Daily Update: Friday Jun 20, 2008

MLS Refs In The Spotlight Again -> Soccer America
There was some suspicion among players that the referee had watched the video replay on the Rice-Eccles Stadium big screen. He shouldn't have (but then neither should it have been shown), but if he did then his judgment's still up for question - footage at MLSnet.com shows that a San Jose defender covering the corner kick plays Beckerman onside in any case.

RSL settles for tie after ref's call nullifies goal against San Jose -> The Salt Lake Tribune/Sunnie Redhouse
Not long after Real Salt Lake played a 0-0 tie with the San Jose Earthquakes on Wednesday night, midfielder Kyle Beckerman ran back on the field to retrace his steps for general manager Garth Lagerwey. He wasn't looking for a lost item, but rather demonstrating why his controversial goal off a header from Robbie Findley, in the 72nd minute, should have counted.

Real Salt Lake ready for Revs -> MLSnet
One game away from tying their club record unbeaten run, Real Salt Lake play host to a New England Revolution sporting an unbeaten skein of their own

Game notes: New England at Salt Lake -> New England Revolution Media Relations
The Revolution's current seven-game unbeaten run is the longest by any team in the league this season

Real Salt Lake gets the OK for 5,000 nearby parking spots -> The Salt Lake Tribune
Drivers can expect to pay $3 to $7 per car. A shuttle service will be provided between parking lots and the 20,000-seat stadium.

Former RSL coach Ellinger joins Hoops' staff -> seattlepi
Ellinger joins FCD from U.S. Youth Soccer, having served as its Technical Director from October 2007 until last week.

Ellinger brings experience to FCD staff -> MLSnet/Steve Hunt
Hyndman feels that despite not making the MLS Cup Playoffs in his two-plus years with RSL, Ellinger did his best.

Real Salt Lake details parking plans for its Sandy stadium -> Deseret News/ Rebecca Palmer
A close look at the plan, though, shows that Real officials are relying on free public parking and fans' willingness to walk several blocks.

Sounders pleased to borrow native son Nik Besagno -> The Seattle Times
"Sitting on the bench wasn't doing him any good," said Garth Lagerwey, Real Salt Lake general manager. "For him to get games with a high-quality team like Seattle, that's a good thing. We can recall him any time if we need him."

Real Salt Lake: RSL can't hide disappointment -> The Salt Lake Tribune/Michael C. Lewis
Having finally broken through for a goal in the second half, RSL moments later was denied the score on a referee's controversial decision

Down to 10 players, Quakes earn a tie -> Mercury News/Andrew Aragon
with the Quakes' history at Rice-Eccles Stadium, as well as the team having to play with a man down for more than 50 minutes, the result felt more like a victory for San Jose

Third time not the charm for RSL -> MLSnet/John Coon
RSL failed to take advantage of the Earthquakes playing a man down for the entire second half of play and ended up walking away with a second consecutive 0-0 draw amid boos at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Wednesday evening.

Real Salt Lake, Earthquakes play to scoreless draw -> KSL (video included)
"Any time you don't win at home, you're losing points," Real midfielder Kyle Beckerman said. "The games that we're tying, we're the better team on the field. We're pretty happy we're not giving up many goals, and we're not losing. That's a good sign for us to keep pushing forward."

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Daily Update: Saturday May 10, 2008

RSL acquires future second-round pick RSL to receive 2010 or 2011 SuperDraft selection for Carey Talley -> Real Salt Lake Media Relations
Real Salt Lake announced a trade with Chivas USA on Friday, with RSL sending MF Carey Talley to the Southern California club in exchange for a conditional second round selection in either the 2010 or 2011 MLS SuperDraft.

Real Salt Lake bids Talley farewell -> blog.roguecavaliers.com/My Soapbox
“We would like to sincerely thank Carey Talley for his three years of service to Real Salt Lake,” said RSL General Manager Garth Lagerwey.

Real Salt Lake: RSL looks to regroup for FC Dallas -> Deseret News/James Edward
FC Dallas (2-1-3) sits atop the Western Conference standings along with Colorado with nine points. RSL (1-3-2) has earned five points through six games, but a win tonight at 7 would go a long way toward narrowing the gap.

Real Salt Lake game day -> Deseret News

Chivas' roster keeps evolving -> dailybreeze.com/Phil Collin
"Carey is an experienced, consistent defender who can play both in the middle and on the outside," Preki said. "We're glad he's joined the squad and think he'll be a good fit for us as we move forward."

Besagno on the rise at Salt Lake -> Seattle Post Intelligencer/Mathew Gaschk
"Obviously there were a lot of expectations on me. I was just thrilled to be in the league. I didn't put any expectations on myself, I was just happy to be here," Besagno said May 2, before playing a match with Real Salt Lake's reserve team. "As of now, I'm not going to be happy until I'm starting and playing for my team."

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Reserve Match Review: Sunday May 4, 2008

Reserve Match Review: RSL 5:LAG 2

Sunday May 4, 2008

(Review compliments of Derek Hoopes)

The wife and I made it up to Park City this past Sunday for our first visit to Quinn’s Junction Sports Complex and we absolutely enjoyed the experience. The setting was awesome with the surrounding mountains, the field (even though it was turf) was great, and the play was entertaining. If you are a Real Salt Lake soccer fan, you have to try it out soon. I highly recommend attending at least one of these games this year. We set up our folding chairs right next to the touch-line, so we were pretty much right on top of the action. It is completely different to watch a game this close to the field. The pace of the players seems much faster up close. And you can’t beat the price…it’s FREE! Also, if you have kids that are looking for autographs or the chance to meet some of the players, there is no better place to make that happen.

Though I was unable to concentrate on as many details of the game as I would have liked, I still came away with a few impressions and they are as follows:

Yura Movsisyan: We missed the very beginning of the game, so we did not see his quick goal in the first minute of play. Maybe that would have altered my opinion of his performance, but probably not. It was mostly the same Yura we have been watching so far this year. His touches were not always good; he played with the ball too long at times and consequently lost it to the other team. To me, he seems to be the hungriest player on RSL, and wants to score a goal so bad he nearly wets himself every time he gets the ball. While I think that it’s a good thing to have such a high level of desire, I think that right now it hampers his success on the field. He pushes too hard to make things happen. I think that once he learns to play smarter and more patiently and uses that desire to push at the right time…look out! He has a ton of potential. Just remember, he is still very young.

Matias Cordoba: I thought he had an average game. Sometimes he looked great. At other times he looked a little lost. I think the communication barrier is still playing a big role in his ability to acclimate with the team. There is no doubt that he has above average skill technically. And his creativity could be a huge asset for RSL in future league games, so I really expect to see him play more and more with the first team as the season progresses.

David Horst: I stand by my earlier observations. He is a CB stud in the making. I really enjoyed the opposing players that just sort of bounced off of him as he fought for a ball (he is so friggin big). He misjudged a few balls but his speed enabled him to get right back into position.

Nick Besagno: He looked steady and solid. I wish he would stay healthy long enough to enable RSL to determine his worth. If he can’t, how long will RSL have to keep him around?

Robby Findley: He had another one-on-one that he failed to convert, though I think the pass was weighted a little heavy and thus made it a pretty easy save for LA’s keeper.

Tino Nunez: I was very impressed with Tino’s play. He did a much better job holding the ball while playing with his back to the goal than he did at the Lobo’s game earlier in the year. I thought his first touch was good and his distribution was fairly solid as well. He created some problems for LA’s back line. If he keeps progressing he just might find himself a career in MLS.

Brennan Tenelle: Brennan was another rookie that impressed me. He was fast, aggressive on defense, and even created a stir or two up front on the offensive end. My first impressions of this kid had me placing him near or at the bottom of RSL’s roster. But, he is starting to move up on my board.

Kevin Reiman: Probably my favorite player to watch this match. He showed good ability on the ball, quickness, creative footwork, and his communication with his teammates was solid as well. The goal he scored from the left side, hitting it just inside the far post, was a thing of beauty. I can’t wait to see this kid play more.

Overall, I thought the Reserves played a good match. I think the depth of this team should equate to a lot of wins in the Reserve Division. If you have a wife or mother that’s an RSL fan, maybe a trip to Park City this upcoming weekend would make for a nice Mother’s Day.

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