and falling apart:
“We fell asleep. In the first half we were fortunate for Joe [Cannon] to come up big on that penalty kick, and the second half was just a luckless effort and we were punished for it. The steady slippery slope began from that point on and we were punished. I don’t think Salt Lake’s three goals better than us. We’ve given up seven goals in the past two games; the one was an Open Cup (game), so I don’t really count that, but they were the better team tonight.”

On what San Jose can take from this result::
“We’ve just got to get it going from the beginning. It just can’t be one of those things where they score a goal or two and then we get going. We’ve had a little bit of a roller coaster ride in the beginning of the season, with some wins and some ties and some losses, and for us we’ve gotta get the ship on course. We’re almost a third of the way through the season, so for us we’ve gotta get some results; whether it’s home or away we need to start winning because losing is never fun. We’ve got to get that bitter taste out of our mouth and make the most of it.”

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A View From the Other Side: RSL -vs- SJ

Real Salt Lake -vs- San Jose Earthquakes

from the perspective of Big Soccer poster Lurking

_______________________________________________________

When San Jose takes the field vs. Real Salt Lake on Saturday, it will be a matchup of two teams two wins, five losses, and plenty of question marks to keep their respective fan bases buying Pepto Bismol by the case.

San Jose will almost certainly stay in Frank Yallop's version of the 4-4-2, but the side will be forced to make a couple of changes from the lineup they fielded in their home win over the Houston Dynamo. Out will be Kei Kamara and Ivan Guerrerro, both away on international duty for Sierra Leone and Honduras respectively. Recent acquisition and familiar RSL advesary Jovan Kirovski will likely take Kamara's spot up top. Guerrerro's stand in is a little less certain, with the likely additions being Joe Vide or Shea Salinas. Vide would slot into the center of the park, with either Grabavoy or Corrales moving to left midfield while Salinas would likely play on the left directly. Yallop seems to like Salinas, using him consistently as a sub in the 2nd half, so the less disruptive outside midfielder for outside midfielder move seems more likely.

Offensively:

San Jose likes to transition quickly into the attack, driven by their outside midfielders and forwards. They will move forward in numbers, but this tends to be more a product of players waiting for more help, then out of an attempt to build slowly from the back. They have been hit and miss this season with this approach, scoring 2 goals 3 times, but being held scoreless 5 times. Their road form in particular has been noteworthy, as they created excellent chances in their 2-0 win against Colorado, but looked hapless in their other 3 road games. Which team shows up is the question most fans in San Jose will be asking themselves going into this one.

Defensively:

San Jose has been remarkably solid for an expansion team, tied for 6th in the league giving up 1.375 goals per game. They tend to play a little lower pressure then San Jose teams of old, but are well organized defensively and do not give up many good looks at goal for their opponent. Their weakness defensively has largely been a product of weakness in midfield, where players have been caught in possession, leading to transition opportunities.

A look at the likely starting lineup:

Ryan Johnson - FW - Last week his insertion into the starting lineup at forward created lots of havoc on Houston's back line. He is big, physical, and has good speed. While a bit raw at times, he really threw himself around on the field with a lot of energy. If he can pressure the Real back line as effectively as he did against Houston, San Jose should be able to create some chances.

Jovan Kirovski - FW - This will likely be his first start for the Earthquakes, so it will be interesting to see how well he integrates into the team. A known quantity in MLS, hes not going to blow anyone away. San Jose will be hoping that he can link up with Johnson, make good off the ball runs to open space for teamates, and to take any chances that might come his way.

Ronnie O'Brien - RM - Hes played fairly deep on the right side for San Jose, perhaps not getting as far forward as Earthquake fans might like. Hes a smart player, whose put in some good work on the ball. Dont expect him to try to take his man 1v1, hes going to look to combine with teamates, and might send in some early crosses from the right.

Shea Salinas - LM - He has lots of pace, and the technical ability to apply it to good effect, but the rookie doesnt quite seem to have the tactical acumen to apply those tools for maximum effect. He also tends to be overly aggressive, so Salt lake may have a chance to exploit Denton behind him. Young players like Shea can be inconsistant, so hes a bit of an X-facotr in this one.

Ramiro Corales - CM - Not a dedicated ballwinner, but he is the more defensive of the two center midfielders. His job is going to be take good defensive positions, link up with teamates. He has been victimized in losing possession in dangerous areas, so if San Jose is not moving well off the ball, pressuring him can create a goal scoring oppotunity in transition.

Ned Grabavoy - CM - His role in the offense isnt entirely clear at this stage. Like Corrales, he will have signifigant defensive responsibilities, but he will be the more forward of the two. However, wether that role is primarily a distributor, or more as a link player is uncertain. While he can be dangerous at times, he seems mostly to fall into the distributer category for San Jose.

Eric Denton - LB - Seemingly out of the league, hes back, and playing pretty well. Hes shown a good left foot, and while he wont wow anyone with his defenisve play, it has been solid.

Nick Garcia - LCB - A tough veteran presence, he will make quite a few right place and right time defenisve plays. Hes not big, or physically dominating, he does play with veteran savvy.

Ryan Cochrane - RCB - Like Garcia, he is not a physically imposing back, relying more on savvy. He can be mistake prone, so RSL might get a chance or two from a breakdown.

Jason Hernandez - RB - Somewhat limted going forward, he has godo speed, and plays well defensively. A solid right back.

Joe Cannon - GK - An excellent shot stopper, he has had communication issues at times with his back line. His distribution is somewhat lacking from free and goal kicks.

These teams have already met once in the open cup in Salt Lake, with the home side taking an easy 4-0 victory. However, before fans of either team start penciling in another RSL victory, it should be noted that the game featured a brutal collision between San Jose's centerbacks Jay Ayres and Ryan Cochrane, knocking both players out of the game. Cochrane would miss the next two games with a concussion, while Ayres is still out with a facial fracture that required surgery. As the home team, RSL has to be the favorite in this one, but expect a more competitive game this time around.

Prediction:

1-0 to RSL.

Real has shown good home form, and based on their previous road games, the safe bet seems to be against San Jose from having a strong performance. That said, the Earthquakes cant be counted out, as they have shown good form at times this season. Particularly on the road against Colorado, a result that probably brought a smile or two from Real Salt Lake fans.

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