Keepin' it Real learned earlier today that Jamison Olave did not make the trip. David Horst will be filling in at center back. We were asked to sit on this info until lineups were released prior to game time.
This decision was two-fold: 1) with Olave's physical style of play this is being done out of precaution to ensure that he doesn't pick up an injury on the turf and; 2) Horst showed the most impressive improvement in preseason and has continued to impress in training. Although it was not mentioned, I assume that the fact that RSL is playing a less-than-lethal NYRB may have made this a good opportunity to get Horst some first team experience.
In addition to this, Robbie Russell will be starting at right back in place of Tony Beltran. This adds more experience along the backline and surrounding Horst.
So here is the projected lineup:
******Movsisyan*****Findley******
***Johnson****Morales****Mathis***
************Beckerman************
Wingert***Borchers***Horst***Russell
************Rimando***************
What are your thoughts on this development?
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Breaking News: Tonight's Starting Lineup
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Updates for Tonight's Match
A few personnel updates for tonight's match:
Duncan Oughton and Alejandro Moreno are expected to be available for tonight's match after having national team duty earlier this week. Neither are expected to start.
Frankie Hejduk is not expected to be available for the Crew after playing the full 90 last night for the US.
Both Robbie Russell and Luis Escalada are both available for selection to the 18 for RSL. My suspicion is that both will be in the 18, but that neither will start. However, if Beltran struggles again early on, look for the early hook and Russell to enter the match.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Projected Starting Lineup
Based on the starting lineup used against the Austin Aztex, I think the beginning of the season Starting XI is pretty clear. It looks essentially like this…
| FW: | Movsisyan | Findley | |||
| ACM: | Morales | ||||
| MF: |
| Johnson | Mathis |
| |
| DM: | Beckerman | ||||
| DF: | Wingert | Borchers | Olave | Beltran | |
| GK: | Rimando |
Ian Joy appears to be out 4-6 weeks due to a hamstring injury that has been bothering him all preseason and was re-aggravated during the match against the Aztex.
Borchers has also been suffering from an injury to his ankle from the bone spur surgery that he underwent in December. However, he played in the Aztex match and appeared to be moving fine.
Robbie Russell appears back to full health and could be in the mix as well.
I’m okay with this lineup, but I could also see a couple of alterations as the season moves along.
First, although Findley and Movsisyan appear to be clearly the best two forwards at this point, I wouldn’t mind seeing Findley come off the bench in certain matches. Not only do I like the concept of Findley bringing his pace in against the legs of tired defenders, but I think Escalada provides something that Findley and Movsisyan don’t. He is a more technical player and can get into the mix of the tight passing game that RSL employs through the midfield. From my brief observations in Charleston and at practice, Escalada shows signs of being a precise finisher (although we didn’t see that against the Aztex). Like most people I’m not sold that he can do it in this league, but I’m ready to see him in some real action.
Second, I am torn between Ian Joy at left back or Tony Beltran at right back, with Wingert sliding over to the left. I like Ian’s grit and experience, and he’s a great professional to have out on the pitch. However, Ian doesn’t have a lot of pace and seems a little hesitant at times to push forward. Beltran on the other hand is inclined to push forward at every chance. This can be good, or bad. He can get caught out of position, but his pace and recovery ability can make up for his occasional defensive lapses. We’ll see how Beltran does during the first few matches of the season.
There are some other players that I am also interested to see how they fit into the mix:
- Ned Grabavoy – it didn’t seem like he was really fitting in yet with the group in Charleston. I’m curious about what contribution we’ll see out of him this season.
- Andy Williams – I assume that we will see a similar reserve role out of Andy where he comes in late in matches to either help close out a game with his ability to help the team hold the ball, or in pressing for a goal.
- Robbie Russell – a talented player, with a lot of good experience. I think he’ll play a lot this season in fill-in roles, but he doesn’t have a designated position which may keep him from being a regular starter anytime soon.
What are your thoughts?
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Real Salt Lake Downs Hosts Charleston Battery 2-1
Real Salt Lake managed to eke out a victory against the host team, Charleston Battery in each teams second match in the Carolina Challenge Cup tourney. The play by the RSL side composed mostly of reserves in the first half was rugged, and the USL-side at times looked the more polished of the two sides despite only having practiced for a couple of weeks together.
Clint Mathis seemed to hold his own, and managed the first goal off of a free kick that glanced off of the wall and snuck past the keeper.
Trialist Joe Zewe, who has played at Viborg alongside Robbie Russell, and nearly joined Ian Joy at St. Pauli, looked very dangerous and created several opportunities for himself but could not connect.
The Battery then pulled the game level in the 2nd half as standout Ian Fuller blasted a perfect shot to the upper left side of the net as RSL keeper Chris Seitz had shaded heavily to the opposite side of the net.
The play throughout the first 70 minutes was choppy and relied heavily on long passing. However, in the 70th minute Coach Kreis made wholesale changes bringing in many first-teamers including Will Johnson, Yura Movsisyan, Kyle Beckerman, Chris Wingert, Jamison Olave, and Javier Morales. The results were immediate as the style changed to the tight passing, fluid, energetic tempo that we became accustomed to from the MLS side last season. It took just 7 minutes for a result to be posted on the scoreboard as team captain, Kyle Beckerman blasted what looked like a hopeful 35-yard volley into the net which proved to be the game winner.
A short time later, the RSL staff held their collective breath as last years breakout striker, Yura Movsisyan went down hard and awkwardly in the box on his left shoulder. He later re-entered the game and initial reports are nothing serious. Likewise for defender Ian Joy who left the match earlier with some tightening of the hamstring that troubled him last season.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Training Camp Updates
Here is an update from training camp. I wanted to especially focus on how the roster looks to be sitting with the impending contract/budget compliance date coming up for the league on Monday. I will also post something later on that analyzes how I think the roster will look come March 28th.
GENERAL
The team is looking good. It appears that at this point the focus has been on the same diamond 4-4-2 formation that we saw last season. The returning players appear to be very comfortable in these roles. There is more of a focus on wing-backs with Beltran, Joy and Wingert filling in out wide. Speaking of Beltran - one observation is that he is vastly improved. Look for him to be a contributor this season.
ROOKIES
Cox - I heard some comparisons to Tony Beltran from a season ago. A quick player that can play left-back or left-wing. Has a good soccer knowledge, and a high confidence level. Seems to be adjusting well to the pro level, although there is definitely still a learning curve. He's more of an attacking player than Beltran, but look for him to make the roster.
Alexandre - No updates on him, but since he is already signed by the league, he's a lock to make the roster.
TRIALISTS
Escalada - As reported earlier, his fitness is improving. The team reportedly likes his finishing ability (despite the missed PK). Look for him to move on in the game of Real Salt Lake Survivor and stick with the team through the Charleston Tournament.
St. Preux - Again a marginal, developmental player. I'm guessing it's a long-shot that he'll make the team, especially if the team is high on Escalada. If he makes the Charleston roster it will be a minor surprise.
Salazar - Appears to be an average player, but he is a left-sided guy. As of now, Will is likely the starter at this position, and the team would ideally like to see him playing on the right. The team would also like to add a true wide player to go along with Will's tremendous enjoy and Javi's technical ability. If Salazar makes the team, it's likely just to add depth and it may be a temporary move which brings us to...
El Khalifi - As reported yesterday, the team is still active in negotiations with him. I assumed that there was a big rush to get him in for the last few weeks of pre-season. I'm sure they'd like to do this, but also don't write-off the possibility of him joining at a later stage (either prior to the April 15th window close or even during the summer window). I think the bringing in of a left-sided midfielder in Salazar is an indication that the team is looking for an insurance policy at this position.
Clark - No update on this player (as keepers tend to be off in their own little world during practice), but I think we'll know all we need to know by next Wednesday. I would be surprised to see the team take 4 keepers to Charleston.
INJURIES
Morales- has a minor injury, and is being held out largely for precautionary measures. Unknown at this point if he will play in the exhibition tomorrow.
Nunez - recovering from surgery.
Borchers/Russell - Both appear to be back at around 90%, and are participating fully in practice.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Other Media Day Tidbits
A few other tidbits from today:
Russell
Robbie is coming off of recent shoulder surgery (rotator cuff) that he had done here in Utah. He is not supposed to have contact for 4 weeks, but can participate in light practice. He isn't sure what happened to cause the injury, but indicated that he did receive an elbow in the back during the NYRB game (if I recall he came off the pitch for this). When asked about his role this year, he indicated that he is hoping to play in the midfield this season.
Beckerman
The captain of the team indicated that this team should get out of the gate much more quickly this season. He also indicated that he is okay if the team asks him to play a holding role (although its too early to know if this will be the case), as long as the team is scoring. He said that if the team isn't scoring he's going to be up the field and in the mix of things. Good attitude if you ask me.
Bhembe
I think you'll like this kid. He explained that he grew up in South Africa, and was playing soccer at the college level there, when he was discovered by Alabama A&M. He is confident about his ability, and claims that his age is a positive, because he won't still be learning and developing like some of the younger ones. He has a bit of a Jar Jar Binks quality to him. You'll see.
Cox
This kid has a good head on his shoulders. He describes himself as a left-sided player with quickness and good crossing and passing ability. He also likes to tuck in, which will suit him well in a Kreis coached midfield. He understands the need to step it up at this level.
Kreis
He has high expectations for this season. He is focused in making sure that the team improves "in all aspects" this season. He doesn't feel that new additions are required to improve, but just being together and building consistency should help. In particular, he thinks they should be much more successful on the road, particularly early on. He doesn't feel that the stadium will dictate tactics, but the quality of the players that they have going into the season (i.e. new additions) may dictate tactical changes.
Rimando
Is rooting for Arizona in the Superbowl. It seems Larry Fitzgerald was on his fantasy team. Also explained that his buddy Ben Olsen is still feeling pain, but is going to try to give it a go this season.
Johnson
Would welcome the opportunity to play on his natural right-side, but doesn't mind playing on the left. Played with KOA (Osuwu-Ansah) with Canadian YNT. Indicated that he is a very talented player. He needs nurturing, and needs vets to show him the ropes. He's very atheletic and with some coaching and mentoring can be a very good player in this league.
Seitz
Had much more down time this offseason than last. Is looking forward to hopefully getting some starts this season. Was disappointed that this didn't happen last season.
Several Players
Several players made similar comments: Looking forward to having a preseason with this team. Hoping that the team can find a way to get developmental players some game action. Confident that the team will be able to take a step forward this year.
Not in Attendance
Olave, Viveros, Wingert and Owusu-Ansah were not present. Olave had some visa issues, but is expected to arrive soon. Viveros and Owusu-Ansah are also expected to arrive soon. Wingert of course is in camp with the National Team.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Offseason News & Notes
Here are some things I was able to find out related to the draft and offseason in general:
- Robbie Findley reportedly NOT on trial, but simply training with Brøndby in Denmark. Of course, a big word of caution here as Clint Mathis was reportedly only training with RSL last season before joining the club. Findley is training with the clun with RSL's full blessing.
- RSL still looking for attacking players: striker and left-sided midfielder.
- "6 or 7 players" that Real has serious interest in. We are quite far along with this players: determining their interest, scouting, understanding their market value, etc. Now trying to determine best fit and negotiate.
- Looking primarily in S. America and Europe.
- Signings could come between now and the end of the month, but also AFTER transfer window closes, as there may be a drop in market value in certain cases.
- Team would like to avoid having a player come in just before the season "ala Kenny Deuchar" from last season.
- Beckerman likely RSL's starting holding midfielder for 2009.
- Robbie Russell will be out "through March" after having rotator cuff surgery in the offseason.
- The Dema deal had been in the works for a couple of months, but the draft put some pressure on this. Lagerway was afraid that Chivas and LA were going to take Lahoud and Alexandre ahead of RSL. Trading Dema to LA lessened the pressure for LA to take a holding midfielder and allowed Alexandre to fall to #12. It worked!
Saturday, August 2, 2008
FOR REAL: Robbie Russell (Part II)
15. Who is your favorite soccer player of all-time? I think it would be a tie between Zinadine Zidane and Marco van Basten. Van Basten just played on that Dutch team that’s style was so revolutionary at the time. The idea of having players that were interchangeable – defenders that go forward, and attackers that would defend. And Marco van Basten, along with Ruud Gullit, I thought some of the goals that he scored for that team were incredible. And Zidane was one of those players that every time he got the ball you thought something was going to happen. (This sidetracked into a discussion of the Zidane movie “Un Portrait du 21E Siecle (2006)”, and Robbie explained his best birthday present was signed pictures from Zidane with his nephews).
16. What’s your favorite athlete outside of soccer? I’d have to say Tiger Woods. To be honest as a soccer player, I don’t see golf as the most athletic sport in the world. It’s more a game of precision. To have that kind of concentration and control over your body is something as an athlete you are always striving for. Watching that last tournament, seeing him make shots when he needed them is clutch, and that’s what players always want to have.
17. What’s your favorite brand of boot? Adidas.
18. What do you do to prepare mentally and physically for a game? Do you have a pre-game ritual? Of course I have a pre-game ritual, just in terms of when you eat, what you do before the game, not doing anything to strenuous, but for me I’ve found that for every game you play you need to try something a little different mentally to prepare for that game. If you know the game is going to be a very physical, tackling, hard game you may need to tap into a little more anger and animosity. If you know it’s a game that requires more possession you start thinking a little more about juggling and being a (tripsy?) kind of player. Or maybe you need to go through the range of them all to get ready. But the most consistent facet of my mental preparation is to make sure that I’m always positive. Because there is a tendancy when sitting in the lockerroom, and you’re nerves are getting up and you’re all stressed, that you put your head down and not look at anyone else because you are so involved in your own mind. You are trying to prepare, but it’s a team game, so the best thing to do is just look up and talk to the guy next to you. And make sure he’s ready. Sometimes that’s the best thing to do even if you are nervous. That can really help you get out of a rut.
19. What kind of music do you like? I hate it when people say this but I do like a little bit of everything. Just from the fact that I’ve been in so many different countries. It’s like the more that you listen to something, the more that you find what you like in it. I can go through I phase where I’m stuck listening to rap music for 6 months and then all of the sudden I’ll get into alternative rock for no apparent reason. My favorite band in the world is Dave Mathews, but I’m not the prototypical Dave Mathews fan. If it just happens to have a sound that I like in it, then I’ll follow that band for awhile, but it can switch at any time.
20. What do you see ahead for the rest of your soccer career and then once you hang up the boots what do you see that being like? Whew! Those are deep questions! Well, I think I definitely want to make that last run to try to make it on the World Cup team. That would be a dream come true. If I’m lucky enough to get that chance it would be fantastic. But sometimes as an athlete the worst thing to do is to make plans too far in advance, because you never know what’s going to get thrown at you. With my surgeries on my knee that was the first time I had been injured and that really brought me down to earth. So as an athlete you really need to think about the next game, and improving over the last game. After football, to be honest I’ve dragged my wife around a couple of places and she’s put her career on the backburner and so I feel that after football she should focus on her career and then maybe I’ll try to go back to school. I am interested in going to medical school, but I do need some undergrad credits, so we’ll see how that goes.
21. Having been here a week, what is your initial assessment of the team, what do you see as the strengths and weaknesses? Just from general experience, I really feel that this team has a lot of positive energy around it. That is something that organizations strive for especially in Europe. To have a situation where everything is pointed in a positive direction, so that you have everyone from the head of the club to someone in the FO is pulling for the team. Every time you walk in they say hello, they know your name, they go the extra mile to get to know you. I’ve seen that a lot from the guys I have met on the club. That is so hard to get in athletics. Maybe the biggest hindrance to Real is that they are so young. And they have everything moving in a positive direction. As they get a bit older, and things go up and down can they keep that positive energy? The best teams focus on maintaining that.
22. Since you can play 7 positions, that includes some on the left side, do you feel comfortable with your left foot crossing the ball? There is a joke that I have, it’s “my left foot is pretty much just for standing.” I don’t mind playing on the left side, I can hit a ball, cross a ball, but my favorite side is the right. I feel like my right foot is very good, so anything that brings out my positives then I am all for it.
23. How do you feel you use your speed on the pitch and how does it define you as a player? I’m one of those players that like to play the ball more than run with it. So I’m good at runs off the ball, but runs off the ball you don’t necessarily need to be the fastest, but they need to be done at smart moments. So when I have the ball at my feet is generally when I use my pace. During the course of the game, you don’t necessarily have the ball a lot. So the rest of the time, it’s not using my pace. I generally see myself as a player that is roaming around and then when I see an opening – BAM! – I go through it.
24. What do you see as your strengths and weaknesses? My touch is very good. I have good vision, but that’s based on feeling comfortable in a system. I like to get to know players and their tendancies and that doesn’t happen overnight. I definitely can deliver the ball to players anyway that I need to and I can strike the ball very well, but getting to know the other guys is what I work at.
25. Tell us about the injuries that you have had and how they affect you as a player. My first injury was at Rosenborg. Over the course of 8 months I had 3 separate knee surgeries. Surgery. Rehab. Training. Injury. Surgery. Rehab. Training. Injury. Surgery. Rehab. Training. The first was a meniscus tear, where they tried an experimental treatment that went really wrong. The second injury happened on the first training back. After the second surgery, I didn’t take enough time to rehab and was again injured in the first training back, but this time quite severely. The muscles in my thigh I had lost 40% of my muscle mass, when I came back I didn’t have enough muscle strength to support my leg. So what happened, I went to plant, the knee locked, and the bones grinded together and I created a lot of cartilage damage. And with cartilage damage but it’s very long rehab time. They can shape the cartilage but they have to wait 6 months to a year to see if it heals properly. So my knee has been my biggest issue.
26. So when did the 3rd surgery happen and do you feel you are fully past it? In 2005 and it took almost 2 years to heal. So it’s only been in the last year and a half that I have felt like myself. Right now probably the strongest part of my body is my left knee.
27. How many languages do you speak? I can speak Norweigan. Danish and Norweigan are very similar, but the Danish and Norweigan’s don’t like to hear that. They are written very similar, but the pronunciation of the words is very different. Danish is more guttural with more slurring of the words, whereas Norweigan is enunciated more. I also have high school French and have had practice playing with French players. I’m okay in English as well.
28. When you were born in Ghana were both of your parents American? No, my father was American and my mother is Ghanaian. So when I was little I spoke Fante, an African dialect. I was 2 so I was just starting to speak. But I’ve been in the US so long that I’ve lost that.
29. Do you think travelling in the US is going to be a big adjustment? In Champions League, and in certain countries like France you do fly to a lot of games, but it will be an adjustment. It’s on a different scale here.
30. Have you learn to hate the Rapids yet? I wasn’t aware that I was supposed to. (After this Trey and I gave him the background and I think he’s on board now).
31. If there was one thing you’d like to say to RSL fans what would it be? The biggest thing is I hope that I can make them proud and I hope that I can help them to foster their love for the team.
Friday, August 1, 2008
FOR REAL: Robbie Russell (Part I)
AUDIO -> PART 1
AUDIO ->PART 2
FOR REAL is a new segment for Keepin' It Real. It's meant to be a candid Q&A with players or coaches to give the fans a chance to find out more about them. We will solicit questions from fans so that you can get answers to what is on your mind.
The original intention was to get these answers via email, however in this case, I was able to meet with Robbie Russell face-to-face. I'm glad I did as I found him to be very well-spoken and very forthcoming. We will have to re-evaluate this for future installments.
Below I have attempted to capture his answers; the answers below may not be his exact words, but are a close summary of them. The audio file for this is of decent quality, and although it wasn't meant to be a podcast we will explore the possibility of making it available in its raw form. It's really quite compelling.
1. Explain your decision to not enter MLS initially, but instead go overseas. My father was an aid worker and we moved around a lot. I lived in Ghana, Sri Lanka, and all over the US. I was approached by an agent, Lyle Yorks, and he offered to send me on a couple of trials. I was just out of school, so why not. I got a contract with the first team that I went on trial with. Because my family is used to being a n international family, I never really felt like I was separated. My family was really good at supporting me, and so I just stayed.
2. You played in Iceland, Denmark and Norway. Which of those leagues did you like the most and why? I think I liked Norway the most. When I joined Rosenborg they were a Champions League team, and I got to play in group stages. I got to play against Real Madrid, well I was injured but I got to go to the stadium. I got to play against Arsenal and it was at Highbury. I just got to experience that World Class level of European football. So I had the best soccer memories of Norway. But also I felt that a lot of Norweigan people are very accepting and there is a lot of positive energy around the teams. The people in Iceland and Denmark are amazing too.
3. How much did you hear about MLS, and in particular RSL while you were in Europe? Honestly not much at all. The MLS doesn’t get much exposure. Until recently, with the acquisition of David Beckham. That whole media storm surrounding it. The money surrounding it. Up until this last year I had never seen an MLS game on television in Europe until they started showing Galaxy games. It seems like the league has just grown by leaps and bounds.
4. When did you have your first contact with RSL? And why did they become a club that you were interested in? I first contacted RSL about 6 or 7 months ago, so not during this European window, but the previous European window. It was at that time that my club in Denmark had been going through some transitions. I had met with the coaches, and they had had 3-4 coaches since I’d been there. Every time a new coach would come in, new players would come in. I had come from Rosenberg after an injury, and within 10 days that coach got fired. After the 3rd coach is when my playing time really declined. About 7 months ago I wanted to look for new clubs, but my wife had just come over. She had just started her job, and just started school to get her masters, so she couldn’t leave for at least a year. So RSL approached me during the window because I had made some grumblings in the press. At my age then I felt maybe it was time to come back to the States and maybe get a shot at the National team. So they approached me but I couldn’t go because my wife still had too much time left, and RSL said we’ll see what happens in the future. Luckily during the current window they were still interested.
5. Your wife’s family has a connection to Utah? Yes, my wife’s father went to medical school here like 25-30 years ago and comes back occasionally and they bought a house here to retire, but he was offered a position as a hospital administrator in LA so they stayed there. It’s a big part of being a nice initial setup here in Salt Lake.
6. Now how does that work with you coming back, you were interested in specifically RSL or just coming back to the league? There were a couple of teams that I was interested in, but RSL was the one that showed the most enthusiasm about. A lot of the other clubs, I mean I had been injured for so long and only played a couple of games in the 6 months before that I knew a lot of teams had forgotten about me. But RSL kept up with me, and that meant a lot to me. In Europe, if you are an American and you are out of favor with the coaches, it’s not like the press is going to get on the clubs case. So to me it was important to go with a club where there were people with enthusiasm who wanted me to be there, and RSL really showed that.
7. So how did that work with the league rules, was there an allocation? I didn’t find out about the allocation list until after I had decided to come to RSL. So all the sudden I had decided to come to RSL, and the league called a week later and said you can’t just sign with RSL. You have to sign with the league first and we don’t really know where you’ll end up, but we think you could end up with RSL. So at that point I had come on trial, but it was kept secret so that no other teams knew that I was on trial. And the 6 months of not playing first team football worked to my advantage, because the other teams had forgotten about me. Garth told me that he was trying to build up that I wasn’t a good player to all of the other managers. When I went back to train in Denmark to see what was going to happen, Garth told me not to score like 6 goals in a training game. Actually there was only one training game and I decided to sit it out. I had never experienced that kind of politics.
8. How much did the Duke connection come into play with this transfer? I assume so. Obviously I didn’t play with Jason or Garth, but I know that they spoke to John Rennie who was our coach. So I definitely got a recommendation from John to them, but I don’t know how much that played in their decision.
9. How about having your in-laws here, did that help in the decision? Yea, them being the most knowledgeable in my immediate circle (about Utah) that definitely helped. Also one of my best friends from Duke lives here, and she was full of recommendations and was very excited.
10. What about playing in Europe was there one memorable playing experience? Yes there were actually two in the same game. We were playing against Arsenal in Champions League and I got substituted in the last 30 minutes. I was up against Thierry Henry, and I tackled him pretty hard. I chopped him down. I also nutmegged Ashley Cole.
11. What was life like living in Norway? It was life. (Trey interjects that Nat Borchers complains about the food). Yea Scandinavian food is less favorable than here in the States. Norway especially has the most beautiful scenery and nature. The first club that I was at, Sogndal, which is one of the smallest clubs in Europe. It’s in this little town of 5,000 people that sits right on the edge of one of the largest fiords in Europe. So literally you walk out your door and look up at this cliff that goes straight up.
12. Which position is your favorite? I guess for most of my pro career I’ve played right back. I’ve always seen myself as a midfielder. My best contribution to the team may be a defender, but with time to learn the system and know the other players I could be an effective midfielder as well. But my first concern being a professional is to help the club in any way that I can.
13. Did you know any of the players before you came here? My only exposure was Dema Kovalenko when he was at Indiana. My freshman year we played Indiana in one of the first tournaments of the season. I didn’t remember him specifically but they had like 3 Ukrainian midfielders that dominated. That was one of my first memories from Duke.
14. What’s the probability of a return of the dreds? I’d have to say very unlikely. Unfortunately when I first got the dreds and my mom saw them, she cried. She was so upset that I got dreadlocks. Since then she is constantly reminding me that the dreadlocks should never happen again.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Today's Updates: Thursday Jul 31, 2008
Real Salt Lake goalkeeper Nick Rimando was voted MLS Player of the Month for July after posting three shutouts in four matches as RSL went undefeated in July.
MLS: Rocky road ahead for RSL -> The Salt Lake Tribune/ Michael C. Lewis
Although RSL still doesn't play for another two weeks, it knows that once it returns to the field, it will have a challenging path to the first playoff appearance in franchise history - no matter where it's sitting in the standings. Six of its next eight games are on the road, meaning that the team probably is going to have to shed its historical reputation as an awful road team to avoid being overtaken during the stretch run.
Weekly Update: First-place RSL get break -> Real Salt Lake Media Relations
Findley provided the dramatic finish for Real Salt Lake three minutes later, as his sliding finish from 14 yards out allowed RSL to climb above .500 for the first time in club history and head into an 18-day break with a four-point lead in the Western Conference standings over second-place sharers Houston and Los Angeles.
Is Real Salt Lake’s Game for Real? -> bleacher report/David Wilson
Toronto FC watched an opportunity for a precious away point dissolve with Robbie Findley’s late strike during Major League Soccer’s recent edition of Monday Night Football.
The 'Duke of Soccer' makes appearance in North Augusta -> aikenstandard/Mac
Banks
Hashimoto is currently rehabbing a left knee injury and is training in hopes to get back to the professional level. He tore his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his left knee in June 2007 and reinjured it in September of that same year.
Russell sees perfect fit in U.S. return -> MLSnet/John Coon
"I really feel like this is a place where the management and coaches have a specific goal in mind," Russell said. "In my experience with clubs in Europe, that's usually the teams that do the best -- teams that have plans."
Friday, July 25, 2008
Practice Update: Friday July 25, 2008
Today's practice included the introduction to the team of Robbie Russell. It's a good thing, because it was an otherwise quiet day. Chris Wingert was missing in action. Beckerman, Kirby, Mantilla and Beltran all left after a few minutes of warmups - I think they left to do strength training early. The remaining players seemed like the walking wounded: Yura, Olave and Espindola were all featuring large quantities of ice after practice. Here are a few other notes:
- Russell actually showed up a couple of minutes late, and Coach Kreis gave him a hard time saying "late for first practice, huh. That will be a fine."
- Practice was a little more competitive than Tuesday, but it still seems that these players are fairly loose and comfortable with each other.
- Russell confirmed that his wife's parents do live in Park City and that is where he will be staying right now.
- His wife is a teacher in Norway and will be finishing up the next semester there before moving full time.
- Morales scored in a scrimmage off of a sweet free kick right past Borchers ear.
- Russell didn't seem too active during the scrimmage (and played it safe by staying back will the other backs often pushed forward), but I'm sure that's part of getting used to the players, coaches, system, etc.
- I didn't get to see the speed that was advertised, but I was surprised at how stocky and strong he appears to be.
- Russell indicated that D-mid is probably his strongest spot despite having played right back for the last several years professionally.
- Robbie seemed to be extremely well spoken and professional.
- He indicated that he has heard great things about Utah and the people and that he loves what he has seen so far.
- Apparantly he was in Maryland for a week waiting for the contract to be finalized.
- Ian Joy mentioned that Russell is well known in Europe and he has seen him play on TV several times. He is known to be a very consistent, solid player.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Daily Update: Thursday Jul 14, 2008
RSL: Coveted midfielder coming to RSL -> The Salt Lake Tribune/Michael C. Lewis
"This is the guy we wanted," general manager Garth Lagerwey said.
Real Salt Lake notes: Russell signs RSL contract -> Deseret News/James Edward
"We are extremely pleased to be adding yet another talented, intelligent and experienced American professional returning from abroad," said RSL coach Jason Kreis. "Robbie is an athletic and dynamic player who can play multiple positions and will immediately add strength to our core. We couldn't be happier to finally have this deal done."
RSL's Sturgis dropped from Olympic team -> Deseret News/James Edward
The 21-year-old midfielder re-aggravated his hamstring this week at the pre-Olympic training camp in Palo Alto, Calif. and will be replaced by FC Dallas' Dax McCarty.
I just want to add my initial thoughts on this: You've got to be kidding me! What is this guy made out of? Wow!
-TheGoldenBoot
RSL accomplish goals in friendly loss -> MLSnet/John Coon
"We were a compact unit and we were defending together," Kreis said. "Everything was pretty clean in the first half. In the second half, we made a tactical change. We changed our formation and I think that caused us some problems."
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Robbie Russell Joins Real Salt Lake
Here are some things that Garth pointed out:
- Played for Rosenborg (Norway) and most recently
- Viborg in Norway
- His wife has a house in Park City
- Was kept a secret because of allocation process???
- Fastest 40 on the team
- Plays 7 positions (all along backline, d-mid and outside mid)
- hasn't played competitive much in last 9 months (injury???)
- Right-footed player
- Will be in SLC tomorrow and could be eligible for Monday's game
- Comes to us at a reasonable salary
- We are left with 1 roster spot, 2 international spots, and plenty of salary cap room
- Quiet player and quality guy
- Will be an on-the-field leader to help younger guys with positioning
- Struggled a little bit w/ altitude during trial
- Fitness may be an issue initially
From Dunord:
"Viborg has agreed to release fullback Robbie Russell from his contract so he can come back home from Denmark and play in MLS. Is there a team that wants a guy who has barely played the last 2 seasons due to knee problems? I guess if he goes on trial and shows he is back to full health, then anything is possible. "
From Soccer America:
"According to a source at one of the MLS teams, defenders Robbie Russell and Cory Gibbs are being shopped around. Russell, who turns 29 next month, has played in Iceland, Norway and Denmark since leaving Duke University after the 2000 season and has been with Viborg FF in the Danish league for the past two seasons.Since he's never been capped by the national team, though he's attended several training camps, Russell wouldn't be subject to the allocation process. He was drafted by the Galaxy after completing his college career, and elected not to sign with the league within two years after being drafted, so he would be subject to a special lottery."
From Columbus Dispatch (blog):
"Defender Robbie Russell is another candidate, but if he signed with MLS he might be put into a one-time lottery like Robbie Rogers was last year."
