AGAIN

So we've been having computer issues at the ol' homestead once again, meaning I am way WAY behind on everything Review related. I'm going to try and get the site back up to date as soon as possible, but we're a ways out I think. In the meantime, here's my player grades from the latest last minute RSL meltdown...

RSL vs. Houston Grades:
Nick Rimando-8 Saved a (questionable) PK, played well.
Tony Beltran-4 Attacks constantly came from his side, gave way too much space for the tying cross
Nat Borchers-6 Played well until falling asleep on the goal
Jamison Olave-3 Horrific. Played the lazy, careless game he can be known for, then gets tossed for dissent. Well done.
Chris Wingert-6 Meh.
Kyle Beckerman-5 Also asleep at the wheel on the goal.
Will Johnson-6 Active, but not especially useful
Javier Morales-6 Too much time diving, but ok otherwise
Clint Mathis-6 OK but needs to do more
(Tino Nunez 76)-6 Not really given a chance, came in with RSL a man down
Yura Movsisyan-5 Nice on the assist but otherwise useless. Needs to learn to win something in the air (and put a shot on frame and....)
(Ned Grabavoy 82)-6 Not a lot of time to do much.
Fabian Espindola-6 Solid goal, some good effort at times, but needs to impose himself on the game more.
(Robbie Russell 63)-6 Decent in trying to hold off the Houston onslaught.

Coach grade (Kreis)-6 New formation seems to suit team, needs to get Olave a crowbar to help him remove his head from his ass.
Ref grade (Maruffo)-3 Another MLS game that devolved into UFC-lite. Cards were also a bit one-sided and the PK call was a bit weak for my tastes. Plus, a 2 minute water break in the middle of the game? Really?

RSL Man of the Match: Nick Rimando
Singlehandedly kept his team in the game. Earned RSL 1 point as opposed to 0.

Douchebag of the Day: Jamison Olave
You should never, ever, EVER be dumb enough to pick up two straight cards for dissent like that. Dude, take a xanax and back away...

Pan-Pacific Championship

The Pan-Pacific Championship kicks off tonight so I thought I'd throw a little preview out there as there is little news on the RSL front (other than an embarrassing debacle against Lynn Univ. Who? Exactly.) and it features my other team, Sydney FC out of the Australian A-League. It is my blog, after all, so I'll talk about whatever the hell I want! hahaha

Tonight's first game features the LA Galaxy vs. Gamba Osaka of the Japanese J-League. LA is the one team in the competition not there on their merits, but obviously on their marketing potential. Yes, there is some BS given about being runners up in Superliga, blah blah blah, but seriously, we all see through it. Anyway, LA was not a very good team last year to be honest, but have made some interesting additions (for example Ruiz) and some odd subtractions (Albright). It'll be interesting to see how and if this team can come together and if the players will all play to their ability.
As for Gamba Osaka, I know as little about the J-League as anyone. I know it has a reputation as a fairly good level of play. I know it is in Japan. I know it exists. There you have it. A quick look at wikipedia says that Gamba finished 3rd in the 18 team J-League last year, but they won the J League Cup, which appears to be a tournament featuring every team in the J-League (but whose results are not a part of the J-League). This sounds like a solid team, featuring some players from Japan's national team, past and present. However, on the same token, this team will be missing SEVEN of its players to national team duty (6 to the men's squad, 1 to U-23).
Both teams are in their preseason and are trying to fit new players in. However, just by a few videos on the PPC web site, Gamba seems much more about results and LA more about being seen. Also, I'm honestly not sold on this LA team yet.
PREDICTION: LA Galaxy 1 - Gamba Osaka 3

Game 2 is the one I'm looking forward to. It features reigning MLS champs Houston and my boys, the sky blues of Sydney FC. This game could be interesting on many fronts, not the least of which is to see how the Dynamo work out their forward line. They lost 3 or 4 forwards this offseason (including, just so I can work this line in, Nate "Andre the Giant" Jaqua) and have a couple players (like Brian Mullan) who could cover the midfield to move DeRosario back up top. Nevertheless, I can't count out the two-time MLS champs, especially when most of the players that left were depth, not stars. I have a feeling Houston will show well in this tournament.
That leaves me with Sydney FC, who will have the good fortune of being the only team coming off their season, having lost in the minor semi-finals to Queensland less than two weeks ago. However, going against them are the continued injury woes of Juninho, who will not play in the PPC, and a possible lack of confidence after a very mediocre showing in the playoffs (0 goals in 2 games). This lack of confidence will certainly extend to winger/forward Alex Brosque, who at times can be brilliant, but in the playoffs choked worse than Karl Malone. If he can overcome this, and old man Steve Corica can keep up the form he showed at the end of the season, then SFC will have a good shot at taking down Houston. If not, it could get ugly.
I really want Sydney to win, but I don't see it against a solid Houston team, even if they are in their preseason. Maybe a bit of this pessimism toward my team comes from being an RSL fan (and a Cubs fan, a Syracuse Orangemen fan-especially "pointy football", a Southen Utah Thunderbirds fan, etc. etc. etc.) and I hope it's irrational, but I think the Creamsickles win this one.
PREDICTION: Houston Dynamo 3 - Sydney FC 2

Predictions for the 3rd-place and Championship games after my current predictions come undone (haha).

Also, on a completely unrelated note, props to the dude on big soccer who echoed my sentiment of getting Archie Thompson over here, and I second his Joel Griffiths idea as well. Well done, my good man.

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-

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!

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

"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.

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)