Hard work pays dividends for RSL duo -> MLSnet/John Coon
On Thursday, Seitz and Sturgis were both named to the squad that will represent the United States at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing next month.
A third RSL player, Robbie Findley, was chosen as an alternate to that team. Findley will not travel with the team to China, unless an injury creates an opening for him to fill on the 18-man roster.
Real Salt Lake duo picked for Olympic roster headed to Beijing -> Deseret News/James Edward
The majority of the MLS players will report to Olympic training camp at Stanford University on July 20. The team will then head to Hong Kong to participate in the ING Cup beginning on July 25.
2008 U.S. MEN’S OLYMPIC TEAM ROSTER BY POSITION
GOALKEEPERS (2): Brad Guzan (Chivas USA), Chris Seitz (Real Salt Lake)
DEFENDERS (5): Patrick Ianni (Houston Dynamo), Michael Orozco (San Luis), Michael
Parkhurst (New England Revolution), Nathan Sturgis (Real Salt Lake), Marvell Wynne (Toronto FC)
MIDFIELDERS (7): Freddy Adu (SL Benfica), Michael Bradley (SC Heerenveen), Maurice Edu (Toronto FC), Benny Feilhaber (Derby County), Stuart Holden (Houston Dynamo), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA), Danny Szetela (Brescia Calcio)
FORWARDS (4): Jozy Altidore (Villarreal), Charlie Davies (Hammarby IF), Brian McBride (out of contract), Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew)
U.S. Men’s Olympic Team Alternates List
Goalkeeper: Dominic Cervi (Out of Contract)
Defender: Frankie Hejduk (Columbus Crew)
Midfielder: Dax McCarty (FC Dallas)
Forward: Robbie Findley (Real Salt Lake)
First-place RSL pay visit to Chicago -> MLSnet
The visit to Bridgeview is the first of seven games away from home over the next two months - where Real have won just once in seven outings.
Chicago Fire Look to Prove They Are For Real Against Real Sal Lake -> American Soccer News/rpezold
As evidence of the growing strength of the MLS, the Fire’s match against Real Salt Lake will be no walk in the park. Real Salt Lake, like many MLS clubs, is statistically middle of the pack. Through 17 matches they have won six, lost six and tied five matches. In so doing, they have managed to score 20 goals while giving up 19.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Daily Update: Thursday Jul 17, 2008
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
A Real World Review: Wednesday May 28, 2008
As disappointing as this season has been for us so far, one would think that the playoffs may already be sinking beneath the horizon of our future. But wait. I just found “What’s right” number one. We are only four points away from being tied for second place in the Western Standings, and only six points from first. Wow. Thanks to a seemingly weak western side of the league, RSL is still firmly within reach of making the playoffs for the first time in their existence. Things will have to improve in several areas to make this happen, but those needed improvements may not be that far out of reach for a team that (unlike last year) keeps fighting to get better. I don’t sense a defeated attitude from the team and that tells me that we are at least headed in the right direction mentally.
Hey! I found something else in here. “What’s right” number two shows me just how close to becoming a contender we might be. If this team knew how to close out a game properly, we could easily find ourselves feeling better about the season so far. Take our first game of the season against Chicago, the 2-2 draw against Los Angeles, and the 2-1 loss in Dallas last weekend (all winnable games), and close those out the way they should have been. That’s seven points dropped! We’d be at the top of the table singing praises to the soccer gods. I know that most would point out that not being able to finish games is one of the main reasons why this team is failing so far this season, but I would argue that we have the talent to succeed in this. If we can figure out how to finish, RSL would make a huge step forward toward making the playoffs this season.
There isn’t much else down here. I did get something caught under a finger nail while I was scraping the bottom of the barrel though. Oh look! It’s “What’s right” number three. Seven out of the next ten games are at home. RSL needs to gain more confidence. With more confidence they should be able to break through on the road. Let’s hope they continue to play well at home and find a way to finish their opponents off convincingly. No mercy please!
Injuries- We have a lot of nicked-up players (Morales – groin, Espindola – hamstring, Joy – bone-spurs, Sturgis – hamstring, Olave – knee?), just to name a few. We’ve been unlucky in this department, but it’s something we have to deal with. And what is up with Sturgis? We really need this guy, but will he ever be healthy for a long stretch? Maybe we can put him in a protective bubble and let him play like that. Our very own “Bubble Boy”, think about it.
Coaching- Why do I feel like we keep getting outplayed by the coaches from the other teams? It seems like we can never quite get the tactics right and we are slower than a dead snail at making adjustments. Too often we allow the other team, or the field we are playing on, or just about anything, have too much of an effect on what we do. We need to dictate play more, not the other way around.
Naming Names- Ian Joy needs to pull his head out of the darker places of life. It’s easier to see what’s going on around the field when you do. All kidding aside, I know he’s a better player than he’s shown us this year. Come on Mr. Joy, we need you.
Mantilla…Mantilla…Mantilla. I like you’re demeanor, but please O’ please, crisper passes and concentrate on good defensive positioning.
Robbie Findley needs to find his confidence. His first touch is dreadful so far this year. Also, with his speed, he needs to learn how to beat a defender when he’s one-on-0ne.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Daily Update: Wednesday May 21, 2008
RSL: Defender Joy eager for return to lineup against Dallas -> Salt Lake Tribune/Michael C. Lewis
Defender Ian Joy returned to the practice field for Real Salt Lake this week, thrilled to finally be off the stationary rehab bicycle and poised to return to the lineup at FC Dallas on Saturday. Several of his teammates were not so fortunate, though. Midfielders Javier Morales and Nathan Sturgis remain "very questionable" to be available for the FC Dallas game, coach Jason Kreis said, because of lingering injuries. Striker Fabian Espindola is uncertain, too, and striker Yura Movsisyan is out for several weeks after having surgery to repair the meniscus in his right knee, a team spokesman said.
Real Salt Lake: Team looks to shake road woes -> Deseret News/James Edward
Unbeaten at home, winless on the road, and just over a quarter of the season in the rearview mirror, a trend is starting to set in for Real Salt Lake — and it's not one that leads to the playoffs, either.
Steve Morrow Out as Dallas Coach -> Goal.com
“We have set high standards, expectations, and goals for this team and organization,” said FC Dallas General Manager Michael Hitchcock in a statement. “I feel that the team was not heading in the direction we had planned, and believe it is in the best interest of the club to make a coaching change at this time.”
Friday, May 9, 2008
Practice at Rice-Eccles: Friday May 9, 2008
A couple of us made it to today’s practice at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Here are a few observations:
- There was a new player participating. He has some good height. He appeared to be at least as tall as Borchers. Looked like they were trying him at outside back. I am pretty sure he is a foreigner, possibly from somewhere in Africa, but that is based on nothing other than my own questionable speculation. We didn’t really see enough to establish any kind of opinion, but he didn’t appear to be very nervous.
- Talley and Joy were no where to be seen. Sturgis and Nimo jogged around the field.
- After some basic warm-ups the players were divided into three teams of eight players each. Some members of the coaching staff were involved. They ran what at first appeared to be a somewhat complicated drill that might be difficult to describe. The area they played in had two smaller areas at each end and a dead zone in the middle. One team of eight players would begin making short passes within one of the small areas. Four players from another team would run in from the dead zone and begin trying to take the ball away. The remaining four players from that team stayed in the dead zone. After a given number of successful passes, I believe it was seven, they would attempt to cross it over the dead zone to the third team whose eight players were waiting in the other small area. If, instead, they were dispossessed they would have to immediately run to the other small area to prevent that team from completing seven consecutive passes. There was no doubt that the players were into it. There were a number of small, semi-lighthearted arguments over this and that which reminded me of the one sided view that players, coaches and fans always take during an actual match. Dema seemed to be somehow involved in most of these. It is really hard not to like him. I have no idea what rewards there are for these type of drills outside of making a case for playing time, but there was no lack of motivation at all.
- They followed this up with a 9v9 half-field scrimmage with three teams again. Williams is looking very good right now. Findley still does not look sharp. Horst is very vocal, especially for a rookie, and appears to be coming along well. Kevin Reiman looked good working the ball down the flanks with his quick feet. Robin Fraser participated and missed a couple of open shots on goal. The rest of the coaching staff were happy to give him a hard time.
- They finished up with some work on, what else, finishing. Cordoba looked especially good here today.
- The overall mood of the practice was intense and competitive, yet somehow laid-back at the same time. It is encouraging to see the way this team practices. Can they start to translate this into results in the near future?
Update
Just received some new information:
The outside back seen at practice today is a trialist named Yombe Williams, who was a teammate of David Horst's at Old Dominion and was drafted by Kansas City in the most recent SuperDraft. His look with RSL is independent of the Talley deal, and Garth/Jason will be looking at several options for the open roster spot.
Ian Joy did rest today because of the bone spur, but RSL hopes he will be back out there next week.
Opinion: Carey Talley
As you probably know by now, Real Salt Lake has traded Carey Talley to Chivas for a future 2nd round pick. -> Deseret News/James Edward
Some would say, "good riddance" or "it's about time". I may be in the minority on this, but I'm not comfortable with either of these sentiments. It's true that Carey wasn't the most skilled player. It's true that Carey wasn't up to his previous form, circa 2006. And it's true that he had a difficult first few games of the season.
However, I believe that Carey has meant more to this club than any of us really know. If you attended a practice you'd quickly realize that Carey was the vocal leader for us, and was a mentor for the young players in practice. This aspect of his role on the team was vastly underrated. There is a reason that Carey has been our captain over the last couple of seasons. I also believe that as much as anyone could, Carey was the glue that held our team together during our difficult season in 2007. Finally, I think that anyone who knows Carey much knows that he was extremely competitive. Whether it was on the field trying to get a late equalizer or in practice trying to best his teammates in a drill, he gave it all. For these reasons, I think we should bid adieu to Carey with a kind and grateful "Farewell friend".
Now the natural question is why trade Carey now? Was it to free up cap space? (maybe) Was a 2nd draft pick to tempting to pass up? (doubtful) Was it to free up a roster spot for a impending roster addition? (who knows) Is it a signal that Matias Cordoba has earned the confidence of his coaching staff, and will continue to see a bigger role on this team? Only time will tell.
Where does this leave our midfield? For a group originally touted as very deep, this coupled with Sturgis' injury leaves us quite thin. We have two "wing" players (Beckerman and Williams) who both play very tight in the formation and converge toward the goal in the opponents end. We have a central midfielder, formerly a striker (Kovalenko) playing defensive mid. We also have a player that Garth described as a box-to-box player with strong technical skill (Cordoba) who has largely played a playmaker role with the team but primarily in a reserve role. Cordoba is the only player who may be a "natural" wide player as he predominantly played that position in his native Argentina. Either way we are lacking in true wide midfielders. Also since Beckerman has established himself much more in the attacking end, its doubtful to see him moving back to a holding role. This fact, and the fact that Dema isn't naturally a defensive midfielder means that we will be a bit shorthanded at this position with Sturgis currently hurt and on tap for the Olympics later this year. If we do make a roster move, I'd assume that it would be to address one of these two issues.
Then again an outside back is a real possibility as well (see our practice update coming soon).
Either way, let's all come together and bid best wishes and "Farewell friend".
Saturday, April 12, 2008
RSL -vs- DCU: Apr 12, 2008
A win! A win! A win! Sorry, but I can't hide the excitement.
I don't want to give a match report, there are or will be plenty of those out there. But here are some of my thoughts on tonights 4-0 victory over DC.
- After 1 goal on 28 shots in the first two matches, we netted 4 goals on 11 opportunities tonight.
- A four goal differential in a game is our highest ever.
- We have a positive goal differential (+2) for the season. When was the last time we could say that?
- What was DC's strategy? Did they underestimate us? Their lineup and formation was horrible.
- Can we resist the temptation to point to this game as an indicator that we are a good team? I think we need to chalk this one up mainly as a bit of a fluke. However, there certainly were some good signs. Let's see if we can carry this into the match next week against Toronto.
- The crowd atmosphere was excellent tonight. A lot of chanting, and yelling.
- I think this will more or less lock the lineup in until we are either forced to make a change due to injury (or other absence) or until it proves ineffective. This is good news for the anti-Talley crowd as Sturgis should retain this starting spot next week.
- I loved the use of Deuchar in this match. He seemed to be causing DC fits, and I think he really got into their heads.
- Is it too early to say we'd be in the playoffs if they started today?
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Player Profile: Nathan Sturgis
Position: Midfielder
Date of Birth: July 6, 1987 (20)
Place of Birth: St. Augustine, Florida
Height: 5 ft 10 in
Weight: 150
Previous Clubs: LA Galaxy
National Team Exp: United States (U-17, U-20 & U-23)
Jersey Number: #12
Current Status: Senior Roster
How Acquired: trade (with Robbie Findley) with LA Galaxy for Chris Klein
Personal summary: Attended Clemson University. Was part of U-17 residency program in Bradenton, Florida.
Professional summary/highlights: Drafted #12 in first round by LA Galaxy in 2006 as a Generation Adidas player. Started in 15 matches in his rookie season and in 8 matches in 2007 with LA before being traded. Is very versatile and has played in various defense and midfield positions. However, Garth Lagerway has indicated that at this level (MLS) he needs to specialize and that RSL feels his best fit is as a defensive midfielder. Appears to be a mainstay with US youth teams.
Webpages/Myspace/Facebook:
Youtube/video links:
Other links: MLS Player profile: Nathan Sturgis/MLSnet, Wikipedia Page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathan_Sturgis, US Soccer: Profile
Keepin It Real Expectations for 2008: Nathan has all the credentials that a young US soccer player can have. He has been part of the Bradenton group, a GA player, and a significant part of the US youth national teams for several years. He should see significant time this season, but with a logjam at midfield RSL may let him develop more with the reserve team and with the US Olympic squad and get him some selective appearances on the senior team. If the team has needs, injuries or deficiencies in the midfield this role could be expanded.
Fans Scorecard Ratings: Sturgis Rating
Interesting Fact/tidbits/quote:
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Practice Update: Apr 9, 2008
I made my first venture out to practice today since the season began. It was also my first chance to see Deuchar in person. Here are a few observations:
- It was dang cold!
- James Edward beat me to the punch here, but I would agree with him that if you can take any messages away from what happens in practice it seemed like Sturgis may be in line for his first action and start of the season. Although to be fair, I heard Sturgis mentioned that he "has no idea" what Kreis has in mind for the starting XI and that the team usually doesn't start to address that until the practice on the day before the match.
- The team spent alot of time in the 8v8 and 11v11 action concentrating on moving the ball, switching the ball and crossing the ball. Based on comments from the coaching staff, I took it that they wanted to focus on making good passes and putting the ball in good spots for the strikers.
While that was going on, several forwards/midfielders who were not involved with that action spent time off to the side practicing their finishing skills. - My impression from what I saw and from talking to a couple of others at practice is that Cordoba is really coming along. The team still likes his ability, and his fitness is getting better. He still appears to be a little bit out of sync with what is going on at times, but he is fitting in much better with the team. He also appears to be less timid than the first time I saw him in practice.
- Beltran will be a starter in this league, and probably sooner rather than later. Wingert is going to be pushed by this guy all season.
Here are a few pics (click to enlarge):
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Player Profile: Robbie Findley
Position: Forward
Date of Birth: August 4, 1985
Place of Birth: Phoenix, AZ
Height: 5 ft 9 in
Weight: 165
Previous Clubs: LA Galaxy
National Team Exp: United States (1 Cap)
Jersey Number: #10
Current Status: Senior Roster
How Acquired: traded (w/ Nate Sturgis) from LA Galaxy for Chris Klein
Personal summary: Parents are Trinidad & Tobago émigré’s. Robbie qualifies for dual citizenship because of this. Played for Oregon State, and scored 10 game winners there, earning all PAC-10 honors in the process. Robbie has been a fixture with the US YNT in recent months.
Professional summary/highlights: Selected by LAG in the 2nd round of the Superdraft. During his brief MLS career, Robbie recorded 8 goals while starting just 14 games, and coming on as a substitute in 11 others. He showed glimpses of a quality finishing touch to go along with his tremendous pace.
Webpages/Myspace/Facebook:
Youtube/video links: Most significant goal in RSL history?, AYL Double Talk (with Beckerman)
Other links: MLS Player profile: Robbie Findley/MLSnet, Wikipedia Page: Robbie Findley/Wiki
Keepin It Real Expectations for 2008: Robbie should arguably be a starter this season given the potential he demonstrated last year. His goal production (8 goals in 1,300 minutes) was much greater than either Movsisyan (5 goals in 1,200 minutes) or Espindola (2 goals in 600 minutes) last season. I believe that Findley and Deuchar will emerge as RSL’s top two forwards this season. However, his pace coming off of the bench can be a great benefit in the second half. Also, questions still remain if Robbie can again demonstrate (and improve upon) the touch that he showed last season. His National Team experience should prove dividends down the road for him and for the club.
Fans Scorecard Ratings: Findley Rating
Interesting Fact/tidbits/quote: Robbie is a cousin of NBA guard, Mike Bibby. Another cousin, Shaun McDonald plays wide receiver in the NFL.
Monday, March 17, 2008
PRACTICE AT RICE ECCLES: MARCH 17, 2008
A few brief observations from training at Rice Eccles:
Missing in Action: Deuchar (Scotland - work permit), Kovalenko (New York - citizenship), Findley/Seitz/Sturgis (Nashville - Olympic qualifying)
Surprise guest: Duke Hashimoto
Practice format: running, calisthenics, beep drills, 2-touch, team keepaway, scrimmage
Injury update:
- Wingert - participated in half of the fitness portion of practice, and then ran the rest of the time. Looks quite mobile.
- Rimando - participated through most of practice with Reynish, but sat out of the scrimmage.
Notable #1: Beltran blew the rest of the team away in the beep drill, which is an endurance test. He lasted long after most of the team had dropped out. Javi Morales was the only one who came close, but Beltran lasted a few rounds past him.
Notable #2: Scrimage seemed focused on making good passes and keeping form. Still somewhat defensive focus.
Notable #3: Olave does look like a monster. I can only imagine a centerback core of him and Horst.
