Mostly, I wanted to run through some of the roster moves and see where I think the team has improved (or gotten worse) from 2012. I'm lazy (and in a hurry) so I won't go through all the roster moves here, I'll assume you're up to date on that by now. And away we go:
Goalkeepers: Improved
While Nick Rimando will remain between the sticks and continue to be one of the league's best, it is behind him that the improvement has come. Yes, I think that Kyle Reynish is a capable backup and thought he did a solid job, however, how often do you get the chance to add last year's championship winning goalie as your #2??? Great (and underrated) move by RSL this offseason.
Defense: Even
Let's get it out of the way, Olave is a huge loss. HUGE. But he is also injury plagued. With how many games he missed last year, we are basically left with the same back line as last year. I actually think unloading Olave was probably the best move RSL made this offseason, at least in the departure category. He will be missed, but it was a good time to cut our losses. The injuries to Borchers and Wingert to start the season are the big worry in my eyes and the defense could be off to a rough start this year.
Midfield: Worsened
The player I think RSL will miss most in 2013 is Will Johnson. He always did a little bit of everything while being a bit unappreciated for it. His impact can be shown by the fact that he's already been named captain at his new club. Luis Gil is extremely talented and will be a great player one day (and I think he'll have a quality 2013), but he does not make up for Will (yet). The other "loss" in midfield is Javi Morales, who has yet to return to his pre-injury form from a couple seasons ago. With him again on the injury list and his increasing age, I have my doubts that he will ever be the regular impact player he once was. I'm hoping that he will prove me wrong, but until he does, I tend to think RSL's centering their off-season around Javi re-signing was kind of a bad idea. (Having said all that, you don't easily just replace Javier Morales. On his game, he is a difference maker.) None of the new signings really get me excited at all (they are not bad signings, just not any that will likely be difference makers) and the over dependence on Ned Grabavoy scares me a little. He's a good role player, but little more, and I think he'll be getting more minutes than I'd like to see this year.
Forward: Improved
This one is easy. I love Fabi, but I think a change of scenery was probably needed for him. On top of that, Robbie Findley > Fabian Espindola. So glad to have Robin Hood back from Sherwood! Joao Plata is an upgrade from Paulo Jr., and with Kreis' insistence on not giving Braun a chance (a bad move both from a marketing standpoint and an on-field standpoint. We weren't scoring either way last year!) made his loss a non-issue. Hopefully, Saborio can learn to be less streaky and to turn it on against better opponents, but even if he doesn't, I think Robbie will be able to pick up some of that slack.
Overall: Slightly Improved
I do think RSL 2013 (sorry Garth, this is not RSL 2.0! Did you forget the Rice-Eccles years? I haven't) is probably better than 2012. Not having CONCACAF play sucks, but I think will be a godsend for a team that seemed to get stretched a bit thin by the end of last year.
Best case scenario for 2013:
Javi comes back strong and the defense holds out until Borchers and Wingert get back. The injury bug stays away. RSL makes an uncharacteristic deep run in the Open Cup and wins it. Takes 3rd in the West and has a magical 2009-ish run to MLS Cup.
Worst case for 2013:
Javi and Nat struggle with injuries all season while Kyle and Nick (and Sabo) take off on international duty. The piecemeal defense struggles. Luis Gil can't take the next step over a whole season. RSL again crashes out of the Open Cup against Amateur FC and finishes in the 6-8 range, missing the playoffs.
Royal Review 2013 prediction:
RSL finally wins a couple Open Cup games, but falls before the final. A streaky season where they go back to winning at home and struggling on the road. Finishes 3rd or 4th in the west behind some combination of San Jose, Seattle, and LA. RSL wins the Rocky Mountain Cup and keeps the Ben Cup based off an early season tie against DCU (their only meeting this year). Falls in the 2nd round of the playoffs. I'll try and keep the blog up and fail (hahaha!).
LET'S GO RSL!!!
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