New Addition to the Team
We are excited to announce another addition to the Keepin' It Real team. Derek Hoopes is joining the team. No, this is not a repeat of a previous announcement - that was Darin Hoopes (and yes they are brothers). Derek will be helping with daily updates as well as other content on the site. You can read Derek's first contribution to the site here - Reserve Match.
This Is Your Blog
Are you a Real Salt Lake fan? Do you have something to say? Want your voice to be heard? Like to write? Then this is the place for you. This site is for the RSL community, and we want you to participate. If you have an article idea or thoughts you'd like to get across, let us know. If you have amazing pictures you want to share, let us know. We are especially looking for volunteers to be considered for future editions of A Real World Review: Here are #1 & #2. This weekly article is meant to be a chance for an RSL fan to give their update on the State of Real Salt Lake soccer. If you are interested in any of these things send an email to realslfan@yahoo.com.
Showing posts with label Hoopes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hoopes. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Announcements!
Monday, May 5, 2008
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.
Monday, April 28, 2008
EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENT!
A Great Addition
Keepin' It Real is excited to announce the addition of a new member to the staff. Darin Hoopes is going to be helping out with various aspects of the site, and has spent the last week or so getting up to speed. Darin's first contribution was the previous update "A Real World Review", and he will also assist with the daily updates to help us stay on top of things. Darin's addition will also help us to move forward with more original content which was the original purpose of this blog. Some of you may know Darin as the Big Soccer poster chronicrslnewb. Join us in welcoming Darin to the Keepin' it Real staff.
More Additions
Speaking of additions, there have been a couple of recent additions to the site that you will be seeing more of, specifically...
A View From the Other Side: The first edition of this appeared on Friday courtesy of BolivianFeugo. The concept is that we will try to get the perspective of an opposing team's supporter prior to every match. This is a perspective that we don't always get, as we mostly see the viewpoint of RSL supporters. If you have any ideas of potential writers who are supporters of an upcoming opponent, feel free to email me at realslfan@yahoo.com and let me know.
A Real Word Review: The first edition of this appeared this morning courtesy of our new staff member, Darin Hoopes. The concept for this is that we will provide a weekly roundup of what's happening in "the Real World". We plan to ask different RSL supporters to contribute for this each week so that we can get varied perspectives on the State of our Team. Again if you know of a particular RSL supporter that you think would be a good fit for this, or if you'd like to contribute yourselves, please email me at realslfan@yahoo.com.
As you can see we are starting to put more effort into unique content. There are other plans in the works, but this is dependant upon our limited resources (especially time). If you have any ideas or suggestions, we'd be glad to consider them. Right now, we are excited about these new editions.
A Real World Review: April 28, 2008
A Real World Review
A review of Week 5 in MLS
This Real World Update brought to you by: chronicrslnewb (aka Darin Hoopes)
A review of Week 5 in MLS
This Real World Update brought to you by: chronicrslnewb (aka Darin Hoopes)
This Weeks Match Results: 4-1 loss at DC United
Current Record: 1-3-1
Points: 4
Key Developments: RSL’s struggle to find results continues.
What's right in the Real World:
There have been a few mistakes, but there is no question the defense is improved this year. Borchers deserves a great deal of credit here (I hadn‘t even heard of him before this year), but I also believe it is due to the defense being more organized. If you are going to build a successful team that will perform consistently over the long term I believe the defense is the best place to start. We still have a long ways to go, but the play of the defense leads me to believe we are headed in the right direction. In order for us to start getting results we cannot afford a step backward of any kind in this area. Rimando’s continued solid play is definitely worth mentioning here as well. He hasn't had to do as much as last year, which is nice to see, but he has played well.
What's wrong in the Real World:
The midfield is having some struggles, but I’d like to talk about our greater struggles at forward. Deuchar and Findley continue to be an unproductive pairing. They are showing no signs of progress. You would have thought that Deuchar would be flicking headers for Findley to run on to, but it’s just not happening. I am baffled every time I see Deuchar running for a ball out wide while Findley is positioned in the middle. Findley still looks much better coming off the bench. He is not showing signs of developing into much of a multi-dimensional player at this point. He is frequently giving the ball away when he is isolated against a lone defender. How much longer will the coaching staff give him a chance to develop as a starter. I would have preferred to see Movsisyan get the start and then have Findley come in off the bench. I am really hoping that Espindola gets healthy soon.
Current Record: 1-3-1
Points: 4
Key Developments: RSL’s struggle to find results continues.
What's right in the Real World:
There have been a few mistakes, but there is no question the defense is improved this year. Borchers deserves a great deal of credit here (I hadn‘t even heard of him before this year), but I also believe it is due to the defense being more organized. If you are going to build a successful team that will perform consistently over the long term I believe the defense is the best place to start. We still have a long ways to go, but the play of the defense leads me to believe we are headed in the right direction. In order for us to start getting results we cannot afford a step backward of any kind in this area. Rimando’s continued solid play is definitely worth mentioning here as well. He hasn't had to do as much as last year, which is nice to see, but he has played well.
What's wrong in the Real World:
The midfield is having some struggles, but I’d like to talk about our greater struggles at forward. Deuchar and Findley continue to be an unproductive pairing. They are showing no signs of progress. You would have thought that Deuchar would be flicking headers for Findley to run on to, but it’s just not happening. I am baffled every time I see Deuchar running for a ball out wide while Findley is positioned in the middle. Findley still looks much better coming off the bench. He is not showing signs of developing into much of a multi-dimensional player at this point. He is frequently giving the ball away when he is isolated against a lone defender. How much longer will the coaching staff give him a chance to develop as a starter. I would have preferred to see Movsisyan get the start and then have Findley come in off the bench. I am really hoping that Espindola gets healthy soon.
A brief look at the week ahead:
San Jose Earthquakes at Real Salt Lake (LHUSOC) - During the DC United post game coverage on KSL Coach Kreis indicated that we would see some players get their first opportunity to play this year. No surprise there. I think it is likely that Cordoba and Seitz will be given a chance to start. A couple of other players should be given some game time as well. It will be interesting to see what the players will do with the time they are given. The team needs a solid win here.
Los Angeles Galaxy at Real Salt Lake - The Galaxy’s lineup is disjointed at best and their results should be inconsistent and streaky throughout the year. Donovan hit a hat trick on Sunday and also scored two goals in their previous match. LA will be coming into Salt Lake with some upward momentum. RSL’s offense has struggled to finish it’s chances in every game except the home match against DC. That gives added importance to the defense stepping up and keeping Donovan, Beckham and Co. in check to give our offense more time to give us a lead. Things could get ugly if LA scores first.
Final thoughts:
I seem to view every upcoming match as an important one that will reveal a lot about the character of the team. Well, guess what? I think the next three home games are very important, if not crucial, and will tell us a lot about what the rest of the season will be like. Some of the players, as well as Jason, appeared as though they had been emotionally kicked in the gut after the DC match. Up to this point it always appeared as though they still believed in themselves after every match. There are signs that they may have begun to question themselves. If they can pull it together and do whatever it takes to get a win in each of the next three matches it will be a very important step in developing this team‘s belief in itself. Ties are just not acceptable.
There was talk about RSL having turned the corner after the 4-0 win over DC at home. After this Saturday’s 1-4 loss at DC there has been talk of this being the same old RSL. I think the truth is somewhere in between. I have an overly optimistic history when it comes to RSL. However, I was not ready to say that we had turned the corner after the game against DC. I thoroughly enjoyed that game and it was a great feeling to win 4-0, but it was one game. I am not going to be throwing myself off the ledge after losing to DC at RFK either. Don’t get me wrong, I was unhappy. Every game is a big deal to me. Sometimes I wonder how healthy it is to be as hooked on RSL as I am. I do, however, agree with the idea that you shouldn’t get too high during the highs and you shouldn’t get too low during the lows. Our painful history over the past three years makes it especially difficult to be patient, but I still believe we are headed in the right direction. I know there will be people who disagree with me and I don’t have a problem with that. I don’t think that someone who says something critical about the team is somehow less of a fan. Whatever your opinion, one thing is clear. This team is going to have to prove they are for real by getting results.
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