Le Sigh...

Everytime I start thinking that JnG get it, they pull another "WTF Moment". Here's the latest. I find it hard to believe that the U-20 captain (and a player capable of multiple positions in the back) is a) not better than David Horst, b) not worth more than a 2nd round pick, and c) not worth keeping for depth purposes. Not to mention the fact that there are plenty of candidates on the roster that I would imagine could be loaned out to free up roster space (Alexandre, Nunez, and W(H)orst come to mind immediately). Le sigh...

2009 Game 5: NERds vs. RSL: El Beatdown Grande

I'm hoping to do an actual review but right now I'm too tired and out of it to do a full one now. Here's the grades from the big 6-0 shellacking:

First half grade: B+
RSL in control most of the half, but couldn't hit the back of the net.
Second half grade: A+
All that needs to be said: SIX goals in 36 minutes.
Game grade: A+
Once again, and even though it was against a New England B (or possibly C) team, it was 6 to 0. Period.

Player grades:
Nick Rimando-6 First shutout and didn't have to do much for it
Robbie Russell-7 Got forward well
Nat Borchers-7 As always, a steady force in the back
Jamison Olave-8 Showed again why he is the starter and not W(H)orst. Got a goal to boot
Chris Wingert-6 Meh for Chris
Will Johnson-6 Very up and down, got it together in the 2nd half
Clint Mathis-8 Huge game for Clint and a possible Goal of the Year candidate
(Andy Williams 74)-7 Nice free kick goal for Andy. I'd like to see more of him, but who do you take out for him?
Kyle Beckerman-8 Played really well, controlled the midfield. Defending was brilliant
Javier Morales-7 Weak game until he started getting the corners locked in
(Ned Grabavoy 68)-7 Seems to always give some spark off the bench
Robbie Findley-7 Solid game for Robbie
Yura Movsisyan-6 FINALLY got a goal, but again missed easy ones including a 1v1 that a corpse could have scored on that he put right to the keeper
(Luis Miguel Escalada 72)-7 Showed a little of why J&G decided to keep him

Coaching grade (Kreis)-9 First half was meh, but whatever he did at halftime helped! Plus, all the subs contributed.
Ref grade (Toledo?)-6 I still think Findley should've gotten a PK late in the 1st half, but other than that, nothing was too egregious.

RSL Man of the Match: Clint Mathis
Brilliant game. Even without the goal and assist, he had a very nice game. Add those in and it's an easy call.

Douchebag of the Day is taking a week off out of respect for the NERds. They just got beat 6-0, no reason to add insult to injury.

Mr. Nimo Goes To Portland

Just found this article (Courtesy of the always great RSLFM.com) about the 2009 Portland Timbers. Apparently, RSL's Alex Nimo has been loaned out to them and is already listed on the roster. I love this move, it gets a promising young player a better chance to see the field. And let's be honest, RSL does not have the best track record in developing young talent (Nik Besagno anyone? Jamie Watson? David Horst? (haha) Possibly Chris Seitz?). Let's hope Nimo can hit the USL and shine and give us another quality option in the future.

2009 Game 4: RSL @ Energy Bovines: Total collapse

Wow. What a turd RSL laid out all over Giants Stadium last night. They were beaten in every facet of the game by a New York team that had not scored a goal of their own volition all season (their one score coming off an own goal). Apparently all that improvement we keep hearing about hasn't hit yet. The strikers couldn't finish, the midfield couldn't pass, the defense couldn't, well, much of anything. Poor all around. Basically, vintage RSL, and if you've been a fan for any length of time, you know how bad that is.

First half grade: F
From the whistle, NY took control, when David Worst (no, not a typo), in for Olave (for reasons I don't totally get) was outmuscled by Dane Richards who put the ball into the box. Rimando got a finger to it, but it defelcted straight to Kandji who pasted it into the open net. 1-0, 1:30 in. Yes, you read that right, Worst, at 6-4 and 210, was pushed around by the 5-7 and 153 lb. Richards. Yes, he sucks. The bovines kept control for most of the half as RSL feebly sent long ball after long ball skipping across the artificial turf and out of bounds. Blah. 1-0 Energy Bovines.

Second half grade: F
Basically see the first half with the following changes: 1) Worst was now beaten by Angel rather than Richards and 2) Jeremy Hall receives a straight red in the 66th, giving RSL the man advantage. But judging by RSL's play, you wouldn;t have noticed the difference if you hadn't been told.

Game grade: F
Once again, RSL loses 2-0 to a team that had not scored all season (4 games). They look horrible while doing so.

Player grades:
Nick Rimando-5 Made some great stops, but probably could have done better on the goals.
Chris Wingert-5 Not Chris's best.
Nat Borchers-7 Got beat a little on the second goal, but otherwise was tremendous.
Robbie Russell-5 Too quiet.
David (W)Horst-3 Just awful. We are screwed if this is our "depth". Perhaps he'd be better suited for Ogden?
(Luis Miguel Escalada 65)-5 Bad. Did nothing in 25 min.
Clint Mathis-6 Did a lot of running, Not a ton else.
(Ned Grabavoy 82)-6 Made a nice penetrating run, but didn't have time for much else.
Kyle Beckerman-7 All over the midfield. Another nice game for Kyle.
Javier Morales-5 Not one good free kick all night, too much diving.
Will Johnson-6 Up and down, evens to about average.
Robbie Findley-5 First touch was bad.
(Andy Williams 78)-5 WAY too many turnovers for 12 minutes.
Yura Movsisyan-5 I'm sorry, I don't get the Yura love. HE CAN'T FINISH. Another bad game.

Coaching grade (Kreis)-3 Late scratch of Olave was baffling. Did nothing to fire up or organize the team.
Ref grade (R. Salazar)-3 Allowed way too much pushing off (see the first NY goal), cards were all soft. Just awful all around.

RSL Man of the Match: Nat Borchers
Perhaps slightly at fault on the Angel goal, but was basically defending for 4 as he got no help. The only defender, and only player outside of Beckerman and maybe Grabavoy, that looked sure of himself or composed. Without his play, RSL loses 6-0.

Douchebag of the Day (aka Assclown of the Match, I like the alliteration DotD provides): Dane Richards
Did it all. From pushing off defenders all over the field (and getting away with it with help from the awful Ricardo Salazar) to flopping at the slightest touch, Dane was King Douche all night long.

Pros:
+No one got hurt.

Cons:
-David Horst didn't get hurt (JOKING! I don't wish injury on anyone, regardless of how bad they suck).
-David Horst proved once again that he is terrible.
-Thoroughly outplayed by a bad NY team, now without RSL killer Van Den Bergh.
-Is Olave hurt?
-Yura still can't finish. We need a real striker.
-Escalada was also terrible, giving us 3 poor forwards.
-The fact that RSL really couldn't even mount a serious challenge with a man advantage.
-The lack of fire from RSL for much of the game.
-The entire game.

What we learned:
1) RSL still can't play on the road (2 games, 2 shutout losses).
2) The Energy Bovines will still be RSL kryptonite, even without DVB.
3) Once Espi gets to town, Yura should find a nice comfy spot on the bench (won't happen, but should).

2009 Game 3: DCU vs. RSL: Ben Cup: Round 1, FIGHT!

(Sorry for the Street Fighter reference in the title, couldn't help myself.)
Anyway, I had planned a big review of the big Ben Cup match but a busy (and strange) week kinda pushed all that to the side. In its stead, a mini-review, starting with some sweet, sweet player grades:

Player grades:
Nick Rimando-6 Not a lot to do, left out to dry a bit on the goal.
Tony Beltran-6 Not spectacular by any means, but serviceable.
(Raphael Cox 59)-6 Too many turnovers, but I LOVE this guy's hustle. Getting on my favorites list very quickly.
Nat Borchers-7 Pretty solid in the back, stymied most DCU attacks that came his way.
Jamison Olave-7 Caught defending no one on the goal, but scored one of his own to atone.
Chris Wingert-6 An average Chris Wingert day.
Clint Mathis-6 Didn't get involved as much as he had in the previous 2.
(Ned Grabavoy 74)-6 Providing some nice depth in midfield.
Kyle Beckerman-7 Best game of 2009 so far, got involved and nearly scored.
Javier Morales-7 Quiet, but came up with a HUGE goal out of nowhere for the win.
Will Johnson-6 Similar to Wingert and Beltran, not great by any means, but solid.
Robbie Findley-5 2 of the quietest assists you'll see. Got beat a few times by Jakovic.
(Andy Williams 89)-6 Very little time, hard to grade, but gets an average 6 for not doing anything wrong.
Yura Movsisyan-5 WAY too selfish; decision making is not there.

Coach grade (Kreis)-6 There were some minor adjustments I'd liked to have seen, but overall, ok.
Ref grade (Stott)-4 Not for any egregiously unfair calls, but for his seeming confusion on whether he was reffing for MLS or WWE. A little too physical for a soccer match.

RSL Man of the Match: Kyle Beckerman
Tough one to call as no one stood out. Olave blew it with poor defense on the DC goal. Javi was close but only seemed to play about 25 out of the 90 minutes. Becks wins it with a solid, full-90 effort.

Assclown of the Match: Mother Nature
Another cold, rainy, miserable day for an RSL match? Why of course! And this week, with RSL on the road? Mid-60s and sunny in Sandy, what else?

Pros:
+RSL is on the verge on winning the Ben Cup yet again.
+Late game winning goal for Javi was a beauty and may provide him with a spark.
+Kyle returned to his proper form.
+RSL was able to answer back quickly after an opponent's goal.
+Did I mention that RSL now has the upper hand in the Ben Cup?

Cons:
-The strikers again looked fairly lost for much of the game (like in Seattle).
-Yura's decision making never seems to improve.
-Until the goal, Javi seemed absent for much of the match.
-DCU always seems to kill us at RFK. Can RSL buck the trend to keep the Cup?
-The weather again messes with a home game. C'mon, it's supposed to be spring dammit!

What we learned:
1) RSL can beat DCU, even when they play their first-string keeper.
2) Will Johnson continues to look good on set pieces, giving the reds another option besides just Javi.
3) RSL may finally have the resiliency needed to carry on after getting behind, rather than throwing in the towel.

Game grade: B
It wasn't pretty, and it certainly wasn't RSL's best effort. But the team recovered from being outplayed at home for much of the first half to deliver a nice come from behind win. Let's make it 3 in a row this week boys!

The Traditional Pre-Ben Cup Interview

As has become tradition, here is the pre-game interview with the losing half of the Ben Cup, DCU Ben:

1) Well, here we are yet again with the Ben Cup upon us, and DCU is now 0-3. Is this the year that finally changes?

Yes this is the year that DC United finally claims what is rightfully theirs. The Ben Cup yearns to reside in the greater DC metropolitan area.

2) Do you think United has FINALLY learned from past mistakes and will start their first-string keeper in Utah for once?

They have not learned anything. However, by pure lucky happenstance, the backup keeper appears to be injured. The only problem is that the starter is Louis "I think I have the moves of the young Maradona before cocaine" Crayton, and he will try to dazzle you with his footwork... and he will get burned by Robbie Findley who is not kind to keepers of fancy feet.

3) Do you see Rio Tinto playing a factor in this game? This will be DC's first trip there? May it even help DCU by getting them off the artifical turf at Rice-Eccles?

Rio Tinto and real grass will slow down the game which will benefit the aged United attack with their preference to control the pace of the game.


4) I hear that you are not getting local TV coverage of this one. Is that true? And if so, what the hell? When did DCU start getting RSL-style media coverage?

Local TV has boycotted the United coverage for the first part of the season specifically to spite me because I have Verizon Fios and cannot purchase Direct Kick. I can think of two specific events that ushered in the era of DCU getting RSL-style media coverage, (1) DCU started playing like RSL and (2) when PG County denied the stadium building. Local TV is ahead of the curve on this and can see that this franchise has no marketable future in DC. Is a hint of bitterness coming across? Just checking.


5) Which RSL player are you most concerned about as a DCU fan? And conversely, which probable starter (RSL has used the same lineup in both games so far) concerns you least? Do you think DC will be able to exploit this player?

I think we have to be most concerned about RSL's speed in the attack, which means Findley. It's hard to tell after two games which player does not concern me or if we could exploit that particular player, but I'll go with Olave. I think he has a short fuse and we have some guys that like to get under the skin. I'm hoping for an early straight red.

6) On a scale of 1-10, how pumped are you for some sweet sweet Ben Cup action?

Let's put it this way, I love the Ben Cup so much I wanna take it behind the middle school and get it pregnant. (ed. note-quite possibly the best and most appropriate response ever)

7) Finally, I'd like to say that I think fans all over MLS wish you guys the best in getting a stadium. Now that it appears the PG Co. plan has fallen through, where else do you think DCU could settle? Are you concerned they may move the team?

I'm going to go with the esteemed Mr. Soccer Insider and say, Vamos St. Louis United! They can only keep the team in RFK and losing money for so long before wiser business minds prevail and send them somewhere else. I'm still holding out for a Northern Virginia stadium but if I were to put money on it, I'd put money on St. Louis.

In closing, I would just like to say that between insane work hours, technical difficulties with MLSLive.tv, and no local coverage I have yet to watch an entire match this season. I am hoping that changes this weekend as DC takes a big step towards bringing the Ben Cup to its rightful home. Vamos United!

BEN CUP IS HERE!

Man, I can't believe that only 3 games into the season, we already have the Ben Cup upon us. And, of course, this is a terrible week for it with my schedule, but I will try to have some fuller coverage up in the next couple of days. But as a quick recap, let's take a quick look back to last year:

Leg 1, April 12th, Salt Lake City, UT: DCU 0 - RSL 4
-2 goals for Kyle Beckerman, 1 each for Espi and Robbie Findley
-RR MOTM: Dema Kovalenko; 2 assists and seemingly involved in every positive RSL play.

Leg 2, April 26th, Washington, DC: RSL 1 - DCU 4
-2 (PK) goals for Moreno, 1 each for Gallardo and Quaranta
-Carey Talley salvages the Ben Cup with a late goal off a Tony Beltran assist
-RR MOTM: Chris Wingert; only RSL player with an above average grade on the night.

RSL and DCU tie on record (1-1-0), but RSL wins on aggregate goals: 5-4.

Let's hope RSL doesn't need to take this year's Cup to tiebreakers. Come on ya Reds! Go RSL!

2009 Game 2: Crew vs. RSL: Beatdown Supreme

Hmmm... So was game 1 just an "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" situation or something? Because this looked like a completely different team out there this week. RSL looked energetic, they pushed the action, and, most importantly, finished some chances. Hopefully RSL can build on this one and go on a *gasp* early season winning streak!

First half grade: B+
RSL certainly started off with a bang, when about 1:30 in, Will Johnson hit a blistering free kick from about 30 yards that Will Hesmer just parried away. The ball dropped right to Robbie Findley who put it away for an early 1-0 lead. I like the move of letting someone other than Javi take a kick every now and then, and it certainly showed it can pay dividends here. Columbus seemed to take control soon after, culminating in a Jason Garey goal in the 22nd on a classic RSL scrambling-nonsense defensive play. Momentum swung back to RSL 7 minutes later when Columbus keeper Hesmer inexplicably kicked a clearance directly into Robbie Findley at the top of the box. Findley collected the ball, calmly ran around Hesmer, and neatly tucked the ball away. 2-1 RSL. RSL played fairly strongly the rest of the half and took that lead into halftime.

Second half grade: A+
Wow. RSL basically laid 45 minutes of complete domination down on Columbus this half, and it showed with RSL scoring 2 more (and if Yura could finish, it would have been about 4 more). In the 62nd, Yura and Robbie proved that they CAN work as a unit with Yura taking a ball out wide left of the box and playing a gorgeous cross in to Robbie in the box. Findley then hit an equally gorgeous header into the bottom left corner of the goal. 3-1. Just five minutes later, Kyle Beckerman opened his scoring account for the season, rifling a header (off a Mathis corner) past Hesmer and into the net for a 4-1 lead. Findley was then pulled soon after, to a standing ovation from the home fans, or else I'm convinced he would have gotten a 4th. RSL nearly struck again a few times, but the Columbus D held for the last 20 minutes and RSL won going away, 4-1.

Full game grade: A
A very VERY solid home opener for the reds, which hopefully portends good things to come. Even with Columbus missing Hejduk, they still are a good team, last year's champions, and RSL took it to them. Well done.

Positional Grades:
Defense: B-
Midfield: A
Forwards: A-

Player Grades:
Nick Rimando-6 Caught a bit out of position on the goal, but otherwise made good decisions.
Tony Beltran-6 MUCH improved over last week's disaster.
Nat Borchers-7 Solid in the back.
Jamison Olave-6 Made some big plays, but showed his careless/lazy side quite a bit in that first half.
Chris Wingert-6 Struggled at times, but overall ok.
Clint Mathis-8 Another stellar game from Clint. Where was this last year (and in 05)?
(Ned Grabavoy 75)-6 Did well in limited time, should have an assist, but Yura was busy at Grand Suck-tral Station.
Kyle Beckerman-7 One of KB's better games in a while. Maybe he should go on ESPN.com more often?
Javier Morales-6 Quiet game but made the plays when needed.
(Jean Alexandre 85)-6 Didn't have a lot of time, but looked energetic.
Will Johnson-7 The early free kick (that led to the RF goal) was a doozy.
Robbie Findley-9 Made the most of his chances and was rewarded with RSL's first hat trick! Awesome!
(Andy Williams 70)-6 Decent in a brief stint.
Yura Movsisyan-5 Bonus point for the assist, but he has got to work on his finishing. He missed another 2 or 3 this game that a drunk monkey would've scored on.

Coach grade (Kreis)-7 Kept his team on the attack and with the right mentality. Nice to see RSL not let up, even with a 3 goal lead.
Ref grade (Prus)-7 RR whipping boy Alex Prus apparently got some contacts or something. Certainly wasn't perfect (although for him it may have been), but a decent job all around.

RSL Man of the Match-Robbie Findley
Gee...that was a tough decision...

Assclown of the Match-Alex Prus
For making me eat my words (see the Ref grade section). The bastard.

Pros:
+Robbie Findley comes alive.
+Is Clint for real? Finally?
+RSL gets a nice win over a solid team.

Cons:
-Weather, increased ticket prices, poor marketing, a Thursday game, and some community apathy lead to a horribly small crowd.
-Yura still can't finish, even the easy ones.

What we learned:
1) RSL may just be a team to be reckoned with after all.
2) Columbus needs Hejduk to have a chance.
3) Luis Miguel Escalada may not be with the team much longer. I know he is coming off and injury and was listed as questionable, but it's a bit surprising Jason didn't give him even 5 or 10 minutes of garbage time late.

And now, up next for RSL: The beauty, the pageantry, the wonder...The Ben Cup 2009. Kicking off April 11th in Sandy, UT! YES!

April 1st, 2009

Wow. Just wow. In a stunning turn of events, rumors are swirling of an RSL signing of Milan/Chelsea star Andriy Shevchenko to a 2 year DP contract with a player option for a third. The contract will begin this summer once Milan's season is over. Details of the transfer from Chelsea (who held his rights) were not given, so we don't know what (or if) a transfer fee was paid. Sheva apparently is thrilled to be coming to the US, both to finally get some solid playing time, but also to allow his American wife to come back home.

So wow... I guess RSL's needs at striker are suddenly a little less. HUGE news. Go RSL!