RSL Takes Four-Point Lead in West -> Goal.com
In what was a rare Monday night game at Rice Eccles stadium, the script seemed well-written. Real Salt Lake managed to extend its unbeaten streak at home by outscoring Toronto FC 2-1 in front of an announced crowd of 12,319.
RSL avoid late-match meltdown -> MLSnet/John Coon
But Robbie Findley refused to let the game become the latest to get away from Real in the closing minutes. Findley keyed a 2-1 RSL victory at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Monday night when he stuck a dagger in the Reds' comeback hopes with a spectacular game-winning goal in the 87th minute.
Summertime Fun: RSL 2 - Toronto FC 1 -> RSL.theoffside.com/Akeem Samuels
The game was scoreless until the 63rd minute when the Colombian, Jamison Olave headed in a beautiful cross from 20 yards away, past Toronto FC Goalkeeper Greg Sutton. However after an unnecessary take down by Olave in the 83rd minute, Toronto’s Amado Guevara directed a free kick into the top left corner pocket to bring the game at 1-all. In the dying minutes, Robbie Findley put a Sutton deflection into to the net to extend the team’s points lead over Houston and Los Angeles to 4, extend the team’s home unbeaten streak to 11, and going into this unprecedented 18 day team break on a high note.
Real Salt Lake: Real-ly above .500 after Monday night win -> Deseret News/James Edward
"To give away a goal late in the game and to react the way they did makes me incredibly proud ... to not only be leading this group but to feel like I'm part of this group," said Kreis.
Real Salt Lake defender Olave is hitting his stride in time -> Deseret News/Dan Rasmussen
"He's been nothing short of spectacular," said RSL's coach.
Real Salt Lake notes: Russell makes quick debut for RSL -> Deseret News/James Edward
"It was just that first chance to get a feel for the league and what the play is like, and we got a win so I can't complain," said Russell. "It was definitely interesting getting used to that turf. It was only my second day on the turf."
RSL: RSL's win keeps home spotless -> Salt Lake Tribune/Michael C. Lewis
Just when it looked as if Real Salt Lake would end its first home game as a first-place team the same discouraging way it finished so many others while languishing in last, Robbie Findley slid to the rescue.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Today's Updates: Tuesday July 29, 2008
Sunday, July 13, 2008
FIRST PLACE!!!
Real Salt Lake notes: New starters provide spark -> Deseret News/James Edward
"It was really just looking Kenny and Robbie in the eye and seeing they were getting a little bit frustrated," said Kreis. "I know from my history of being a goal-scorer that it can become very mentally fatiguing, and I thought those two they needed a break, and I also thought that Yura and Tino over the past couple of weeks have deserved the opportunity."
Columbus at RSL player grades -> DNews Blog/James Edward
RSL: From worst to first -> Salt Lake Tribune/Michael C. Lewis
One hundred and ten games and 1,197 days since the team played its first game in Major League Soccer, after the arrival and departure of 51 players, the reconstruction of a coaching staff and front office, and a long public battle over the construction of a new stadium, the team has finally reached first place.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Post-Game Reaction
Wizards end winless streak by downing Real Salt Lake -> Kansas City Star/Bob Luder
Maybe it was a little magic from a Wizard of Waverly Place. In the end, it took the head of an opposing player. But the Wizards finally got a goal. And it couldn’t have come at a more opportune time.
RSL at Kansas City player grades -> DNews Blog/Dan Rasmussen
RSL's finishing troubles rumble on -> MLSNet/Thomas Foote
The chances keep coming, the targets are set, but unfortunately for Real Salt Lake, the ball isn't going into the net.
Real Salt Lake: Poof! Wizards make RSL's hopes vanish -> Deseret News/Robert Whitman
"I thought we did all the necessary stuff that you need to pick up a result on the road," Kreis said. "I thought we were together, we worked very hard, and we created enough chances to score that goal that would have taken us over the top. In the end the quality of final touch wasn't there again for us tonight, and we paid for it."
Late own goal snaps RSL's streak -> Daily Herald
Finally, with a little help, the Wizards found reward for their pressure in the 89th minute. Ryan Pore drew a free kick 20 yards out on the left wing after another pass from Lopez. Arnaud took the kick with his right boot and sent the ball for captain Jimmy Conrad in the middle of the box. Beltran won the heading duel, but still sent the ball into his own net past a beleaguered Rimando.
Real Salt Lake: Beltran's late-game own goal sinks RSL -> Salt Lake Tribune/Stuart Goldman
"It's hard for us to feel satisfied," RSL coach Jason Kreis said. "This is another game where you have to feel like you dropped a point. If we're a little more focused for the last couple of minutes, we pick up a point. That's happened too often to us this year."
(Recap and Quotes courtesy of RSL Communications):
RSL Remains in Second-Place Tie in West Standings Heading into Showdown with Houston on Thursday
KANSAS CITY, KS (Saturday, June 28, 2008) – Real Salt Lake saw its franchise-record tying five game undefeated streak snapped in heartbreaking fashion Saturday night, as an 89th minute own goal marked the only scoring in a 1-0 defeat at the Kansas City Wizards in front of a sellout crowd of 10,385 fans at CommunityAmerica Ballpark. After Real Salt Lake benefitted from an own goal in a victory over New England last Saturday, the Utah side would be victimized by a similar play a week later, with a free kick sent into the penalty area by Kansas City FW Claudio Lopez deflecting off the head of RSL DF Tony Beltran as he battled Wizards captain Jimmy Conrad for the ball inside the six-yard box.
With the result, Real Salt Lake remains in a second-place tie in the Western Conference standings alongside the Houston Dynamo, who will visit the Wasatch Front on Thursday night (8:00 p.m. MT, live on ESPN2) in a battle for positioning in the tightly-grouped conference. Meanwhile, the Wizards snapped a seven-game winless streak with the three points on the evening, moving to within another victory of fifth-place sharers D.C. United and the New York Red Bulls in the East standings.
For the full MLSnet.com recap of tonight’s contest, please click on the link below:
http://web.mlsnet.com/news/team_news.jsp?ymd=20080628&content_id=168987&vkey=news_rsl&fext=.jsp&team=t121
Real Salt Lake (5-6-4) vs. Kansas City Wizards (4-5-4) June 28, 2008 -- CommunityAmerica Ballpark
Scoring Summary: KC -- Own Goal (Tony Beltran) 89
Real Salt Lake -- Nick Rimando, Tony Beltran, Nat Borchers, Jamison Olave, Chris Wingert, Andy Williams (Kenny Cutler 80), Dema Kovalenko, Javier Morales, Kyle Beckerman, Robbie Findley (Tino Nunez 69), Kenny Deuchar (Yura Movsisyan 69)
Substitutes Not Used: Matias Cordoba, Ian Joy, Matias Mantilla, Chris Seitz
Kansas City Wizards -- Kevin Hartman, Jack Jewsbury, Jimmy Conrad, Aaron Hohlbein (Chance Myers 78), Michael Harrington, Davy Arnaud, Kurt Morsink, Sasha Victorine (Carlos Marinelli 62), Scott Sealy, Ivan Trujillo (Ryan Pore 62), Claudio Lopez.
Substitutes Not Used: Eric Kronberg, Jonathan Leathers, Ryan McMahen, Tyson Wahl
-------------------Kansas City Wizards---------------------------Real Salt Lake
total shots: -------21 (3 tied with 4)------------------------------ 13 (Kenny Deuchar 4)
shots on goal: ------2 (Claudio Lopez 1, Scott Sealy 1)--------------6 (Kenny Deuchar 2, Yura Movsisyan 2)
fouls: --------------4 (4 tied with 1)-------------------------------13 (Kenny Deuchar 3)
offsides: -----------1 (Scott Sealy 1)-------------------------------2 (Kenny Deuchar 1, Robbie Findley 1)
corner kicks:--------8 (Claudio Lopez 6)-----------------------------1 (Javier Morales 1)
saves:--------------5 (Kevin Hartman 5)----------------------------2 (Nick Rimando 2)
Misconduct Summary:
RSL -- Kenny Deuchar (caution; Reckless Foul) 11
RSL -- Dema Kovalenko (caution; Dissent) 31
Referee: Alex Prus
Referee's Assistants: Thomas Supple; Jeff Muschik
4th Official: Doug Wolff
Time of Game: 1:52
Attendance: 10,385
Weather: Sunny -and- 83 degrees
All statistics contained in this boxscore are unofficial
KANSAS CITY WIZARDS HEAD COACH CURT ONALFO
On the game
“It was an extremely hard-fought game. All I care about is three points. In this league it’s not always about how pretty it is, but at the end of the day it’s about getting three points. I’m extremely pleased with the win and we’re just going to build on it.”
On the sellout crowd
“It was excellent and I’m extremely pleased that we were able to get three points in front of them. They deserved it. We have excellent fans here and we want to continue to build onto our already wonderful fan base every day.”
KANSAS CITY WIZARDS DEFENDER JIMMY CONRAD
On the win
“It was great to get the monkey off our back. We’ve been looking for a win for a long time. Now we don’t have to worry about a winless streak or talk about it anymore. It’s huge for our confidence. There’s a real thin line between success and failure in this league and confidence is the real difference maker.”
KANSAS CITY WIZARDS GOALKEEPER KEVIN HARTMAN
On the win
“It was a great effort, and a great defensive effort. The guys worked really, really hard. Maybe it takes just a little bit of luck to break the losing streak we were on. We’re excited to get three points at home.”
On posting his League-leading 6th shutout
“I’d like to say that I had more of a roll in it. I think I had two tough saves but most of the saves were just routine. It really comes back to the fact that the guys really competed tonight.”
REAL SALT LAKE HEAD COACH JASON KREIS
On the game
“I thought we did all the necessary stuff that you need to to pick up a result on the road. I thought we were together, we worked very hard and we created enough chances to score that goal that would have taken us over the top. In the end, the quality, the touch wasn’t there and we paid for it.”
On the own goal
“It is very frustrating, I know that Tony will feel very outdone by it. When you put balls in dangerous spots, those things will happen. So I wouldn’t necessarily fault the final touch that put it in the back of the net, but why we gave that free kick away in such a dangerous spot in such a dangerous moment in the game.”
On Kansas City’s attack
“I thought that Kansas City came out very aggressively tonight. It is a fair result to be honest because they created the majority of the chances. It was a typical away game for us.”
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Daily Update: June 28, 2008
INJURY REPORTS
KANSAS CITY WIZARDS -OUT: MF Kevin Souter (MCL sprain), QUESTIONABLE:
MF Kerry Zavagnin (foot strain); PROBABLE: FW Ivan Trujillo (ankle
sprain) …
REAL SALT LAKE - OUT: MF Nathan Sturgis (L hamstring strain);
FW Fabian Espíndola (L knee contusion); QUESTIONABLE: FW Yura
Movsisyan (R meniscus surgery); FW Robbie Findley (concussion)
(injury reports and projected lineup courtesy of RSL Communications)
Real Salt Lake: Win would vault Real into first place -> Deseret News/James Edward
Sitting in second place in the Western Conference, Real Salt Lake is quickly shedding the losing culture that plagued the franchise the first three years. There's legitimate talk of playoffs as the club prepares to move into its new stadium in the final month of the 2008 season.
RSL: Worst to first? -> Salt Lake Tribune/Michael C. Lewis
Since sitting one loss away from last place in all of Major League Soccer, RSL has executed what could turn out to be a season-saving turnaround by building a franchise-record five-game unbeaten streak. And if they can extend the streak by winning at slumping Kansas City tonight, RSL will vault over the glamorous Los Angeles Galaxy - for one day, at least - and into first place in the MLS Western Conference for the first time in their history.
Streaking RSL invade K.C. -> MLSNet
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Match pics, quotes and tidbits
(More pics at the end)Real Salt Lake flex home muscles -> MLSnet/John Coon
Tino Nunez helped Real Salt Lake finally grind the rust off of their offense Saturday night to extend the club's unbeaten streak to a team-record five games.
Nunez's first MLS goal lifts Real Salt Lake -> USA Today
Rookie Tino Nunez scored his first MLS goal and Real Salt Lake remained unbeaten at home with a 2-1 victory over the New England Revolution on Saturday night.
Nunez, who entered the game in the 41st minute after Robbie Findley was injured, scored the winning goal in the 60th minute for RSL (5-5-4). Javier Morales' shot deflected off a Revolution defender right into the path of Nunez, who one-touched the ball past goalkeeper Matt Reis.
REAL SALT LAKE DEFEATS RED-HOT REVOLUTION 2-1
(courtesy RSL Communications)
With Win, RSL Leaps to Second Place in Western Conference while Extending Undefeated Streak to Five Games
RSL FW Tino Nunez's First MLS Goal at Hour Mark Propels Salt Lake to Victory
For the full MLSnet.com recap of tonight’s match, click on the link below:
http://web.mlsnet.com/news/mls_news.jsp?ymd=20080621&content_id=167572&vkey=news_mls&fext=.jsp
RSL MATCH NOTES
Tonight’s result moved Real Salt Lake to the .500 mark, making this the latest point in any season that the club has had at least a .500 record. The three-point result also tied RSL’s all-time record in League play at Rice-Eccles Stadium (19-19-17) and kept Salt Lake as one of only two undefeated teams (with Toronto FC) at home in MLS this season (4-0-4).
Thanks to a wild 3-3 draw between Columbus and Los Angeles, Salt Lake now sits in second-place in the Western Conference, just two points clear of the leading Galaxy (6-4-3, 21 pts.). Tonight’s win marks the latest point in club history that the side has been in second place in the Western Conference standings.
RSL GK Nick Rimando saw his goalless streak come to end at 283 minutes after Revs FW Adam Cristman scored just eight minutes into the affair. Rimando was able to eclipse his own club record in the category (278 minutes), but fell just short of collecting the League’s longest streak of the 2008 season (Hartman – KC, 286) and about a half hour shy of breaking his own personal best (309 minutes in 2003 with D.C. United).
RSL FW Robbie Findley left the match after suffering a mild concussion in a collision for a loose ball late in the first half. It was Tino Nunez, the scorer of the eventual game-winner for RSL, that replaced Findley in the 41st minute.
New England Revolution (8-4-3) vs. Real Salt Lake (5-5-4) June 21, 2008 -- Rice-Eccles Stadium
Scoring Summary:
New England Revolution -- Matt Reis, Chris Albright, Jay Heaps, Michael Parkhurst, Amaechi Igwe (Wells Thompson 62), Steve Ralston, Jeff Larentowicz, Pat Phelan, Sainey Nyassi (Chris Tierney 77), Kheli Dube, Adam Cristman.
Substitutes Not Used: Sam Brill, Argenis Fernandez, Chase Hilgenbrinck, Brad Knighton, Brandon Manzonelli
Real Salt Lake -- Nick Rimando, Chris Wingert, Nat Borchers, Jamison Olave, Tony Beltran, Kyle Beckerman, Dema Kovalenko, Javier Morales, Andy Williams (Matias Cordoba 84), Robbie Findley (Tino Nunez 41), Kenny Deuchar (Kenny Cutler 71).
Substitutes Not Used: Ian Joy, Matias Mantilla, Alex Nimo, Kyle Reynish
Real Salt Lake--------------------------------- New England Revolution
total shots:
19 (Andy Williams 5)---------------------------14 (Sainey Nyassi 4)
shots on goal:
7 (Kyle Beckerman 2, Javier Morales 2)---------6 (Adam Cristman 3)
fouls:
14 (Tino Nunez 3)------------------------------12 (Adam Cristman 3)
offsides:
4 (Andy Williams 2)-----------------------------2 (Adam Cristman 1, Kheli Dube 1)
corner kicks:
4 (Javier Morales 4)-----------------------------7 (Steve Ralston 7)
saves:
4 (Nick Rimando 4)------------------------------6 (Matt Reis 6)
Misconduct Summary: NE -- Jay Heaps (caution; Tackle from Behind) 20
referee: Kevin Stott
All statistics contained in this boxscore are unofficial
REAL SALT LAKE HEAD COACH JASON KREIS
On the victory:
“A huge win. What’s most pleasing about the win tonight is the way we handled ourselves when we had the one-goal lead. It shows that we’re learning and improving. We finished that game off the way a good team does.”
On equalizing quickly after New England’s 8th minute goal:
“That was hugely important that we had a quick turnaround there, because if it had dragged on a lot longer until halftime it would have been a difficult thing to come back from mentally for the guys. It’s the first time that we’ve scored off a corner kick or free kick in awhile, and I think we need to be more dangerous on those so it was very good to see that happen tonight.”
On the performance of FW Tino Nuñez:
I’m very, very happy for Tino. I thought his performance was fantastic again. He’s just a guy that gets in there and works really hard and takes a lot of pride in the way he holds the ball up for the rest of the team. He did that well tonight and it was nice to see him rewarded with a goal.”
On the improvement of his RSL squad:
“I believed for a long time, and I think everybody in that locker room believed and has believed for a long time, and I think we’re beginning to see the fruit from all of our work and talk. I think tonight we saw an improved team in a couple of areas.”
REAL SALT LAKE FW TINO NUNEZ
On taking advantage of his recent playing time:
“Everyday I just come into training and work on every aspect of my game and try to be ready to take any opportunity that’s given to me, and that’s my main focus right now. Any little chance I get, I just try and make the best of it. It’s going well so far.”
On having to enter the match after FW Robbie Findley’s injury:
“I didn’t get a proper warm up, so you’re kind of warming up as you get going. But you just have to be ready any time you get called.”
On his reaction after his first MLS goal:
“My eyes just opened up really big; I didn’t know what to do. I’ll think about it more next time.”
REAL SALT LAKE FW KENNY DEUCHAR
On his performance tonight:
“I’m getting on the end of things, and that’s the most important for me. I thought it was going in and when it hits the post, you hope it bounces into the goal rather than come back out, and that’s unfortunate. If I keep getting possessions and the ball keeps coming in, then that’s good, and if we win the games, then it’s fine. But it’s when you start losing games to goals, that comes back to haunt you. If I keep getting in the possessions, then the goals will come.”
On teammate Tino Nuñez:
“I’m really pleased for Tino coming in and getting the winning goal. He deserves it; he’s worked hard in training and he’s done well when he’s been called upon so far. And that’s something, for a young lad to come in and score a winner, especially against a team with the best record in the league.”
REAL SALT LAKE MF DEMA KOVALENKO
On RSL’s performance:
“We had to get the win. [New England] is a very good team, but we are a very good team at home. Teams come here and don’t want to be here, so we just have to come out and play our game. Like Jason [Kreis] has said, ‘We don’t adjust to anyone, they adjust to us.’ So we came out and the first half was okay, we made a couple of mistakes. The second half was a lot better and it showed. We played some defense. Tino [Nunez] comes in and gives us a lift, and the winning goal. That’s why we said it’s important that everybody has to be ready. All the guys played well, we fought, and the most important thing is we got three points.”
On his injury:
“I tried to just push the ball and the guy came in and just hit me with the knee, right in the muscle. I had this injury before and couldn’t play for three weeks, but I hope it’s not the same, and I know it’s going to be sore tomorrow. I want to be there, I want to help the guys win, and that’s what we did. It’s hard to get me off the field; I was going to be there.”
NEW ENGLAND HEAD COACH STEVE NICOL
Overall thoughts on the game:
“You just have to win the battles and win the second balls and hopefully you get a bounce here and there. You know it was tough playing Wednesday night and then traveling 12 hours to get here. That’s not easy to do, particularly when you have the altitude and it’s a lot warmer than we are used to. We won’t be sad to see the back of this place.”
On whether travel had an impact:
“Yeah, absolutely. Mentally, we were behind them, but as usual we fought and stuck at it, but unfortunately we came up short. We just didn’t have enough in the tank.”
On FW Adam Cristman’s early goal:
“It was a great opportunistic goal from him. Again, it goes by this field, but all credit to him getting in and timing his run well.”
NEW ENGLAND FW ADAM CRISTMAN
On the influence of the artificial turf at Rice-Eccles:
“It is a tough surface to play on, and it is a tough trip to fly out here and play in the dry heat. It is definitely different, but no excuse, we weren’t sharp tonight.”
On what kept the Revolution offense from clicking:
“Throw all those factors (heat, surface, travel) together, and it is our third game in a week, and the end result sometimes is maybe a lackluster performance.”
NEW ENGLAND MF STEVE RALSTON
On New England’s performance:
“It wasn’t a good performance. I don’t know if it was the tough game on Wednesday or the travel, but we have to give them credit. They made it difficult to play. The field doesn’t really allow for a whole lot of good passing, and we were second tonight to everything, but we got out played tonight. There are no excuses there.”
On Adam Cristman’s goal:
“It was a great effort. A lot of guys would have given up on it. He is always working and he stuck his head in there. He could have gotten whacked, but he ended up scoring a nice goal. It was good because we were getting hammered pretty good. I don’t think we had had many touches in their half, and we got that goal, and it took a little pressure off us in that moment.”
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Daily Update: June 1, 2008
Real Salt Lake: RSL shakes off blues versus Earthquakes -> Deseret News/James Edward
"I think there was quite a few players, myself included, that wanted to feel sorry for ourselves at that point," said RSL coach Jason Kreis. The moping seemed to last until halftime, but when the players finally got over the early letdown the rout was on. Spurred on by a fantastic performance from second-half substitute Robbie Findley, RSL dominated the rest of the way en route to a 3-1 victory over San Jose in front of 15,977 fans at Rice-Eccles Stadium
Findley's play the difference for RSL Saturday -> Deseret News/Michael Black
He really energized us from the first moment he came on," said RSL coach Jason Kreis. "I thought he was bright and sharp. He has been playing particularly well in the training sessions for the past few weeks. Really, I felt like for a while it was just a matter of time until Robbie puts his best foot forward and tonight he did that."
Real Salt Lake: Players are 'better spaced,' RSL coach says of defense -> Deseret News/James Edward
"The players seem to be better connected, better spaced, we weren't so strung out from top to bottom," said RSL coach Jason Kreis. "I think that we're learning."
San Jose at RSL Player Grades -> DesNews Blog/James Edward
Javier Morales (8) -- The only thing that prevented him from a higher grade was missing a third minute penalty kick, and seemingly pouting about it for about a half hour. He was outstanding in the second half though with a goal and an assist.
RSL: Still unbeaten at home -> Salt Lake Tribune/Michael C. Lewis
"Quite frankly, I thought we were miserable in the first half," coach Jason Kreis said. "Very, very disappointed, because I thought we were going to see 90 minutes of quality soccer tonight. . . . So at halftime, we challenged them quite a bit, and I was very, very proud to see the way they came out and reacted to that challenge in the second half."
RSL roster heating it up -> Ogden Standard Examiner/Jasen Asay
"He has been playing particularly well in the training sessions for the past few weeks so really I felt like, for a while, that it was just a matter of time until Robbie puts his best foot forward and tonight he did that," said RSL coach Jason Kreis.
Real Salt Lake roll past San Jose -> MLSNet/John Coon
Findley came on for starting forward Fabian Espindola in the 45th minute and immediately torched the San Jose Earthquakes -- scoring one second-half goal and setting up another to propel RSL to a 3-1 victory at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Saturday evening.
Quakes lose in Salt Lake City -> San Francisco Chronicle
Robbie Findley scored in the 48th minute and assisted Javier Morales' goal 12 minutes later, leading Real Salt Lake to a 3-1 victory over the Earthquakes on Saturday night in Salt Lake City.
Quakes routed by Real Salt Lake -> Monterey Herald/Andrew Aragon
The Quakes were lethargic on offense, managing just two shots on goal in a demoralizing 3-1 loss to Real Salt Lake in front of 15,977 fans at Rice-Eccles Stadium. The loss dropped the expansion Quakes to 2-6-1, and robbed them of a chance to crawl out of the basement in the Major League Soccer Western Conference standings.
Match Photos: Real Salt Lake vs San Jose Earthquakes -> AYL Soccer/Chris Nicholl
Match Report: RSL 3 San Jose 1 -> AYL soccer/Aaron Bentley
There's No Place Like Home -> RSLBoz
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Daily Update: Wednesday May 28, 2008
RSL again can't find mix on road -> MLSnet/Ryan Bergeman
"We are in a bit of a road slump," RSL captain Kyle Beckerman said after the game. "We just can't find answers right now. The fight is there, the right attitude is there. We will keep working at it and hopefully it will come around soon."
Crew oust RSL from U.S. Open Cup -> MLSnet/Nathan Linton
an exchange of shoves ensued along with some words, after which Kovalenko tossed the ball at Ekpo, hitting him in the face. Referee Jeff Gontarek held a conference with his line judge and dismissed Kovalenko with a straight red card, sending RSL a man down.
Crew sink Salt Lake in US Open -> American Soccer News/ Jim Baird
Real Salt Lake had several opportunities to get on the board in the second half, including three solid attempts that tested Crew keeper Andy Gruenebaum. However none could beat him.
Sandy moving forward without county funds for Real stadium -> Deseret News/Rebecca Palmer
The $10 million is the last step in a $45 million public funding package for the $110 million sports stadium.
Sandy finds money for Real Salt Lake obligations -> The Salt Lake Tribune/Rosemary Winters
Sandy Economic Development Director Randy Sant presented to the City Council his "Plan B" to fulfill the city's pledge to RSL's $110 million soccer stadium
Real Salt Lake and Coldwell Banker Team Up -> OurSports Central
As part of Real Salt Lake's continuing outreach to Utah's Hispanic community, RSL is proud to announce a partnership with Coldwell Banker and Hispanic soccer "ligas" throughout the Salt Lake area to present the Coldwell Banker Summer Soccer Series.
Real Salt Lake Sees Run Towards U.S. Open Cup Ended with 2-0 Loss at Columbus -> OurSports Central
Real Salt Lake's run towards qualification for the 2008 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup came to a disappointing end tonight in central Ohio, as the Columbus Crew used a goal in each half to down the Utah squad 2-0
Friday, May 16, 2008
Daily Update: Friday May 16, 2008
Real Salt Lake blows chance to climb to top of conference race -> Deseret News/James Edward
Three-quarters of the MLS season remains, but Real Salt Lake definitely missed a golden opportunity at putting its stamp on the Western Conference race Thursday night.
Real Salt Lake notes: By choice, Kreis sits in press box -> Deseret News/James Edward
"I really like being up there to see the shape and to see what adjustments need to be made," said Kreis
Real Salt Lake game at a glance -> Deseret News
RSL at Rapids Player Grades - DesNews Blog/James Edward
Colorado 2, RSL 0: RSL misses chance to take over 1st place - Salt Lake Tribune/Michael C. Lewis
"To be completely honest, I don't believe we deserve to be the first-place team in this conference," RSL coach Jason Kreis said. "We're not ready for that yet. . . . We're not ready. We don't deserve it. Hopefully, that opportunity will come again."
MLS: Colorado Goes Top with Win over RSL -> Goal.com
Colorado and Real Salt Lake have built a rivalry the old-fashioned way—playing tight, hotly contested matches. Thursday night’s edition of the Rocky Mountain derby was not different, as a contest as tight as a Bode Miller slalom finally broke in the 65th minute when Colorado’s Omar Cummings scored to give the home side the lead. Christian Gomez then iced things with an 83rd-minute penalty.
Rapids are best in the West -> Soccer America/Ridge Mahoney
RSL could have taken over first place with a win or stayed tied in second with a tie, but while head coach Jason Kreis sent out a fairly talented lineup, the pieces didn't seem to mesh. Sweat and spirit ran astray, and with Andy Williams spending far more time chasing Mastroeni than the reverse, his few effective touches came on corner kicks.
Cummings, Gomez lead Rapids past Real Salt Lake -> ESPNSoccernet
"(My goal) was simple," Cummings said. "The ball went to Colin (Clark) and I went straight into the box. It was a classic goal - the ball goes wide, is crossed in and then finished."
VIDEO: Match Recap -> ESPNSoccernet
RSL stumbles in opening leg of Cup -> MLSnet/Geoffrey Urland
Rapids Take Care of Real Salt Lake 2-0 -> ColoradoRapids.com
VIDEO: Match Highlights -> MLSnet
MLS POSTGAME QUOTE SHEET
(Courtesy RSL Communications)
COLORADO 2 : 0 REAL SALT LAKE
COLORADO RAPIDS
Head Coach Fernando Clavijo
“It was easy to see (Salt Lake’s) game plan. Their game plan was simple, they wanted to slow us down, counterattack and look to score on a set piece. It worked for them last time. When we play at home we try to be aggressive. I didn’t feel like we were that in the first half. The level of energy was not there is the beginning. We were too casual on the ball. In the second half our touches and our technique was much better. There was an improved energy. Something we mentioned at half was that the wing play was poor. In the second half Colin (Clark) and (Jacob) Peterson created more chances. You didn’t see (Chris) Wingert getting up on the wing. I was pleased with our young guys tonight, but also with the leadership of Pablo (Mastroeni). He played his third game in a row and has become more of a mentor to the young guys.”
Midfielder Pablo Mastroeni
“These games against Salt Lake are always interesting. The team who imposes their will on the other has the better chances. We came out of half time and wanted to find Christian (Gomez) as much as we could. He finds spaces and it is our job to get him the ball. With Christian being man marked, there is more space for me. It was a breath of fresh air, it was liberating. We also came out and had some good combo passing. In this formation (the 3-5-2) you have to keep the ball and I felt like we did that.”
Midfielder Colin Clark
“It’s easy out there when you have good forwards who can score. On this surface the ball can skip and it is easy for strikers to put it on net in their stride, defenders have a harder time redirecting it away from goal. Christian Gomez draws a lot of attention and is good on the ball. If you have forwards with pace in front of him and on the wings he can find them and be dangerous. There is a long way to go, but it is nice to be up there (in first place).”
Striker Omar Cummings
“In the first half I think we were a little stretched so we didn’t have the legs to finish things off. Coach said we had to come out harder. (My goal) was simple. The ball went to Colin (Clark) and I went straight into the box. It was a classic goal: the ball goes wide, is crossed in, and then finished.”
REAL SALT LAKE
Head Coach Jason Kreis
“I’m a little disappointed that we didn’t come out with a better mentality in the second half. Typically we have seen a team that responds well to half times and responds well in the second half and picks up their play. Tonight that wasn’t the case for us at all. I think there was a bit of sharpness that was lacking tonight. The play was a little bit loose all over the place. I think both teams could say the same thing. Maybe it is a little bit of fatigue. We have played a few games now in a couple of weeks so that may have played a part. This is the second team we have played with a 3-5-2. I don’t think that it gave us a whole lot of problems in the first half. The players may have been a little confused about what was going on. I think the players made a bigger deal out of it then it was. When you have a player like Christian (Gomez), you have to keep on idea of where he is at all times. Kenny (Cutler) was charged with the responsibility for keeping on eye on where Christian was.”
Midfielder Kyle Beckerman
“It was just two average teams and it got to a point where the first team to score was going to win the game. They got it, they were sharp at the start of the second half and they got rewarded for it. (The first half) was solid, both sides weren’t very dangerous. It was kind of a stalemate, and then it kind of continued, but they we sharp and we were sloppy. The 3-5-2 caught us off guard. It isn’t really X’s and O’s on defense, there is some gray area and that kind of confused us for some reason.”
Midfielder Andy Williams
“We limited their chances in the first half. We know they would come out strong in the first 10 of 15 minutes, but we didn’t take good care of the ball. They kept us pinned down in the second half. Christian (Gomez) has kind of been the linchpin for this team the last couple of games. Kenny (Cutler) did a good job and didn’t give him very good shots other than the PK. We were out numbered in the midfield. They played hard.”
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Daily Updates: Sunday May 11, 2008
Real Salt Lake: RSL picks up an ugly, much-needed victory -> Deseret News/James Edward
"Honestly, I think that's probably one of the worst games we've played this season," said Kreis, who watched the game from the Rice-Eccles Stadium press box. "In some ways, maybe that's a good thing. Maybe we need to learn how to win ugly."
Real Salt Lake notes: RSL tweaks formation; Kreis up high -> Deseret News/James Edward
Two weeks ago in a loss at D.C. United, Real coach Jason Kreis wasn't pleased with how his team matched up against D.C.'s 3-5-2 formation. Facing a Dallas team that also likes to utilize a 3-5-2, Kreis thought the best way to match up was to also play a 3-5-2.
It didn't quite work out that way. Dallas came out in a 3-4-3 formation, and Kreis thought about making a change early on. "Against a 3-4-3, it doesn't look so good to play three backs against three forwards," said Kreis.
Real Salt Lake: More field time likely for Cutler -> Deseret News/Dan Rasmussen
"With the way he played tonight, he has to be in consideration to start our very next match."
Real Salt Lake game at a glance -> Deseret News
RSL earns ugly win - Salt Lake Tribune/Tony Jones
"It definitely felt great to get the win," Beckerman said. "This was the first time this season that we were ahead of a team, gave up the tying goal and came back to get the win. That was big for us. We feel like we stepped over a hurdle tonight."
Real hold off FCD in see-saw affair ->MLSnet/John Coon
Real Salt Lake continued to show they have what it takes to win on their home field, a late Kyle Beckerman goal giving them a 2-1 victory against FC Dallas on Saturday night at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
Real Salt Lake tops FC Dallas with late goal -> Ogden Standard Examiner/Jasen Asay
"They put like four or five forwards up there, the same thing they did tonight, and just sent the ball forward and got a goal," Cutler said. "I just kept thinking that this can't be happening again."
Great Match Photos -> RSLBoz
Saturday, May 3, 2008
RSL -vs- LAG Match: May 3, 2008
RSL's fast start slowed by Beckham ->MLSnet/John Coon
POST GAME QUOTES (Courtesy of RSL Communications)
REAL SALT LAKE HEAD COACH JASON KREIS
On the lack of goals after halftime:
“I was surprised. Both teams had plenty of opportunities and you would have thought there would have been more, especially with four in the first half.”
On David Beckham’s first goal of the night:
“The play is a non-issue if a defender clears that ball out. He chose to try a pass when it should have been cleared out and it happened to go to David Beckham, who put it away quite nicely.”
On the change of formation and his substitution pattern in the second half:
“When we’re at home we’re going to go for wins, and when we’re away we’re going to go for wins. I think that’s going to be the mentality of this team. We’ve got a group of guys that can handle it and a group that can embrace that aggressive mentality.”
On the play of GK Nick Rimando
“He was there when we needed him the most and there to make the special saves. I think there were one or two saves in the second half that were really special.”
On the 25,500 in attendance at Rice-Eccles Stadium:
“I thought it was a fantastic crowd and I thought we disappointed that crowd. I thought we should have, could have, done better in that match to thank them for coming out and supporting us because they were fantastic.”
REAL SALT LAKE MF JAVIER MORALES
On getting the two first half assists:
“I feel really good. I was very happy with them, but I would have liked them more if we could have won.”
On his duel assists tying him for the League lead with Beckham:
“It’s just a statistic. I’m just trying to do my best for the team and trying to get us a win at home.”
On giving up the two-goal lead:
“I think that they have players, like Beckham, that have a lot of virtue. They kind of came back through the ability of one player, and that player just beat us. The first goal really took us by surprise, and the second one just happened so fast. I think we have to look at the positives in that we played a pretty good game overall.”
REAL SALT LAKE MF DEMA KOVALENKO
On the back-and-forth second half and the result:
“They had chances. Nicky [Rimando] came up big for us. We had a couple of good chances too. It’s soccer, it’s football; that’s that way it goes. You create chances and you score, you win the game. You don’t score, you lose, you tie; it’s what happens. That’s why it’s the best game in the world.”
LA GALAXY HEAD COACH RUUD GULLIT
Overall thoughts on the match:
“After the game there was a feeling that we should have won this game, but if you saw the first 20 minutes, you know, it was incredible. I think that the most difficult part is we tried to practice on turf, but nothing is like this turf, therefore players had difficulty getting into the game. We did things I didn’t think we’d normally do, but after the 20 minutes this team battled back. This team should be very proud of itself, how they fought for this. It was a good result; if you’d ask me before the game if I’d settle for a draw, I would knowing the circumstances.”
On the Galaxy’s struggles in the first 20 minutes:
“If you don’t mark and you give space to the opposition, everyone can play a good match. We were too wide open, too much space between the lines and the players, and it was frustrating to see from the sideline. Finally, finally, they got it.
“Salt Lake knows how to play on this pitch, they play every two weeks on it; that’s a huge advantage. The fact that, after 2-0, we just recovered so well it was incredible. I saw [us] all of a sudden digging in, not giving any space, and [RSL] had difficulties getting behind us. In the second half, we also changed some things to get tighter and that made it even more difficult for Salt Lake. I thought we had opportunities today to win this game if not for some good saves by their goalkeeper. I’m happy with the result.”
On the play of MF Landon Donovan:
“He still had the opportunities to score goals. I think Landon played an excellent game. Of course you can’t score every time, but he was getting in position to score. For me, Landon played a very good game.”
On the quality of David Beckham’s goals:
“I think the first goal was the best one. On the dead ball, you have time. On the first he passed the ball to the far corner. That tells you his quality. Before it was Landon, now it’s David.”
LA GALAXY MF DAVID BECKHAM
Thoughts on the match:
“It was a good game in the end. I think we started off terrible in the first 20 minutes. We didn’t close after them as a team and we got scared of them. And then a couple of tackles started going in and we livened up and we started getting back into the game. I scored the two goals, of course, but it was the work that was done before that that created the enthusiasm for the team. At the end of the game, we would have been happy with a win, and so would they, but as far as 2-2, it’s the right result.”
On his first goal:
“We started coming back into the game just before then and when you’re coming back into the game it’s important that you keep your eyes on the play. It was my turn to score the goals tonight instead of Landon, but it’s important that all the players take a part of scoring goals and winning games and getting the team back into the game. So tonight it was my turn and I’m sure in other games to come it will be other players that do the same.”
On whether he still gets excited when approaching a free kick:
“I’m like a little kid every time a free kick is given on the edge of the box. The excitement comes into myself and most of the time I can score them. Recently I’ve had a couple which have hit the wall, but tonight I was happy with the free kick and also happy with the first goal. But like I’ve said, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.”
On the play of RSL tonight:
“Every one of their players contributed tonight. It’s hard to pick players out because personally I look at how the team played. They’ve got good togetherness and they’ve got some good players on their team. Overall their team played some good football and worked hard, so you’ve got to congratulate them.”
LA GALAXY FW LANDON DONOVAN
On coming out of the game with a tie:
“Given the first half-hour, we’ll absolutely take it. I would say we had some chances to win the game, they also had quite a few chances too, so a tie was probably fair in the end.”
On MF David Beckham’s two goals:
“He was terrific. Not only that, he could have had a chance to score another one, and could have provided a few assists still in the game for us. But when we needed him he stepped up and made a difference. That’s what you hope to get from him, and that’s what he gave us tonight, and he was terrific.”
(click to enlarge)
