Herpes Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and all that crap!

-From the Royal Review

Ninja...Ninja rap, even

Sorry for the Vanilla Ice reference. I was watching that the other day on Youtube. Hilarious stuff.

ANYWAY, on to the latest from RSL Land (also known to fans as the 19th level of hell):

"The [USA U-23] roster has been reduced to 20 players, with Nate Sturgis (calf) and Adam Cristman (hamstring) not fit enough to make the trip to China." Straight from the US U-23 blog
Thanks RSLFM Report for the heads up.

I hate to think this, let alone say this (and jinx him further), but Sturgis seems to be turning into an injury machine. This is almost certainly giving the (and I use this term VERY loosely) "braintrust" in LA too much credit, but maybe there is a reason they let Sturgis go so easily. Hopefully Nate can use the rest of his time off this offseason to get healthy and come back and have a great year next year. That way we can just call him a "talented player" instead of "talented but injury prone".

On a completely different topic, not a day goes by where I don't hear about (possible and real) signings and trades in MLS, including the latest doozy:
D Bobby Boswell to Houston for GK Zach Wells & a second round draft pick

So Houston, already the MLS champs, trade away their backup goalkeeper for a former MLS defender of the year. Yes, Boswell had a poor season last year, but I think a change in scenery and the motivation to prove himself again bodes well for him and Houston. Meanwhile, RSL does nothing (other than waving goodbye to Eddie Pope and then waiving promising defender Kipre). Somehow I think not changing, and even losing THE key piece of, a team that has yet to make the playoffs while the champs bolster their defense is not the way to bring a winner to Utah.
Even LA is looking to further skirt the salary cap by adding Polish striker Maciej Zurawski to the roster from Scotland's Celtic FC

Meanwhile, there is not a word on any moves coming from RSL's camp. Note to Dave Checketts: 'People like to cheer for winning teams. Especially in sports that may be considered "fringe" by some. Especially in Utah. Try getting some decent and ESTABLISHED personnel in here, including in the front office. Winning can be fun, I promise.'

How RSL plans to suddenly become better than teams that have already proven themselves better than RSL just by losing their top defender is beyond me. Can anyone explain it to me? Anyone?

PS to Dave-Seriously, I love this guy. Open the checkbook.

PPS-

Seriously???

As much as RSL makes me say "What the hell are they thinking?", those in charge of MLS often have me saying the same thing. ESPN has posted a list of all seven opening week games for the 2008 season, with the games to be played on the weekend of Saturday, March 29. Let's take a look:

Toronto @ Columbus
DCU @ Kansas City
NY @ San Jose
Chivas @ Dallas

Nothing too bad about these four, but then there's these 3:

Houston @ New England
LA @ Colorado
Chicago @ RSL


What on earth is MLS thinking??? It's March. Why do you send Houston to the northeast??? Why is Chicago going up into the mountains??? And why, oh why, is LA headed to Denver??? Why are these games not the other way around? Granted, Chicago isn't great in winter either, but I would wager it's nicer than a city that HOSTED THE WINTER OLYMPICS!!! And what was the thought process in sending two warm climate teams to much colder climes in March? Seriously, very odd.

In other news, I'm still super pissed about this Jamie Watson (and to a lesser extent Jimenez) thing. And now, even more details have emerged at the RSLFM report. No employer should ever treat an emloyee that way. Especially if the allegation of basically holding him hostage in order to get something out of Dallas is true. To make matters worse, he was basically the only positive PR face this franchise had. To make matters even worse, he was a solid ballplayer! He seems to be playing well with Dallas according to the 3rd Degree blog (scroll down to the bottom for a Watson blurb).

And finally, a boy can dream can't he? It'll never happen (for various reasons), but, man, I'd love to see Archie Thompson in red... It would make my brown eyes blue...or something...
I wanted to post a good video of one of his truly awesome, over the top goal celebrations but I can't find a good quality one off hand. Let's just say he is possibly beyond even Cunningham in this regard. Here's a couple Archie vids nevertheless:

Here's the main part of the goal celebration:


Here's a modified one, adding the gun celebration:


And a few more for your viewing pleasure:
Archie (13) and Australia (31) set world goal scoring records.
Very nice goal (granted, against lower competition, but still).
A-League 2007 Grand Final Highlights, Archie with 5 goals.

Tell me celebrations like that wouldn't play here in the States. Just try.

It's Tough Being an RSL Fan (aka Will the Ineptitude Ever End???)

A few things in RSL-land lately, and all have been hard to swallow:

1) This report (thanks for the heads-up to RSLFM Report) which has Jason Kreis making over $200k per year to coach RSL. This despite the fact that he has NO coaching experience. This despite the fact that 3 years running MLS Cup finalist coach Steve Nicol only makes around $175k per year. This despite the fact that Kreis's slip-ups have cost the team lots of extra money in fines. What the hell? Seriously. Let's put some of that money toward the on-field product. I swear Checketts and Kreis are having a secret love affair. It's sexy!

2) Jamie Watson is already making a case for a contract with another team, the Hoops of FC Dallas. He is one of three "guest players" (aka trialists) joining the team on a trip to Trinidad for a set of exhibition games. I've already made my feelings known on the release and treatment of Watson, but to see him already seeming to catch on with another team shows just seems to backup my viewpoint that Kreis was WAY off base on this one.

3) The MLS waiver draft is coming up tomorrow, let's see who is up for grabs from RSL:
Chris Brown (good riddance), Steven Curfman (too bad for him), Christian Jimenez (good luck), Jack Stewart (see Chris Brown), and...Jean-Martial Kipre. Now I don't know the story here, but Kipre better have DEMANDED to be released to go overseas or else someone needs to be smacked. Hard. Kipre is young, fast, and dangerous. He's already proven he can play in this league and with some seasoning, possibly be a VERY good player in MLS. If RSL is just letting him go it makes me sick. With Pope retiring we need all the help we can get on defense!

Sigh... It really is hard to be an RSL fan sometimes. Hopefully there are some big signings on the horizon...

In other depressing (at least to me) sports news, my Syracuse Orangemen have pulled an RSL and inexplicably brought back (American) football coach Greg Robinson after 3 seasons in which the team has won a grand total of 7 games and has been near the bottom in every statistical category. Look for RSL to sign him as "Grand Poobah" or something after he is fired after the debacle that will be the 2008 season.

Finally, a slight ray of sunshine on this cloudy day. Congratulations are in order for Robbie Findley, Nathan Sturgis, and Chris Seitz as the three have been called into the US U-23 camp in preparation for an upcoming trip to China. Let's hope their personal successes carry over to RSL next year. Well done boys!

Another random catch-all update

First off, congratulations to the Creamsicles on winning another MLS Cup. I accidentally slept through the first half, but the second half was quite entertaining and Houston certainly deserved the win. Word is the NERds are in talks to change their name to the Buffalo Bills. Also, Khano Smith's new nickname is "Atiba."

Anyhow, there are lots of rumors floating around RSL-land these days so I'll hit on a few of those and what they would mean.

The most current has Kreis talking Adidas into graduating Jamie Watson out of Generation Adidas early so that he could cut him. While I believe it (see: various debacles featuring the coaching staff/front office this year), I hope this is not the case, as it is VERY bush league. In fact, if true, it saddens me. Kreis gives Watson little to no playing time. When he does play (and plays well), Kreis calls him out for not scoring when Jamie was the only player on the field playing with any of the following 1) heart 2) hustle 3) passion 4) energy 5) courage 6) shots. Everyone else on the team was afraid to even attack! And now, Kreis gets him taken out of a guaranteed contract so that he can cut him. Weak. While I don't think he'll ever be a star, don't be surprised to see Watson land elsewhere in MLS and become a solid role player with tons of hustle (something Kreis says he wants...hmmm....)

AYL filed this rumor report about 3 weeks ago (and I've heard little else since) but has listed Atiba Harris, Steven Curfman, Chris Brown, and Jean Martial Kipre as soon to be ex-RSL players. Here's my thoughts on each, if true.
Curfman-reserve player, never really saw the field. Too bad for the kid, but not a big loss. Good luck!
Brown-Thank God! The fact that he almost won the RSL Golden Boot proves two things: 1) RSL just plain can't score 2) Findley was criminally under-utilized. If he'd been on the field more, it wouldn't have been close.
Harris-Sad to see him go. His toughness/recklessness actually would have served him well in continued play at D-mid. Supposedly going to Norway (I'm guessing on a much larger contract) so I can't say as I blame him.
Kipre-BIG loss. I think this kid was the future at outside back. He had the speed and the moves to keep up on defense and to really disrupt the opposition's plans while on offense. If it is true he is gone, he better be leaving for a big contract as RSL would be painfully dumb (granted it wouldn't be the first time) to let him go easily.

Also in that report was word that Christian Jimenez has been traded. For what? No one knows. I'll wait on final judgement on this until the details come out. Having said that, while everyone says Jimenez has the talent, he has been very injury prone and I can understand if RSL cuts their losses on this one. Good luck to him wherever he goes!

Also, I was thinking the other day and I realized something. RSL MUST retire Eddie Pope's number 23. If they don't, they are a bigger joke than...well, they have already proven to be (or Jack Stewart's defense-take your pick on whatever reference you prefer). It not only would be the correct thing to do for Eddie, as he has been an absolute rock not only for this franchise but for the national team as well, but for the fans as well. It would give us something to take pride in and rally around. Having a GREAT (not good) player's number in the rafters (or wherever you'd put it at a soccer stadium haha) gives your team a sense of history and pride. I see RSL as having 3 chances to get this right:
1) At home game #1 of the season. Start the year off right and with a big celebration.
2) At RSL's home game vs. DC United. Have Eddie's former team help celebrate him with us.
3) At the opening of the Sandy Stadium. No brainer, but if done here, it mustn't get lost in the fanfare of the stadium opening.
Anything else is an affront to Eddie and to RSL (and Pope) fans everywhere.

Finally, just a quick look at my MLS playoff predictions:
Round 1:
Chivas USA over Kansas City - WRONG
Houston over Dallas - RIGHT
DC United over Chicago - WRONG
New England over New York - RIGHT
Round 2:
Houston over Chivas USA - RIGHTish
DC United over New England - WRONG
Final:
DC United over Houston - WRONG
As you can see, I did fairly well with the exception of DCU. Their choke in the first round killed me. But I learned something doing these predictions. Don't ever pick DCU, whenever I do, they lose.

Sigh...and there goes MLS 2007. At least we have the Draft and player moves to look forward to, I suppose. Now off to check on my other (soccer) team, the boys in blue of Sydney FC! Farewell until next time!

MLS (Playoff) Format

It seems there are a LOT of people out there that don't like the current MLS playoff system. I must admit, I'm not 100% convinced myself. From the lack of advantage for higher seeds to the number of teams on, there are a lot of things people don't like. Here's a few ideas that I came up with. They almost certainly won't be liked by the 'soccer purists', especially those that want a single table & promotion/relegation (get over it, it'll never happen), but it is a semi-'Americanized' system that also tries to set fairness at a high level.

NOTE: This setup is based on a 16 team league, which MLS can and will be at soon.

First, I would break the league up into 2 conferences and four divisions, based mostly on geography (and therefore helping promote more regional rivalries). Teams like RSL & Colorado (or LA & Chivas, DCU/NE/NY, etc.) should be kept in the same division to help foster interest with the already developed rivalries. So the league would look something like this:

Western Conference:
Div. 1
Chivas USA
LA
San Jose
Seattle

Div. 2
RSL
Crapids
Houston
Dallas


Eastern Conference:
Div. 1
DCU
New England
NY
Toronto

Div. 2
KC
Chicago
Columbus
Eastern Team 8 (St. Louis?)

In the interest of a fair, balanced schedule teams would have an increase in the number of games. In my system, each team would play every other league team twice, once at home and once away. They then would play each team in their division an addition 2 times (home and away). This would mean a total of 36 games in the regular season, which I admit is a lot, but the best way I can think of to keep a balanced schedule while still keeping extra "rivalry games." There may have to be a few extra midweek games to meet this schedule, but it is possible. In short, the regular season looks like this:
15 other teams x 2 games each = 30 games
3 division teams x 2 additional games each = 6 games
30 + 6 = 36 games

Now we come to the playoffs. I actually have two systems in mind, one which will drastically cut the number of playoff teams and one that allows for more teams while giving an advantage to the higher seeds (based on the format used in the Australian A-League). Both try to give teams an advantage for having a better regular season while also assuring every team a home playoff game.

Playoff Format One:
The winner of each division advances to the playoffs. Each conference's 2 representatives face off in the semi final in a best of 3 game home-away-home series. The team with the highest number of points on the season is the home team and plays a possible 2 home games, with the other team given one. Each game would be in the current MLS format, with a 30-minute overtime if needed. If the game is still tied after 120 minutes, there are two options: a 15 minute golden goal second overtime followed by a shootout if necessary or just a shootout without the golden goal overtime. The first team to win 2 games advances to the MLS Cup. The MLS Cup itself would be as currently formatted, that is, a single game at a "neutral" field.

Playoff Format Two: (I'll try and have this make sense...)
The top 2 teams in each division would qualify for the playoffs. Each division winner would be considered the #1 seeds in the playoffs with the runners-up being the #2 seeds. The two #1's would play a "major quarterfinal" match at the home of the team with the most points on the season (or the better record in head-to-head matches that year, we're making this up so whatever you prefer). The winner of that match moves on to the conference final, the loser moves to the conference semifinal.
Meanwhile, the 2 #2's play a home-and-away "minor quarterfinal" series formatted in the same manner as the MLS playoffs currently are (aggregate, no away goals rule). The team with the most points would get to choose whether they wanted to be home first or away first. The winner of this series would move on to the conference semifinal.
The conference semifinal would pit the winner of the minor quarterfinal against the loser of the major quarterfinal in a one-off match at the major quarterfinal loser's home stadium. If tied, the game would have MLS's current 30 min. overtime (and if still tied) followed by one of the two options I used in format one (a 15-min. golden goal then, if necessary, a shootout OR just a shootout). The winner of this game moves to the conference final.
The conference final would be played in the home stadium of the winner of the major quarterfinal, using the same rules as the conference semifinal and with the winner moving to the MLS Cup, which, as per usual, would be one match played in a neutral stadium.
An idea for the timing of these matches would be:
Friday: Minor Quarter Game 1
Saturday: Major Quarter
Tuesday: Minor Quarter Game 2
Saturday: Conference Semifinal
and then the conference final and MLS Cup on the 2 following Saturdays. This setup would keep the length of the playoffs to a minimum, while giving the higher seeded teams the advantage of getting some extra rest.

For reference purposes (and to maybe clear up what I'm trying to convey), here are "bracket" versions of each format:

Format One:



















Format 2:












I guess that's it for now, thanks for reading! Enjoy! And as always, feel free to comment below!

10/20 RSL @ Colorado Cripids/Crapids - Rocky Mtn. Cup Final

So I'm finally getting around to a review and only a week and a half late! Oh yes! I'm just that good. Let's get right to it.

The RSL lineup was basically what was expected:
Esky leading up front with Espi and C. Brown.
Talley, Beckerman, and Sturgis manning the midfield.
Kotschau, Mantilla, Pope, and Wingert across the back.

Oddly, we haven't seen much of Kipre lately, not sure why he pulled a Forko and disappeared. Did the Ivory Coast call him up so we had to feign another injury? Also, Brown over Findley AGAIN! AGH! Also, Esky is without the headgear in this one, although you'd be hard pressed to tell since his hair is basically the same color (and shape). To the game!

Kyle Beckerman opened the game (and his return to Colorado) with a sweet karate kick to Cancela's midsection, earing a yellow card just 5 seconds into the game. My problem here is that if you are going to karate kick someone, at least let it be Pablo! Then the Crapid fans kick in with a "Where's your lion?" chant, as if anyone in Salt Lake cares about our mascot. Ooooo, you really got us guys! L A M E. Fourth minute, Red Card Kots is beaten downfield by Cooke but makes a nice recovery to get back on the play, recoveries and saving the day will be his hallmark on the night. Tenth minute, Mantilla with a lazy cross field ball that is intercepted and rushed forward on attack, luckily Colorado is unable to do anything with it. Still 0-0. Soon after, RSL fouls just outside of the box, but the wall does its job and denies Kirovski. Well done. In the 14th, a bouncing ball comes downfield and as Rimando goes up for it Clark comes in trying to head it and levels Nick who goes down injured. Wingert pounces on the loose ball and clears it and RSL smartly fouls near midfield to stop play and get Rimando checked out. In the 17th, Chris Brown uses some good positioning (yes a Brown compliment on the RR, believe it or not) to force a dangerous play on the edge of the box. Unfortunately, Brown is forced to rush a play by an onrushing Condoul and puts it WAY out of bounds. Fortunately, Brown is flattened by Condoul, which made me happy in a twisted way. In the 19th, Beckerman goes 1 on 1 with Petke wide right, but can't break him down. He needs to do better with opportunities such as that. In the 21st, Terry Cooke, who had been limping around nearly all game, finally gives up and comes off for Jacob Peterson. Bonus for RSL, Colorado has burned a sub very early. The next 10 minutes or so have Pablo being his douchebag self, cheap shotting RSL players left and right. He even comes in, runs over Sturgis, then complains about being called for a foul, while making a baby sucking his thumb gesture about Sturgis. Classy. Then came the 32nd minute. Clark got behind the entire RSL team on a nice through ball, juked past Rimando, and...hits the crossbar and on entirely open goal. Or as RSL superfan Garth Algar would say... In the 36th, Clark appeals for a penalty, but is thankfully denied, as a) the ball looked to have been out of bounds on the sideline seconds before and b) the tackle by Mantilla was pretty clean. Still tied. Soon after, Espindola gets a 1 on 1 with Condoul only to put it right into Bouna's stomach as he fell to block the ball. RSL needs a better finish there! Colorado comes back the other way with Casey all alone about 6 yards out diagonal right, but he pulls an RSL and puts it into the side netting. Some terrible RSL defending left him all alone. RSL goes back the other way less than a minute later, but two Becks crosses find no one as the RSL forwards continue their year long theme of not crashing the box. Ugh... In the 40th RSL catches another break as the Crapids are forced to use another sub after an injury to Ihemelu. On comes old man Tony Sanneh, who makes a difference in the 44th, by getting in front of a big Esky shot after he had beaten pretty much the whole team coming down the field. A nice run by Esky, but unfortunately he is denied. After just 2 minutes of stoppage time, which seemed a bit short after 4 injuries: Cooke, Ihemelu, Rimando, and a minor stoppage for Talley, the half ended 0-0.

Half grade: C+
The defense was iffy but RSL did create a few chances. While they did seem to have more possession than Colorado, they seemed unable to advance the ball past midfield, with a lot of balls going back and forth around the back 4, before someone would bomb a long ball upfield. Findley is much more suited to a long ball game than Brown, but guess who's in? Sigh... Colorado looks fairly complacent seeing as how they are at home and HAVE TO win to have a chance at the playoffs. They just seem to be bunkering and looking for a counter. Odd.

The second half started with RSL getting another bonus. As they switched fields, the wind picked up and RSL now would have a 30+ MPH wind at their back for the duration of the half. Lucky lucky. After kickoff, Sturgis came out with passion and was all over and in every play for about 5 minutes. Nice to see some flashes of what could be out of the kid. In the 48th, Clark comes down with the ball and does what few others have, he totally beats Eddie Pope, but his shot is poor and is right to Nick. A couple minutes later Esky puts a nice ball into the box that is quickly passed to a waiting Espi at the edge of the 18. Rather than put a quick shot on goal, or passing to one of a number of open teammates, he tries to force the issue (1 v. 3), dances around, and is dispossessed. He seems to be forcing a lot in this game, rather than getting his team involved. In the 52nd, Colorado counters with Wingert ending up behind Clark who puts a nice little cross into the box. Kotschau saves the day by getting a shoelace on it and breaking up the pass. Very nice recovery by Ritchie. (Note: the following needs its own paragraph)

A minute later saw the end of an era. EDDIE POPE was subbed off for Chris Lancos, ending his professional soccer career. Thanks for everything Eddie, you will be missed!

In the 55th, Espi puts a cross into the box, unfortunately he didn't bother to look and see if anyone in white was withing 10 yards (they weren't) and it was cleared no problem. However, this was typical of RSL on the night (and the year), their crosses NEVER find anyone on the right team. Hopefully the staff will find a way to fix this next year. Speaking of Espi, in the 57th he was subbed out for Robbie Findley putting RSL's two golden boot candidates on the field at once. Espi was active but forced things a bit too much. While I'd have liked to have seen RF for Brown, this was a good sub. Right after, Peterson hit an absolute rocket which Nicky dove after and pushed wide. Nice save! The 59th saw RSL finally break a ten minute or so run of play for Colorado. The team was finally able to find some openings to pass upfield, getting it to Esky wide. Esky made some sweet moves to get free and put a pretty cross into the box for Beckerman. Unfortunately, Pablo got his foot about 1/4 inch past Beckerman's and cleared it away, but it was nice to see an RSL cross that was actually dangerous. Colorado then decided to use its final sub in the 61st, somewhat oddly subbing Omar Cummings in for Jovan Kirovski. Once again, at home, needing a win, and with no other subs I'm not sure I sub offense for offense. I think I take someone out of midfield, or go 3 in the back and really try to push for a goal. I can see why Crapid fans question Big Poppa Clav. This also means Mehdi Ballouchy will not get off the bench. A solid starter for a bench warmer, what an amazing trade that was. Thanks again Crapids! About this time, the wind, which had already been playing tricks, seemed to come even more into play. It was very reminiscent of the Metrostars/RSL match in '05, with balls flying backwards. Very interesting to watch. Cummings tried to give the Crapids the lead in the 64th, splitting a couple defenders, but his shot looked like something I would do and it bobbled harmlessly away. At this point RSL had evened up the play and got a chance when a high floating ball (perhaps an attempted cross-the wind was crazy) danced around in the air and landed right in front of Findley just 3 yeards out. He attempted a header but slightly mis-hit it and it went wide near post. Some may think he should've tried to settle it, but I like the decision with the goalie and a defender right in front of him and the ball probably going to take a 20 foot bounce and catch up in the wind again anyway. Either way, still tied, 0-0. On the ensuing play the ball came across for Talley who attempted a pretty and entertaining, but fairly unnecessary, bicycle kick that went wide. From where he was positioned, that shot would have had to be on a rope to go in anyway, but it was fun to watch nevertheless. In the 71st, RR and RSL fan favorite Chris Brown had an amazing chance after Cripids defender Erpen put a stellar cross into the box for him. Instead of scoring on a basically open net, Brown instead bobbled it and knocks it out of bounds. Doesn't this guy get paid to score goals? That one was harder to miss than to get. Pathetic. Colorado quickly countered and put not one, but two great crosses through the box, unfortunately for them no one was able to get on the end of them. Their finishing has been VERY reminiscent of RSL's. Everything is wide or missed, thankfully for RSL. In the 73rd, Kreis inserts Williams for Brown, much to my delight, especially after that pathetic play just moments earlier. Esky then puts a free kick on net, forcing a big save from Condoul. Nicely done. Then Colorado seemed to finally remember that they needed to actually win this game and showed a little urgency. A first attack was again broken up by a heads up Kotschau play, but the second wave was dangerous. It was classic RSL defending with the ball bouncing around the penalty area but no one clearing. Usually these situations lead to opposition goals, but somehow Colorado squandered the opportunity and Mantilla hit an amazingly dangerous header BACKWARDS off his head to Rimando. Craziness. In the 78th, RSL went on the attack but a dangerous ball near post from Findley to Esky was JUST broken up, keeping the game scoreless. In the 81st, Findley took one of his patented runs past the defense, going one on one with Condoul. He beat him, but went just a half a foot wide on the far post. This was starting to look like one of those games where everyone goes close, but no one can close the door. In the 83rd, Rimando comes off his line to knock the ball away, but doesn't get all of it. It bobbles to Clark who does...well, I'm still not sure what, I guess half pass, half shot...with it that is way, way off target and RSL is able to clear the danger. Then it happened. Finally. Talley puts a gorgeous long ball upfield onto the end of another Findley run, who is again alone with the keeper. Condoul rushes him, but Robbie calmly chips it over him with a sliding, outstretched boot and into the net. 1-0 RSL!!! RSL takes control in the Rocky Mtn. Cup! Robbie Findley clinches the RSL golden boot with his 6th RSL goal on the year (8th overall)! Very nice goal. However, as RSL so often does after a goal, they forgot the game was still going on. Colorado rushes down field forcing a jumping save by Rimando on the near post. The ball falls to Sanneh 6 yards out, right in front of an open net, who volleys it back in immediately. Rimando makes an absolutely SUPERHUMAN save flying in from out of nowhere to get a paw on it and put it over the crossbar. Watch the highlights of this game, this sequence must be seen to be believed. Guzan for GK of the Year my ass. Rimando deserves it, sorry. At this point Colorado finally started to get a bit desperate, especially Bouna Condoul who dribbled the ball to midfield numerous times the rest of the way. After 90, the ref signalled for 4 minutes of stoppage, which was obviously a home-field call to give Colorado a chance. If 4 injuries equals two minutes, a half with basically no stoppages does not equal 4. A minute into stoppage, Andy Williams nearly sealed the deal when Condoul basically handed him the ball about 40 yards from goal. However, Williams' shot went just inches wide, keeping the RSL lead at 1. Condoul nearly did it again a minute later and I'm sure Colorado fans must have been pulling their hair out every time he touched the ball in extra time. Findley made a mistake in the 3rd minute of stoppage as he went for the corner flag. He ran towards the flag but tripped over the ball, putting it out of bounds and giving Colorado a last gasp at the RMC. Seconds before the final whistle the ball clearly went out of bounds next to the RSL goal but the linesman missed it and it led to a "shot" the Erpen sent to Fort Collins. Final score: RSL 1 - Colorado 0!!! HELLO ROCKY MOUNTAIN CUP!

Half grade: B-
Some more defensive lapses and RSL was definitely helped by Colorado's poor finishing and their inexplicable lack of offensive urgency for much of the half (and game). Findley was key to getting a goal and the offense looked somewhat dangerous. Decent, but not especially good half, however, to both teams' credit, conditions were less than ideal.

Pros:
-THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN CUP IS OURS!
-Robbie Findley gets the (much deserved) RSL Golden Boot for 2007.
-Crapids are knocked out of the playoffs, at home, by RSL.
-Kotschau showed an uncanny ability to break up some dangerous attacks.
-Esky looked much more into this game than he has in a while.
-RSL does not finish with the league's worst record.
-The Colorado fans (and coach) gave Pope a well deserved ovation and nice sendoff. Well done Denver!

Cons:
-Eddie Pope is no longer anchoring the RSL back line. God help us all.
-The defense was suspect for much of the match.
-RSL's crosses, by and large, are just awful.
-12th of 13 teams is not a good thing.

Game grade: B+
Based solely on play, I give RSL a C+ in this game. However, I feel a bonus is necessary after RSL came out tough on the road, against a team that HAD to win, and scraped out a rivalry win. They also clinched the team's first Rocky Mountain Cup. While a winning season would be nice, it is great for RSL fans to have something, anything, to hang their hat on. Well done boys, see you next year!

Player grades (subs and times in parentheses):
Nick Rimando-8 Made a few misjudgements, but those late saves were incredible.
Chris Wingert-5 Not his best game. Made some nice recoveries, but was beat a few times.
Matias Mantilla-5 OK game, but he's capable of much better
Eddie Pope-6+4 Not at his best either, but 4 bonus points for lifetime achievement :)
(Chris Lancos 54)-4 Pretty invisible
Ritchie Kotschau-8 Saved RSL's bacon numerous times
Nathan Sturgis-7 Disappeared for stretches but showed flashes and was active.
Carey Talley-7 His pass led to the goal, enough said.
Kyle Beckerman-6 Up and down game, hard to judge
Chris Brown-4 Nice play early, but invisible otherwise and then choked on as easy goal
(Andy Williams 73)-6 Decent play, his breakup led to the attack and goal
Alecko Eskandarian-7 Best game in a while, active and attacking
Fabian Espindola-4 Very active, but forced the action too much. PASS THE BALL!
(Robbie Findley 57)-8 Game & Cup winning goal. Period.

Men of the Match (tie): Robbie Findley and Nick Rimando
Game winner and game saver. Nicely done.

Assclown of the match: Pablo Mastroeni
Remember that crappy movie 'Cop and a Half' (yeah, neither do I)? Pablo is starring in the sequel, 'Chump and a Half', in which he cheap shots and taunts his way through the bad guys while looking for love in the seedy Denver underworld. Rated R for extreme douchebaggery.

MLSnet highlights can be found on this page

Playoff Predictions

Here's the RR predictions for the upcoming MLS playoffs:

Round 1:
Chivas USA over Kansas City
Houston over Dallas
DC United over Chicago
New England over New York


Round 2 (if the playoffs are formatted as I believe they are):
Houston over Chivas USA
DC United over New England

Final:
DC United over Houston

Last week:
3 right (0 exact), 4 wrong


PS-The review for the big RMC game is still forthcoming, work has thrown a wrench into my plans to have it done by now.

There is beauty all around us...

Real Salt Lake 1-0 Colorado Cripids



RSL has flushed the Crapids!

Review coming soon...

Le Sigh

I was planning on doing a review of Monday's game, but it is now Wednesday and the farther we get from the game, the less I want to review it. Perhaps I'll throw up some player ratings or a man of the match sometime in the next day or two, but for now I would rather not fully relive the latest RSL debacle. However, while we are on the topic, I would like to give Assclown of the Match to none other than RSL's own Yura Movsisyan. While I've already made my feelings clear about makeup calls, the fact remains that they are all too prevalent in MLS (and in sports in general). Everyone knows this and so while he was clearly frustrated and probably being egged on, Yura needs to keep his head so that RSL can retain the man advantage. RSL was playing reasonably even with Houston much of the time when it was 11 v. 11, but a man up, RSL should have won this easily. Movs needs to play much smarter (and better, but that's a different post). Thanks for helping blow this one for us!

Also, here are this week's RR predictions. Now you can confidently call your local bookie!

Thursday
NY 1 - LA 2

Saturday
NERds 2 - TOR 0
(Niña, Pinta, Santa Maria, and) Columbus 1 - DCU 3
KC 1 - DAL 2
RSL 2 - Cripids 1 (RMC here we come!)
HOU 2 - Chivas 2

Sunday
LA 1 - CHI 2

(Yes, I made a (terribly corny and unfunny) Christopher Columbus joke. I'm just that good. hahaha)

Last weeks results:
5 correct (0 exact scores), 2 wrong

The weekly Royal Predictions!

Here's this week's MLS predictions, courtesy of me. Aren't I nice?

Thurs.
Chivas 1 - Dallas 1

Sat.
KC 0 - NY 2
Chicago 1 - DC 2
Columbus 2 - NERds 1
Toronto 1 - LA 3

Sun.
Cripids 0 - Chivas 2

Mon.
Houston 2 - RSL 1


Last week's predictions:
2 right (2 exact scores), 5 wrong

RSL News

A couple quick tidbits from RSL land:

-From the "It's about damn time" Department, AYL is reporting that RSL 'defender'/revolving door Jack Stewart has been released. He will be missed...oh wait, no he won't. Regardless, I wish him luck in the future.

-In other news, Bob Bradley has released the roster for the 21-man training camp for the upcoming USA Men's National team game in Switzerland. Not so surprising was the inclusion of "goalkeeper of the future" Chris Seitz, but what was a pleasant surprise was the additional call up of RSL super-rookie Robbie Findley. I like this call up a lot, I hope he shows well. With the right combination of hard work, luck, and (gulp) coaching, I think he could be a really good player one day. Congrats to both players on the call, it is well deserved. Go here for the full roster.

10/6 RSL vs. Chivas USA

RSL may possibly be the unluckiest franchise in professional sports. Now, I know you make your own luck for the most part (and RSL has made plenty of bad luck over the past few years), but they are still very unlucky. This game was a perfect example. Despite being at least the equal of, if not better than, Chivas on the night, RSL came away with a 3-2 home loss. Sigh... On a side note, I'm not sure I'm helping any. Let's look at some of my favorite sports teams: the Chicago Cubs (enough said right there), the Syracuse Orangemen (shafted out of an NCAA berth in bball last year, football team is beyond terrible), the Southern Utah Thunderbirds (the less said about their sports teams, the better), and of course, RSL. So sorry RSL fans, I guess part of this is my fault! hahaha On to the review!

Some pregame thoughts:
-The weather was awful. 39 degrees, and it was raining off and on all day. Bravo to those who went out, you are a hardy breed indeed.
-It looked like Kreis sent out his B (or maybe B+) team for this one. Seitz for Rimando, Kotschau for Pope, Lancos and Forko for Kipre and Wingert, and Chris Brown for...well about anybody, but let's say Movsisyan.

Meh. That's the first half in a nutshell. The game was pretty even with neither team having much in the way of great chances. The weather didn't help matters much as both teams struggled with their first touches, although RSL's forwards were having an extra difficult time for some reason. In the first 15 minutes alone, the forwards misplayed at least 3 balls that could have been legitimate scoring chances, including one by C. Brown in the 10th minute that would have almost surely been a goal if he had settled it. In the 14th minute, Chivas caught a huge break when Alex Zotinca, already with a yellow, was not shown the door after a very late challenge on Espindola that sent him into the boards. Maybe not card worthy in all circumstances, but for a guy who already has a yellow and had made some rash decisions by that point of the game, it was definitely a debatable red. The game was pretty even and quite sloppy and then in the 22nd minute was a classic RSL moment. A slight defensive lapse led to a Chivas goal. Like I said before, RSL is unlucky. While other teams get away with defensive mistakes on a fairly regular basis, RSL ALWAYS seems to pay for them for whatever reason. However, this was not an undeserved goal, Merlin made some nice moves to keep Forko a couple steps off of him, allowing him room to get a cross off. The main mistake came when Cunliff ran right past Mantilla, who just was standing there, and was wide open to put the ball in the back of the net. 1-0 Chivas on some bad defense, by Forko, who needs to pressure the ball harder, and especially Mantilla, who needs to cover his man!!! Very simple really. The rest of the half passed, sloppily and mostly uneventfully, with the only real bright spot being Findley's sudden domination of the air. He seemed to win every header that came his way. If he can develop an aerial game, whoo, look out! Halftime 1-0 Chivas.
Half grade: C-
A boring, sloppy first half. RSL was a match for Chivas throughout the half and were on the wrong side of the scoreline on this one. What should've been 0-0 was 1-0 on one defensive lapse.

The second half started a lot like the first, although both teams had seemed to adjust to the conditions a bit and the ball control was better. Early in the half, RSL had a nice attack building when Brown decided he was Ronaldinho and got very cute with the ball and Chivas easily dispossessed him (that's a lot of s's!). He made up for it in the 52nd, finishing off a flicked on header from Espindola (that's from the RSL site, I swear it was Lancos with the header) off a gorgeous pin point long ball out of the back (site credits Lancos, maybe I just have the order confused?). Brown got through 2 defenders and pushed it past Guzan for the goal. Nice. 1-1. Then the floodgates opened. Cunliffe quickly answered in the 54th as no one bothered to cover him. He recieved the through ball and put it front post past Chris Seitz, who, although he was left out to dry a bit, needs to do a much better job covering the front post and cutting off that angle. That'll come with experience. 2-1 Chivas. Remember the luck theme I am using in today's review? The 58th minute saw another example of RSL's luck. Paulo Nagamura hit a once-in-a-lifetime strike from 35 yards out that went over Seitz and tucked into the top corner of the goal. I guarantee he will never score another goal like that again. A beauty of a shot, definitely worth going to MLSnet to see the highlight. 3-1 Chivas. RSL quickly clawed one back in the 63rd when Andy Williams played a nifty ball across to an onrushing Findley who buried it past Guzan for the goal. Findley has ice water in the veins I tell you, when he has a good rush on it like that he rarely misses, unlike many who put balls like that over the top or wide. Why he hasn't been playing much recently is beyond me. GET THIS GUY ON THE FIELD! 3-2 Chivas. RSL almost gave it right back in the 66th when Kotschau was absolutely embarrassed by John Cunliffe who put the ball between K's legs and went towards goal. He put a dangerous ball into the box that would've almost certainly led to a goal if Lancos had not been there to pick it out and remove the danger. Well played by Chris. Movsisyan came on in the 61st and in the 76th, continued his streak of not being able to even buy a call from the refs as he was completely thrown to the ground and wasn't even able to get a whistle. I'm feeling bad for the guy, he can't even get a fair shake. In the 77th Brown came off for the offensive prowess of...Atiba Harris??? Definitely a head scratcher of a sub, I think I'd have gone for Kyle Brown first. Or perhaps a Harris for Williams sub or something. Rather odd. Chivas then went into bunker mode, trying to hold off RSL. It worked until in the 89th, Movsisyan finally was able to get free and hit an absolute rifle shot on goal. Unfortunately, it hit the crossbar, and in true RSL-luck fashion fell onto the goalie Guzan, who smothered it. The four minutes of stoppage went by uneventfully, and despite being as good, if not better, than Chivas in this match, RSL ended up losing 3-2. However, in RSL's defense, I think with the "A" team (bum-ba-bum-bum...I pity the fool who can't hum the A-Team theme) RSL wins this game. I at least think Nick would've stopped that second goal, but oh well. On a similar note, Chivas is going to have to do MUCH better than that if they want to win the MLS Cup. I certainly wasn't overly impressed and the Houstons and DCs of the world are much much better than RSL's B Team.
Half grade: C
Bad conditions made for a sloppy game, but at least this half was entertaining. Lots of goals, but giving up two in a half (even if you score two), makes it hard to give higher than a C.

Pros:
-Findley started and played a very nice game.
-A couple nice "team goals"
-Movsisyan was active in his short time on.
-Seitz got some playing time. Good to see him out there.
-The Chivas announcers were MUCH better this time around.

Cons:
-3 goals. On a night where it was hard to control the ball. Yikes.
-That "Legion Idaho" section. It appeared to be in RCB territory if I saw it right. Opposing teams' supporters sections should not overpower our own!!!
-Too many blown first touches by the forwards, killing some good opportunities.
-That RSL lost a very winnable game.
-The Chivas announcers insisting on yelling the name "PANCHITO MENDOZA!" It's like a less endearing version of Hot Rod Hundley's old "OSTERTAG!" call.

Game grade: C-
Would have been higher with a win (obviously), but for now RSL needs to learn to win these kind of games. A sloppy game in bad conditions, but at least it was an entertaining second half!

Player grades:
Chris Seitz-5 Didn't have a lot to do. Probably could've done better on goal #2.
Chris Lancos-8 Best game in an RSL kit. Looked composed, added to attack. Nice game.
Ritchie Kotschau-4 Got beat a few times, should be embarrassed of the Cunliffe play
Matias Mantilla-4 Him leaving his man led to a goal, loses a point for it.
Willis Forko-4 Seemed to struggle in this one, still rusty I think, and cold didn't help.
sub(Chris Wingert 68)-6 Left side settled once he came in.
Kyle Beckerman-6 Feisty but got lost at times.
Carey Talley-5 Seemed more interested in mixing it up than actually playing at times.
Andy Williams-5 Some nice passes, great assist, but was absent from too much of the match.
Robbie Findley-8 Won so many headers (I didn't know he could do that), and he scored!
Chris Brown-6 Bonus point for the nice goal, otherwise thoroughly mediocre.
sub(Atiba Harris 77)-5 Never made a mark on the game in his limited time.
Fabian Espindola-7 Good game, I like him more and more. Nice runs, nice passes.
sub(Yura Movsisyan 61)-7 Looked good, shot that hit the bar was unlucky not to go in.

Man of the Match: tie! Robbie Findley and Chris Lancos. Very good game by both!

Assclown of the match: Zotinca was close, but Panchito Mendoza earned it in the 69th when after taking Williams down pretty hard he proceeded to walk over and "shove" him in the back of the head (while he was still on the ground). Andy got up and kind of went after him and then Mendoza decided to slap Andy in the face as well (a very womanly move by the way). For that completely unnecessary bout of assclownery, Francisco "Panchito" Mendoza is the Assclown of the Match!

ps-Sorry if any of this was incoherent, it was typed while I was half asleep and talking to an old friend on messenger. My bad :)

This week's royal predictions

Hear ye! Hear ye! Behold the glory of the royal predictions for the week:

10/4
NY 3 - TOR 2

10/5
DC 2 - KC 0

10/6
DAL 3 - CLB 1
NER 1 - CHI 2
CHV 2 - RSL 2

10/7
LA 0 - HOU 2
TOR 1 - COL 1

Now thou shalt bask in the glow of the royal predictions! Enjoy!

Last week: 4 right (1 exact score), 3 wrong

9/29 RSL @ New York

A tie. A measly tie. Yes, RSL was outplayed for much of the match, but they also led for much of it, and NY's second goal came on an iffy at best PK call. This is one of those ties that feels like a loss. On with the review...

As the lineups were announced pre-game, two things stuck out at me: 1) Chris Brown, Yura Movsisyan, and Alecko Eskandarian were all in the lineup ahead of Robbie Findley. Did Robbie kill JK's dog or something? He's only our leading goalscorer, I can see why he's sitting...sigh... 2) Forko was not only playing but starting!!! (insert obligatory "Whatchu talkin' bout Willis?" joke here) I thought perhaps he had died. Nice to see him back on the pitch. One other realization hit me before the game even started: those white Red Bull jerseys have to be the tackiest things I have ever seen. Those are just atrocious uniforms. The color scheme is ugly and they just look bad. Something I'd expect a U-10 team to be wearing. Blech.

As the game started, RSL came out swinging...and missing. They looked AWFUL early and the defense was nonexistent. Lucky for the boys in Red, NY's finishing was poor. I'm convinced Kovalenko couldn't hit the broad side of a barn from 6 inches. He had 2 terrible misses in the first 14 minutes alone. In addition, no one for RSL was getting forward. It was looking to be a long night. Then in the 22nd min., completely out of the blue, RSL pushed some people forward into the box. Wingert hit an absolutely perfect cross to Chris Brown who headed it into the turf and into the goal. What Waterreus was doing on this play I have no idea. He seemed surprised that RSL was actually shooting. Bam! 1-0 RSL, totally against the run of play. The next 10-15 minutes were totally different. RSL played wth some poise and passion and controlled the run of play. Movsisyan was gifted a goal in the 37th, but decided to return it, missing the ball completely on an open net. Was it a tough bounce? Yes. Does a professional striker need to at least get a foot on it? Again, yes. Still 1-0. After this the game went back to the Uglykits for the rest of the half, especially with some questionable decision making (notably Talley) for RSL leading to attacks. Some nice Rimando saves kept RSL afloat. Half score: 1-0 RSL
Half grade: C
RSL played well in spurts, but in truth were flattered by the scoreline. Talley had some iffy moments and Forko looked understandably rusty. Overall, a quick, fast-paced, entertaining first half.

The second half started much as the first, with some poor defending (and especially clearances) leading to Uglykit chances. However, this time, NY finished. Doe took a nice flick from Angel and went one-on-one with "Gimme a card, now!" Mantilla and proceeded to slice and dice him. Or as they say on the playground, he broke Mantilla's ankles. Doe juked Mantilla out of the play and precisely put it far corner past Rimando. Pretty goal. 1-1, 49th minute. The goal energized the Uglykits and their fans and they took control of this game. It didn't help that no one for RSL was getting forward, a consistent problem throughout the year. In relation, the old RSL trick of getting 3/4 of the way up the field and then sputtering out came back. This is partially a byproduct of no one getting forward. Also, the midfielders were playing scared. No holding possession, no trying to advance with the ball. As soon as they touched it, it was a long ball over the top to no one (especially Williams). It was getting ugly. In my notes, I even wrote: "55[th minute] RSL looks bad-need some fresh blood". Finally, in the 60th, Kreis made a change bringing on Espindola for Chris Brown. In the words of Jimmy King, "Praise Him, and all His mercies." I would have liked to see Findley here, but Espindola has played pretty decent and I was glad to see Brown come off (he was non-existent other than the goal). It helped slightly, but RSL was still getting beat handily. The defense was pretty bad, forcing Rimando into some nice saves. Williams was terrible and a liability. Talley continued his bad form in the 72nd by getting beat by Kovalenko on a play that led to a big Uglykit attack that ended with a possible PK not being called on Forko (remember this, it comes back soon). Dumb play by Forko, like I said, he looked rusty. Right after the play we had another RSL sub, Atiba for Williams. Again, cue Jimmy King (for those who don't know, that's a reference to the movie "Ready to Rumble," which is much better and much funnier than it has any right to be). Williams had a bad game, pure and simple. This, combined with the Reyna injury and sub in the 58th minute, finally seemed to be enough to spark RSL. They immediately went up field, got people forward (see what happens?) and scored. Esky put a beauty of a ball through to Espi(ndola), who ran free from the left side into the box, drew the defense, and then passed to a wide open Beckerman dead center in front of the goal (maybe 4 yards out at most) who calmly one-timed it past Waterreus for an easy, yet beautiful team goal. 2-1 RSL, 75th min. New York immediately came back to try and even it up. Mathis got a ball similar to Movsisyan's early in the game and did get a foot on it, luckily, RSL had the play better defended and although Nick came out and dove and missed the ball, Mantilla was there to save it off the line. Chaos ensued with Rimando again coming off his line and Mantilla AGAIN saving a ball off the goal line. RSL was lucky to escape unharmed. Then, IT happened. RSL was called for a phantom PK (I'm still not sure who it was or where the penalty supposedly happened), presumably as a "make up" call for the first. Honestly, refs who call "make up" calls need to not be refs any more (this applies for all sports). If it was a PK on the first play, fine, then CALL IT. You didn't, so it wasn't so don't penalize us later on because you didn't blow the whistle. You didn't blow it, that call is final. Move on. Make up calls are ridiculous. Anyway, Angel hit an absolutely picture perfect PK. Tie game, 2-2. Soon after, JK finally decided it was time to bring in Findley (and only about 81 minutes too late!) for Movsisyan. Movs played hard, but was hamstrung by the refs picking on him all night. Just because he's big doesn't mean he fouls people just by walking by them, but you'd never know it watching this one. RSL played with some spark the rest of the way out and at least played even, if not a bit better than the Uglykits. An ugly foul by Angel on Esky in the 83rd drew a yellow, although at first (and even second) look, it definitely could have been a red. Angel had no chance to get the ball and flew in completely reckless. But Esky's yell on the takedown seemed to be worse than the damage sustained and he was able to finish. In the 85th minute, RSL had a chance to take the lead again as Beckerman ran into the box from the right side (a near mirror image of the Espi run), but this time no one came forward in support-unfortunately, he didn't have himself at the spot to pass to-and the play fizzled out. An easy chance goes unfulfilled by some lazy play by RSL up top. In the 86th, Espindola made a nice run, getting a one-on-one with Waterreus which he promptly choked on and kicked directly into the sliding keeper. Another easy chance goes begging. The 88th saw Atiba Harris get a free header on a corner only to see him put it about 5 feet wide. Those are the kinds of things RSL needs to fix to turn this team around next year. If you have a free header in front of net, at least get it on frame, boys! RSL played decent the rest of the half (including a nice steal by Becks at midfield that led to one last RSL push), but didn't have enough to pull out what could (and probably should) have been a win. Final score: 2-2
Half grade: C
This half had two parts, the first part where RSL was AWFUL and the second part where they looked good and should have won. I guess that's why it was a tie.

Pros:
-Nice to see Willis back on the pitch.
-The hustle oftentimes displayed by Movsisyan.
-Both goals were nice, and there were other attacks where RSL looked like a pro squad.
-RSL didn't collapse after the PK
-Beckerman for Ballouchy. I will love this trade forever.

Cons:
-That PK was putrid.
-Movsisyan being unable to really play because of fouls being called every time he got near the ball.
-Williams and Talley for much of the match.
-The outside and midfield defending left much to be desired.
-RSL now mathematically eliminated from playoffs. Although a pro in that we don't have to hear about RSL's "playoff hopes" any more. I love RSL but let's be realistic, RSL's playoff hopes were dead right around the time they hadn't won a game until late June!
-Something about Max Bretos just annoyed me throughout the game.

Game grade: C
A C plus a C equals a C! ha ha! RSL showed flashes of brilliance but needs to play better over 90 minutes.

Player grades:
Nick Rimando-6 Solid game, but not the superhuman effort we almost expect now
Eddie Pope-6 Solid but quiet
Willis Forko-5 Looked OK, but was definitely rusty after being out so long
Matias Mantilla-6 Marked down for the goal, but the two saves redeemed him
Chris Wingert-6 Got beat a few times, but his cross made the first goal
Carey Talley-4 Played OK, but WAY too many mistakes/mental errors
Andy Williams-3 Did he play? Really?
sub(Atiba Harris 74)-5 Active but missed that gift header
Kyle Beckerman-8 Disappeared early 2nd half, but came back with a vengeance
Yura Movsisyan-6 Hustled, but bad touch and tough refs held him back
sub(Robbie Findley 81)-6 Made a nice run or two, not much time to do anything though
Chris Brown-6 Bonus point for the goal, otherwise non-existent
sub(Fabian Espindola 61)-7 MOTM if he finishes the 1-on-1
Alecko Eskandarian-7 Up and down game, but played some defense and made some nice passes

Man of the Match: Kyle Beckerman

Assclown of the match: I didn't want to do it and was looking for (and possibly had) someone else but with the make up call, referee Alex Prus, you earned it buddy!

Shibby

Nice win last weekend by RSL in the Rocky Mtn. Cup game vs. Colorado and the Cripids (and vs. the weather-what a miserable night that was). Gang leader Clavijo looked discombobulated for much of the match (but then, when doesn't he?), but RSL missed out on the greasy antics of the gang's number 2 man, Pablo M.C. (he needs a gangsta sounding name right?), as he was suspended, presumably for driving the getaway car for some criminal mischief in the last match. However, it is important to note that RSL won this game WITHOUT the services of Mr. Eddie Pope, meaning that the team, at least probably, will not go winless next season without him. Beckerman got the captain's armband for the game and responded with one of his better showings in a while. I like Kyle, but I do wish that a few of his long distance blasts would occasionally be on frame, even if they are right at the keeper. We need to make the other guys work a little! This advice also qualifies for Andy Williams and Esky on occasion. Rimando played another stellar game to hold onto the clean sheet-forget the first 3 games this year, he should be keeper of the year (further proof coming in a post I am working on-coming soon...my famous last words, I know). The pleasant surprise was Chris Brown playing a solid game. By far his best game since the 2 goal game early this year. Final score: COL 0-RSL 1. YAY! Rocky Mtn. Cup is now tied with one game left to go. We blew the Ben Cup, let's take home the biggun'!


Also, here's this week's RR predictions:
LAG (cuz that's what they do) 1 - KC 3
COL 0 - NERds 2
RSL 1 - NYC 2
TOR 1 - DCU 2
CHI 1 - CHV 1
HOU 2 - DAL 1
LAG 0 - CLB 2

News and Notes

I want to start by apologizing for the severe lack of content recently. I have had a lot going on, including "good times" dealing with car insurance companies and so I haven't had the time or ambition to update a lot (or watch a lot of games). I'm hoping the clouds will part soon and I'll have more time for the Review once again, but until then, updates, and especially full reviews, will be very hit or miss. Sorry once again.

Having said that, I DO want to throw together a little update while I have the chance. First of all, the second annual Ben Cup has ended in an official tie. Both DCU and RSL finished the season series with a 1-1 record in games between the two. In addition, both games ended 2-1 leaving a goal differential of 0 and an away goal differential of 0. So the Cup will stay with Real for another year by default. Good job guys!...I guess...

Second, reports are saying that RSL has named former MLS goalkeeper and announcer Garth Lagerwey as their new GM. Lagerwey had been working as an attorney at a Washington DC law firm previously. I'm trying to be optimistic about this hire, as he does have MLS experience as well as law experience, but I can't get jazzed about it. RSL hires yet another guy who has ZERO experience at the job for which he is hired (although this means I can also hold out hope for a FO position at RSL, as I have no experience at running an MLS team either). I can't help but think we'd be better off with Pastorino still in there. He at least knew the rules and was good for the team PR wise. Plus, how seriously can we take a guy who is best known for his call of "Sweet creamery butter!" Hopefully, it will pan out, and it's nice that RSL FINALLY hired someone, but I'm not holding my breath.

Also, if somehow you didn't hear (and if you are looking at this site it is unlikely you didn't), RSL has traded its 2009 3rd round SuperDraft pick, its 2009 1st round Supplemental Draft pick, AND a partial player allocation (aka $) to Kansas City for 20 year old striker Yura Movsisyan and a Youth International slot. I'm kind of on the fence on this one. On one hand, you know RSL will have very good draft position in 2009 (barring Christ using his second coming to sign with them by then) so trading away those picks plus money is a risky proposition. On the other hand, you get a great YOUNG forward prospect in Movsisyan who has 5 goals in limited minutes this season (and has recently been granted asylum status in the USA, meaning he doesn't count as an international). In addition, RSL gets a youth international slot to use for a new signing in the future. On balance, I think I like this trade, but we will have to see a) what KC does with their end of the bargain and b) how Yura develops before I can say for sure. Also, does this mean the end of Esky in Salt Lake? I hope not, but reports (on the Bill Riley show) have his contract expiring at the end of the season and him having had no contact from RSL or MLS. If I'm RSL I resign this guy for next season NOW, he really bleeds his team.

Speaking of Esky, what the hell was Kreis thinking putting him all alone on top against Toronto??? If that tactic didn't work with Jeff Cunningham at the beginning of the year, it sure as hell isn't going to work with Esky!!! And then he continues to start Chris Brown over Findley (and Kyle Brown, Jamie Watson, Atiba Harris, pretty much everyone else on the bench who, in truth, is better than him). Play with 2 forwards, PLEASE! I know it's nice to have Robbie off the bench, but he's the only one on the team that scores with any regularity. GET HIM ON THE FIELD!

Finally, we come to the Toronto game. Debacle is too kind of a word. RSL played like crap from the opening whistle and to add insult to injury, the ref let this one get away from him VERY early. The result was an ugly, chippy, horrible mess that, in a strange way, was massively entertaining. The added storylines of Toronto's RSL-like scoreless streak and Cunningham's guarantee of a goal added drama to an otherwise terrible match. I was on edge the whole game waiting to see if Rimando could hold them to a shutout. No one else on the team seemed to want to, the defense was extremely poor and the midfield was non-existent. Toronto played the ball through midfield at will (even when RSL was still at full strength), even though RSL was playing with only one forward. It was pathetic. Just as I was thinking "Nicky could pull this out for us" and it was getting very exciting (around 85 min. in), the FSN feed went out and they went to 10 minutes of PSA's. I was watching the game on DVR so I frantically ran to my computer to see if Rimando had pulled out the shutout. Final score 0-0. Way to go Nick! You deserved it, even if your teammates did not. Some other thoughts:
-Espindola is a moron. Plain and simple. Stupid, stupid red card. That having been said, the retaliation by Wynne warranted a yellow.
-On that note, the refs were very uneven and let too much go early. Poor refereeing helped lead to a poorly played, too-physical game.
-Mantilla has now reached the yellow card limit and will sit tonight. 6 games, 5 starts, 5 yellows. He needs a better role model than Atiba Harris.
-Esky also needs to start thinking a bit more. Yes, he was often being abused, but he needs to know better than to draw stupid yellows like he did against TOR.
-There is no justice in the world if Nick Rimando doesn't win goalkeeper of the year (and he won't). The performance against Toronto was not just all-star caliber, it was world-class. Simply amazing. Toronto should've scored at least 4.

Man of the Match: Nick Rimando (obviously)
Assclowns of the match: Fabian Espindola, Fox Sports, Jeff Cunningham-nice prediction, and basically everyone on RSL besides Rimando, including the coaching staff-great game guys!

ps-This week's RR predictions (from my mfls.com "team"):
LA 1 - RSL 1
CHI 1 - DAL 0
CLB 2 - TOR 1
NER 2 - NYC 2
COL 1 - RSL 2
KCW 2 - CHV 3
DCU 3 - CHI 1
DAL 2 - LA 1

**Update***
Perhaps Jason could use some seasoning? Open the checkbook, Dave... ha ha ha

Quick Update

It doesn't look like I'll be able to get a full review up today (that's what you get for having a job...), but the big Ben Cup finale ended with a 2-1 victory for DC United. This results in both teams having a 1-1 record in this years cup, with both teams scoring 3 total goals and 1 away goal. It hasn't been 100% confirmed through DC Ben, but it appears this year's Ben Cup has ended in a tie! Craziness! On the positive side, the trophy will stay in Salt Lake for another year since they are the last team to win the Ben Cup. Strange goings on I tells ya! Anyway, full review coming SOON

Mere hours away...

The Ben Cup will be decided in a few scant hours and I couldn't be more excited. Unfortunately, I will not be able to see the game live due to a work conflict (and one that is super lame, making it even worse), but it's set to go on the DVR and I'll try and watch tonight and have a review of RSL's Ben Cup title winning game for you tomorrow. And pics of the trophy that is currently being put together. And shameless gloating over the title as well, of course. Ha ha!

Here's a few last minute game notes:
-Harris, Kipre, and Wingert are all one yellow away from a suspension.
-Mantilla is ALREADY just 2 away from a yellow card sit. He and Kotschau must be best friends!
-All time series: 2 wins, 2 losses, 1 tie for both teams (thanks MLSnet game preview)
-DCU's Luciano Emilio leads MLS in goals with 18. If we give a hat trick to Jaqua, imagine what Emilio can do. The back line needs to play MUCH better tonight.
-DCU Ben (aka Brigham), if you read this before the game, NO text messages. I'll see it when I get home! Also, try and get some pictures!

Official RR game prediction:
RSL 2 - DCU 2
(Ben Cup goes to RSL with a 1-0-1 record)
Goals by Eskandarian (he WILL be motivated), Espindola, and a double from Emilio.

"It's the final countdown...."

It's officially Ben Cup season as the second leg is now the next game on the schedule for Real Salt Lake and DC United. The game will be Wednesday, September 12th at 5:30 (Mountain) at RFK Stadium in DC. Even better, the game will actually be available for SOME RSL fans to watch as it will be available on DirectKick. It will also be broadcast locally on 700 AM (or 1600 AM para español).

The game will be Leg 2 of the yearly Ben Cup rivalry. Real holds the lead in the competition after a 2-1 win in the first leg back on June 23 in Salt Lake City. A win or tie will clinch Salt Lake's 2nd straight Ben Cup title, otherwise we will be getting into goal differential/away goals/etc. territory. Hopefully RSL will smoke them and it will not come to that.

So get into the spirit and preach the good word of the Ben Cup far and wide! Heaven knows RSL needs as many competitions that it can win as possible! :) GO REAL SALT LAKE!


Other thoughts:
-It's bad enough when people on the net spell RSL as RLS, but they also did it in today's print edition of the Salt Lake Tribune. "...after Fabian Espindola tied the game for RLS..."
-4 goals given up??? And 3 to the fearsome strike force of...Corey Ashe to Nate Jaqua???!?!?! What the hell? Seriously! I can see one, possibly even two. But 3 goals from the same combination of those two??? PATHETIC.

Finally!

Well, we now have a shiny new computer and working internet access, so things can start getting back to normal in Royal Review country. However, I have decided that since I can't watch the upcoming game against Houston, I will hold off on posting a review on the game. I may post a few thoughts, but I can't in good faith write a review of something I didn't see. This may actually be a good thing in a way as it allows me to focus more on the big upcoming BEN CUP 2007 match on September 12th at RFK. As the official (co-)home of the Ben Cup I will try to do as much coverage as I can, including pictures of the trophy (if I can get it finished in time!). So get excited peoples, the Ben Cup is only a week away and RSL needs only a tie to clinch the title for the second straight year (and only the second year of the rivalry)!!! Oh yeah, and beat Houston again. :) Creeeeeeeeeamsicklesssssssss!

PS-Congrats RSL on the big win at LA. You are now officially not the worst team in MLS.

PPS-Congrats to Willis Forko, Atiba Harris, and big Chris Seitz on their respective national team callups. Well done boys!

PPPS-I hate you HDNet. More than you will ever know.

RR Yellow Card Accumulation

So you may have noticed the distinct lack of posts here on the Review lately. This is because the RR is serving a suspension for too many yellow cards. Or it may be because our computre (typo, but why don't Brits/Canucks spell this word this way?) crapped out on us and so I have a distinct lack of decent internet access. :) Anyway, until we get a new computer (or I get the internet situation reliably figured out on an old fossil computer we have laying around), there will be a shocking lack of RR content. Sorry, but I'll do my best to get something new on here soon! Thanks for coming by! Peaceness

ps-Congrats RSL on the big win over KC!!!

8/18/07 Chicago @ RSL

So I recorded the game (after having slept through it after a hellish 2 days at work), watched it on Sunday, took extensive notes, and was all ready to blow your minds with an insightful, well-reasoned and thoughtful post. Well, as close as I can get anyway... But then life got in the way. I have had a busy week, capped by this winning development on Tuesday:

Everyone is fine, but needless to say I haven't been thinking much about reviewing the latest RSL debacle. So instead of a great post, I will just skim the notes and try and give a decent mini-review. But never fear, I am hoping to get back on track with the ol' RR, and have many things in the works (like the long-promised pics from the Houston game). And off we go!

Ah yes, after RSL played a good game in defeating Houston I began to wonder what had happened to the real players on the team (that obviously wasn't them against Houston, but talented soccer-playing dopplegangers). No worries, they were back last Saturday to play Chicago. RSL came out looking ok (I guess), but never dominated in the first half. Fortunately for RSL fans, Chicago played a pretty awful half and allowed RSL to play even. The best scoring chance of the half came in the 17th minute when Findley somehow stretched his toe and poked a shot on goal, only to be denied by the post. True RSL luck. Of course, sometimes you need to make your own luck and Findley certainly didn't. Instead of following the play after he shot, he assumed it was in and gave up on the play. Had he followed up on the shot he had a gimme goal as he had the defender beaten and the goalie out of the play. Nevertheless, this kept the game scoreless for now. The rest of the half was mediocre at best from both sides with lots of turnovers and not much offense. The kind of game that soccer haters would use to point out how "boring" soccer is (a 3 second play followed by a minute of standing around....now THAT'S excitement, but I digress). Then in the 43rd minute, out of absolutely nowhere, Cuauhtemoc Blanco showed why he makes the big bucks by hitting an absolute scorcher of a goal from distance and off a bounce. GREAT goal. I do have one question about it, though. The TV coverage was awful so I'm not sure how the Fire had the ball. We had an RSL throw (as far as they showed), they went to a short replay, and suddenly Chicago has a throw-in that leads directly to the goal. How did Chicago get a throw-in call that fast??? Anyone? Anyway, RSL goes into the half down 1-0 in a game that, honestly, neither team deserved to have a lead in. But, that is RSL's luck for you.
Half grade: D

The second half was much like the first, drab and ugly. Chicago played slightly better in this half and RSL never looked all that dangerous until the 76th minute when new signing Espindola was denied on not one but two straight shots in the penalty area. He's fitting in already!!! Seriously, my fat ass could have scored there. Just putrid. Soon after, Paulo Wanchope headed home a Blanco corner (after running over Pope and pushing Talley away, but, you know, that's not a foul) to put the game away at 2-0. RSL's Atiba Harris had a good chance to pull one back in the 89th where he basically had a one on one with the goalie, but he stumbled and the ball rolled harmlessly to the keeper. Game. Set. Match. Chicago.
Half grade: D-

Pros:
-Atiba at least looked dangerous once in a while.
-Esky got back on the field.
-We got to see one of the "Argentine 3"

Cons:
-The long ball game plan. It rarely works (see RSL's record for proof).
-The refereeing was terrible as usual.
-The general ineptitude of RSL.
-This was Beckerman's worst game in an RSL uni by far.
-The TV coverage. Don't show replays and bench closeups when plays are developing!!! AGH!!!

Game grade: D-
Chicago played a pretty uneven, pretty bad game and still beat RSL 2-0. Shouldn't, at some point, we have a pretty good homefield advantage, what with the altitude and the fact that we regularly play on the turf while others see it once a year here? Guess not.

Player grades:
Nick Rimando-6 Up and down night, some great plays; terribly out of position on the 2nd goal
Jean-Martial Kipre-5 OK, but most runs and plays went nowhere
sub(Chris Brown 78)-4 Did he play in this one? Didn't hear his name called once.
Ritchie Kotschau-7 Possibly his best game for RSL. A surprise bright spot.
Eddie Pope-6 A pretty mediocre game for him.
Chris Wingert-5 See Kipre
Kyle Beckerman-4 Seemed absent from the game, played a bit dirty
Nathan Sturgis-5 OK game, injured early
sub(Atiba Harris 33)-5 Had some moments, but HAS to finish that play in the 89th
Carey Talley-4 Pretty invisible as well, beaten physically on 2nd goal
Andy Williams-4 Little effort, can't seem to handle 90 minutes
Robbie Findley-6 Up and down game
Alecko Eskandarian-4 I like Esky, but he needs to give us more that THAT
(Fabian Espindola 58)-5 Made some nice runs, but the inability to finish brought him down

RSL Man of the Match: I can't believe I'm going to say this but it's Ritchie "Red Card" Kotschau!

Assclown of the match: (tie) the refs, just as uneven and unpredictable as usual AND Dasan Robinson, he seemed to be doing a lot of dirty play off (and on) the ball. Something about him just grated on me in this game...

8/4/07 Houston @ RSL

2 games. That's how many games I have been able to attend this year (of course I watch all the others on TV, but I digress). Which games have I been to, you may ask. That would be June 23rd vs. DC (in the big Ben Cup game) and August 4th vs. the Dynablow. Now look back on RSL's season...go ahead, I'll wait... What 2 games have they won? Oh, that would be 6/23 vs. DC and 8/4 vs. Houston. Coincidence? I think not. I am obviously a good luck charm of the highest caliber. So what I'm saying is RSL needs to pay me to go to the games. And they need to do it now. :) Anyway, on to the review.

I went to this game with my Ben Cup rival DCU Ben (and his DCU-loving wife), their first at the RES. Ben was immediately taken by the size and niceness of the stadium, mainly by virtue of forgetting that it was THE Olympic stadium in 2002. We got in and found our seats which they thought were great, especially with the proximity of the field to the seats. RFK, apparently, sets the field out a couple miles from the stands. This was about all the good news we were expecting on the day, to be honest, what with RSL's dismal season and Houston's 11 game unbeaten streak. The completely terrible (I was actually laughing halfway through it was so bad) National Anthem performance and the 10 minute wait between the kids making the "human tunnel" and the players actually coming out didn't help any positive mojo that may have been in the building. Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity, we were ready for kickoff.

RSL came out looking surprisingly strong right from the start. Also, I decided right from the start that I was to harass Stuart Holden for the evening. No real reason why, he was just there. But if you heard someone yelling "Stuuuuart" in a high-pitched, semi-nerdy voice in E37, that was me. hahaha Anyway, RSL came out with an attacking mentality that you don't normally see from them. The problem was that the finishing was as awful as ever. If you have a clear shot on the goal anywhere inside the penalty area you need to put it on frame, boys. Make the goalie work. Pattycakes Onstad saw plenty of shots in the first half but really didn't have to save any of them. The other problem in RSL's attack is that there is way too much hesitation before critical plays are made. Instead of sending in an early dangerous cross, RSL feels the need to perform 2, 3, 4, or more step-over moves and the like before crossing. It may make the cross a little easier, but it also allows the defense to get into position and negate any advantages you may have gained on the wing. Just attack already. However, this is not to say RSL had a bad half. Far from it. They controlled the game and possession throughout the half and with some decent finishing, could have had at least 2 goals. Despite a lack of finishing from both, Beckerman and Findley looked very dangerous, with Beckerman juking past defenders and Findley just burning past them. I hope to see more games like this out of these 2 in the future. Halftime: 0-0
Half grade: A- (higher with a goal or two)

The second half started much like the first, but with one exception, Holden was subbed at halftime (I'm sure he was too upset from my constant heckling to come back out) for Nate Jaqua. I never noticed it before, but Jaqua is HUGE. He looked like a mack truck out there on the field. Too bad for him he (apparently) doesn't know how to put that size to his advantage, he must've had a foot on Kipre. With this minor setback I decided to shift my attention to Craig Waibel and his sweet receding hairline. Lookin' good buddy! Anyway, for a while the game continued to go RSL's way, with solid midfield and defensive play and some (gasp!) decent runs by the attackers. Kipre and, even more so, Wingert were both in on the attack throughout the game and provided some much needed support on the wings for the attack. RSL was jobbed in the 49th minute when Kyle Brown was breaking to a loose ball near the Houston goal only to be fouled by Houston (Robinson I believe) who then flopped and negated a sterling RSL chance. Did I mention the officiating was terrible, cuz yeah, it was. RSL held this momentum until shortly after the sub of Jamie Watson for Chris Brown in the 66th minute. For some reason, Houston's intensity went way up at this point. They created some chances and controlled the game for about 10-15 minutes. They even drew a dangerous foul call just outside the box (nearly identical to the one last week vs. the NERds) on a pretty dive from Ngwenya. Side note: Houston likes to dive. A lot. Watching Ngwenya and Ching and how often they are "cut down" it's amazing they don't need wheelchairs...losers... Anyway, unlike Larentowicz, Mulrooney stepped up and just chunked the free kick to keep the game even. About 80 minutes in the game started to even back out a bit, with neither team looking dangerous. Then, it happened. RSL and it's 10 goals in the final 15 minutes of games against Houston and their 0. Guess who scored? Robbie Findley, on his 22nd birthday no less, took advantage of a late defensive mistake (how many times have we heard that on our side), grabbed an errant pass from the Houston back, and calmly, but surely, buried it past Pattycakes for the 1-0 lead. The place went N U T S. Absolutely 100% John "Ape" Schmidt. At this point, Houston threw everything including the kitchen sink at RSL but were unable to beat the defense and Rimando, despite a couple dangerous miscues that left the door open. Then after what seemed like an eternity of extra time, the ref finally blew his whistle and RSL had won. It was a beautiful thing. Well done boys. And well done the fans that were there for still coming out and being loud. Good times, good times.
Half grade: B+

Pros:
-I was actually at the game
-My friends from out of town were able to enjoy a game with nice weather, a grass field, an excitable crowd, and a RSL win!
-They won!
-Possession was much better in this game than many others recently.
-RSL actually looked dangerous in attack.
-Ballouchy for Beckerman
-Freddy and his 10% effort were not there to bring us down
-Robbie scored on his birthday!
-Sturgis is mean and not afraid of a hit. Him and Atiba make for 2 crazy mofos who are fun to watch.
-RSL won!

Cons:
-The ref was putrid. Even by MLS standards.
-Houston's flopping.
-There were too many kids there, which prevented me from making any Ryan Cochrane jokes. It was disappointing. I'm just glad my last name doesn't sound like a sexual aid.
-Another bye week after a win. Frustrating.


Game grade: A-
Good effort, just need to finish better


Player grades:
Nick Rimando-8 Made BIG saves when needed
Jean-Martial Kipre-6 Played well, but Houston picked on him in the 2nd half to some effect
sub(Chris Lancos 79)-6 Didn't get a lot of action but played well
Ritchie Kotschau-8 Perhaps the game of his life, very steady in central defense
Eddie Pope-8 Did his usual "clean up everyone's messes" routine
Chris Wingert-8 Defended admirably, added to the attack often, nice job on corners
Chris Brown-6 Quiet, but team seemed to drop off without him
sub(Jamie Watson 66)-6 Played OK, but team's drop after his sub was odd
Kyle Beckerman-8 Got into everything, showed nice moves, pushed forward well
Nathan Sturgis-8 Bonus point for his awesome mean, reckless takedowns! Sweet!
Carey Talley-6 Solid game, but unspectacular
Robbie Findley-9 Bonus point for the goal, ran defense absolutely ragged. Best game since DC
Kyle Brown-7 Played surprisingly well, pressured defense
(Atiba Harris 79)-7 Good hustle, actually played smart (his late run to the corner flag)

RSL Man of the Match: Robbie Findley-HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Assclown of the week: The ref. From imagining RSL players knocking balls out of bounds to falling for some of the worst dives on Earth, you earned this one buddy!

ps-pictures (hopefully) coming soon

'Tis a Miracle!

Holy crap! We won! That's right, won! Yay!

(Full review coming soon, I'm just excited! ha ha)

Catch-all update

So it didn't take long for Colorado to bring out Mehdi's "thug side." (thanks Steve Goff/Soccer Insider for the link) Fernando "Straight Thuggin' G" Clavijo must be proud. I think he may be a gang leader, but that's not confirmed. That trade was the steal of the century, I'm telling you... By the way, check out Mr. Victorine shortly after, that's quite an ice pack!

In other recent news, RSL has released backup to the backup to the backup keeper Matt Wideman, who saw a total of no action with RSL and has probably now had his development stunted for good. :) Also released was long-time Royal Danny Torres, in order to free up a senior international roster slot. Let's hope RSL's new SI's are actually good and not just guys they signed solely because they are Argentinian and because other Argentinians are currently playing quite well in MLS. Although, knowing RSL, it wouldn't surprise me... Anyway Danny, thanks for the memories...

Also, Freddy "Road Redwood" Adu has finally made his much lusted after move to Europe. I have two words for that: good riddance. If he won't play with passion or effort or even skill for our team we don't need him. He's definitely been part of the problem. Don't let the door hit you on the way out...actually, do. It may knock some sense into you. Either way, best of luck in Europe to Freddy, as I do hope his potential comes to fruition, the US team could use as many skilled technical attackers as it can get.

And now, we come to this weeks mfls.com Fantasy News (cue fanfare). Here's what the week 18 lineup looks like:

---------------------------Hesmer (CLB)---------------------------

------Wynne (TOR)-----Barrett (HOU)-----Larentowicz (NERds)------

----Joseph (NERds)--Ralston (NERds)--Holden (HOU)--Toja (DALass)----

--------Johnson (KC)------Esky (RSL)------Cristman (NERds)---------

A lot of NERds this week as they are the only team with 2 games: today vs. the "Pull over I gotta" Wiz and Sunday against the Black and Red of DC "Can't Win the Ben Cup" United. Esky is an iffy pick as he may still be out with whatever injury he has that he picked up whenever he did. Funny we didn't hear more about it...did he get called up to the Liberian National Team too??? But my other forwards (Galindo and Angel) both have the week off so I'm taking a shot with him (plus I like him so it works out on all fronts). Here's my spur of the moment (as always) mfls predictions for the week's games:
KC 2 - NERds 2
CLB 2 - CHI(cago) 1
Crapids 0 - Dallass 2
HOU 3 - RSL 1
DC 1 - NERds 1
LA 0 - TOR 2
I hope I'm wrong on RSL, I'll be at the match with some friends from out of town (the proprietors of "The Edgell Supporters" and Ben Cup losers). Perhaps they're here for a scouting trip? hahaha Anyway, I'm hoping to see a good performance from the Reds but I'm not holding my breath...

Finally, with DCU Ben coming to town the trophy for the Ben Cup will (hopefully) soon be finalized. I'll get pictures as soon as possible. Don't forget, Leg 2 is coming soon (Sept. 12) to RFK Stadium in Washington, DC. RSL is holding a 1-0-0 record and a +1 goal differential this year after winning it last year. Let's go RSL!!!
(Also, congrats to DCU on advancing to the semifinals of Superliga (that seems like that needs superhero fanfare before you say it)-smack around Houston the Galaxy! (duh, they JUST played Houston...I'm stupid... ha ha))

PS-Thanks to MLSnet for the videos and myself for the sweet, sweet Clavijo picture.