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, April 30, 2008
Daily Update: Thursday May 1, 2008
U.S. Open Cup qualifier: It's Open season for RSL in rout -> Salt Lake Tribune/Martin Renzhofer
"I've been waiting for an opportunity," Cordoba said through an interpreter. "I probably didn't get a chance up to now because there were people who were doing better than I was. But I just kept working. It was a new experience for me because I had never played on an artificial field before. It's quicker."
Wednesday Night U.S. Open Cup Action -> Behind the Shield
"However, despite their best efforts the visitors couldn’t keep RSL at bay for long, as midfielder Kyle Beckerman fired home from short range off a bouncing ball in the area. Apparently Kyle wasn’t satisfied with his first effort as only 12 minutes later he blasted home a highlight-reel long range effort that squeezed into the lower left corner past a diving Burpo. Not to be outdone, striker Yura Movsisyan capped off the scoring less than a minute later, as he clinically finished a Matias Cordoba cross for the third RSL goal."
Moving On -> Behind the Shield
"The weather continued to get worse as the half went along and, as has become tradition in Salt Lake in April, the home fans saw the introduction of the famous orange ball right around the hour mark."
Match Photos -> RSL Boz
Quakes lose game, two players -> San Jose Mercury News/Andrew Aragon
"In the ninth minute of their 4-0 loss to Real Salt Lake, Quakes defenders Jay Ayres and Ryan Cochrane violently collided while battling for a high ball. Both players were taken to a hospital with facial lacerations and concussions. Coach Frank Yallop, after the game, said Ayres might have some broken cheekbones."
Major League Player Who Hasn't Forgotten His Roots -> Washington Post/Dave Yanovitz
"Kyle Beckerman has gone from Crofton to the big time. Big time as in he's the player gracing the home page on the Web site for his current Major League Soccer team, Real Salt Lake. Big time as in he is featured in more than 20 YouTube videos."
POST-GAME QUOTE SHEET
(courtesy RSL Communications)
REAL SALT LAKE HEAD COACH JASON KREIS
On what the best aspect of RSL was this evening:
“The brightest spot for me tonight was just the mentality of the group. They were very up for it, very bright in the first 20 minutes, and also were rewarded at the end of those 20 minutes by capitalizing and getting a goal. We’ve gone through a lot of times this year where we’ve had that mentality and we’ve been bright and done a lot of things in their half and walked away with no goals, so it was nice that they ended up that period with a goal.”
On RSL’s attitude:
“I think we were very pleased with the way our team’s mentality was. It would have been easy to come out a little flat and these Open Cup games can be difficult at times because of that and also because it’s so early in the tournament, but our guys’ mentality was fantastic.”
On how the RSL staff juggled personnel with two matches this week:
“We had a very set idea of how we were going to handle this game and Saturday night’s game compared to each other and, yes, it was a bit of a trial for some of the guys.”
On the play of MF Matias Cordoba:
“I thought he did pretty well. He really looked pretty gassed around minute 40; when you looked at his face it looked like he was breathing through his nose, his mouth, and his ears as well. But I thought he had a decent showing. I’m certain he [took it seriously]. One thing I know about Matias Cordoba is he’s a good guy, a competitor, and he’s been wanting for a very long time to show us what he’s about. He took advantage of the situation tonight, for sure.”
On the double-injury to San Jose defenders Ryan Cochrane and Jay Ayres in the first half:
“I think we were benefactors of that, for sure, because one of them was Ryan Cochrane and he’s really the organizer in central defense for them. So we were certainly benefactors of that injury.”
REAL SALT LAKE GK CHRIS SEITZ
On not seeing many shots on goal during the game:
“That’s the position. Any goalkeeper might not see a shot for 60 or 70 minutes, but when the ball comes in you’ve got to be ready. You’ve got to stay warm, you’ve got to stay in the game as much as possible.”
REAL SALT LAKE MF KYLE BECKERMAN
On RSL’s aggressive mindset:
“If we can get a goal and be the aggressing team in the first 20 minutes that’s what we were playing to do and it worked out for us and then set the tone from there.”
On opening a 3-0 lead:
“We had them on the ropes, we knocked them down with the goal and then got one after that and it was no turning back for us after that. They were just chasing the game.”
On the short timing between the first and second goal:
“I was like ‘Whoa, hey man, we’re about to score again.’ We were just focused and we made sure that after we scored the second one we were right on top of them again and not giving them any breath, so it was good to get a third.”
SAN JOSE HEAD COACH FRANK YALLOP
On the Cochrane & Ayres injuries in the opening minutes of the game:
“It shocked us a little; it was a pretty bad collision, to be honest. I was sitting close, it was loud and I think it disturbed a few of our players. We just have to see how they are. I think Jay Ayres is worse off than Ryan Cochrane, but they’re both pretty concussed and in the hospital at the moment, so hopefully they’ll be okay.”
On if the wintry weather played a role:
“It’s never an easy surface to play on, and I think Real Salt Lake played well on it, to be honest, and we didn’t play good at all. Late in the game [we] had a couple of chances, but I think the game was well and buried by then.”
SAN JOSE GOALKEEPER PRESTON BURPO
On what the Earthquakes can take away from the result:
“There’s not much to take out of it; it’s a knock-out game and we lost. You can talk about the weather, you can talk about the field, you can talk about a good crowd tonight. They were pretty decent and we were [expletive]. There’s nothing to take out of it quite honestly. At this point we’re out of the tournament. We had two chances at a trophy, this was one, and now we have league trophy to look at.”
Open Cup Match Review
I usually don't like to write match reviews, but because of the weather, the weeknight, and the fact that it was an Open Cup match against an expansion team I figure there might be fewer reviews floating out there in cyberspace. Here are some of my thoughts:
- Goals by Beckerman (2), Movisyan, and Williams. Beckerman's first goal was opportunistic as it came off of a header from Mantilla. His second goal was a fantastic long-range shot well-placed in the lower left corner of the goal away from the keeper. Movsisyan's goal was off of a spectacular pass from Cordoba who passed up an open shot himself. Williams goal was off of a well placed pass from Nunez.
- Man of the Match: clearly Captain Kyle. Two goals, captain of the team, and great play all through the first half.
- Other standouts: Seitz, Cordoba. Seitz wasn't challenged a ton, but he was up to the occasion every time. He also was very vocal in organizing the defense and was pretty solid with his distributions. Cordoba had a great game in the center of the midfield. He beat his man on several occassions, made good passes (particularly the play on Yura's goal), and had some well placed corner kicks into the box. In addition, he had two wonderful takeaways: the first setting up Yura's goal, the second later in the first half in which he had a clear path to the goal, and was tackled wildly from behind about 23 yards out (thanks football lines). Mysteriously there wasn't even a foul called, when one could argue that this could have been a red (although he was a bit far out maybe to be an imminent scoring threat).
- Other solid contributors: Beltran, Olave, Mantilla, Wingert. All quite solid.
- Poorest performers: Findley, Movsisyan. Movsisyan had numerous chances, and continued his tendancy to play with the ball too much. The goal he scored was an easy shot set up completely by Cordoba. He should have done much more and had several wasted opportunities. Findley hustled, but did not make any serious opportunities develop from this hustle. His first touch continued to fail him. I noticed that his touch was typically well intentioned with him trying to put the ball in the right spots but his first touch is almost always too heavy.
- San Jose was forced to use a couple of subs early in the first half as two players (one was Cochrane I believe, not sure who the other was) heads collided. One of them was bleeding quite badly.
Before we get too excited about this win, it was only an Open Cup game against an expansion team. However, this team has played very well at home this season. This match was the second home game in a row with a 4-0 result, and the second home game in which Beckerman came up with a brace.
(click to enlarge)
Monday, April 28, 2008
A Real World Review: April 28, 2008
A review of Week 5 in MLS
This Real World Update brought to you by: chronicrslnewb (aka Darin Hoopes)
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.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Player Profile: Chris Seitz
Position: Goalkeeper
Date of Birth: Mar 12, 1987 (21)
Place of Birth: San Luis Obispo, California
Height: 6 ft 4 in
Weight: 236
Previous Clubs: none
National Team Exp: United States (U-20 & U-23)
Jersey Number: #1
Current Status: Developmental Roster (GA)
How Acquired: 4th overall pick in 2007
Personal summary: Attended University of Maryland.
Professional summary/highlights: Drafted as second highest goalkeeper ever selected in the Superdraft at the number 4 spot by RSL in 2007. Has seen limited action with RSL, but has been a fixture as the starting keeper for the US youth national teams for the last couple of years.
Webpages/Myspace/Facebook:
Youtube/video links:
Other links: MLS Player profile: Chris Seitz/MLSnet, Wikipedia Page: Chris Seitz/Wiki, AYL podcast: 1st coaches show 2008; AYL podcast: RSL show - episode 8
Keepin It Real Expectations for 2008: Nick Rimando proved to be a top notch goalkeeper last year. Unless he loses this form, he will likely fill this role this year. Seitz will be busy with the U-23 team and the Olympics this year. However, it is likely that Seitz will see several starts for RSL during this season.
Interesting Fact/tidbits/quote:
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.
