2016 Season Preview

Dates To Know:
(MLS) Game 1: Sunday, March 6 @Orlando
BEN CUP 2016: Friday, July 1 vs. DC United (in Sandy!)
End of (Regular) Season: Sunday, October 23 @Seattle


Well, looking back at my 2015 Season Preview, RSL fell squarely into the "worst case scenario" including injuries, signings not panning out, Sabo struggling, and the formation not working out. It was ugly, and by the end of the year, very reminiscent of 2007 era RSL. I think this year's model is better equipped for the 4-3-3, and am hopeful for better results.


Things I liked this offseason:
+Bringing back Chris Wingert. So underrated (I'd still take him over Beltran, but I digress) and he wanted to be here. Glad RSL took the no-brainer and scooped him up.
+Bringing back Yura Movsisyan. I was admittedly not a big fan of his first go round in Utah (he was too wasteful for my tastes), but there was no doubting that the potential was there. I'm hoping the time overseas has honed his skills and mind, and we get him at his peak.
+The removal of the "nacho platter" from the uniforms. That damn yellow stripe thing was an atrocity.
+Saucedo loan to Mexico. He gets some experience in a competitive soccer country. Very shrewd move by RSL, especially for a guy unlikely to play big minutes this year.
+The solar panel installation at Rio Tinto Stadium. Really good move, props to the team for being on the leading edge in this regard.
+This only semi-counts as "offseason," but I really liked the performance (in both legs) against Tigres. Played them very tough and showed some life, unlike much of last year. In a month, with some matches under their belts, RSL wins that 2nd leg going away.


Things I didn't like this offseason:
-The lack of ambition and reach shown. While I like that they brought back 2 good players, the team's continued reliance (and not just this offseason) on bringing back former players and relying on older players is a concern. Unfortunately, my feeling on this is backed up by a Sports Illustrated article ranking MLS teams by ambition. RSL's rank? 17th. Dell Loy Hansen has really shown me very little in this regard since taking over the team. He ran out some of the best front office guys in the league and (semi-)replaced them with cheap in-house options, for example. Speaking of which...
-The keeping of Cassar/4-3-3. Ugh. I do give RSL a little credit here for bringing in some guys (specifically Sunday and Yura) who can actually fit in this formation, thereby trying to make it work, but I'm doubtful. It looked decent against Tigres, sure, but it looked awful all last year. Cassar's insistence on playing the formation despite all evidence, feeling, logic, and results going against it was reason enough for me to want him gone.
-No depth. Supposedly they've been after a couple center backs, with deals that have fallen through. However, the season is now here and CB remains paper thin. Maund looked really good against Tigres, but he's been so mistake prone in the past, that I don't know if I trust him as a starter. We're also thin up front again, with no real replacement for Yura, Javi, or Plata/Burrito. You say, "But, we've got Olmes and Sandoval to play up front!" Yeah, that's my point. And I love Jordan Allen, but he's not ready to take over as a playmaker for this team. Hell, he's still learning the position!


So where does this all leave us? It's an interesting one, as I think RSL will be better, but they are far from the level of LA (how the hell do they fit all these guys under the cap???) or Portland.


The worst case for me would basically be a repeat of last year. Injuries in key positions (Olave is always likely) could be killer, especially with the lack of depth. Guys like Garcia, Sandoval, and the homegrown signings continue to struggle. Yura gets left out to dry by the formation. Guys get upset by playing time/team performance and the locker room turns rotten. They lose the all-important Ben Cup again. RSL misses the playoffs by 5-10 points.


The best case involves Yura living up to his potential and billing and scoring 15+. Morales, Beckerman, Olave, Wingert defy age and have great years. Stephen Sunday is as good as he looked against Tigres. Olmes finally brings back the mojo from his rookie year. Allen continues his upward trajectory. The team destroys DCU on its home turf to return the Ben Cup to its rightful home. RSL hits the playoffs fighting for the 3rd seed.


The Royal Review Prediction:
RSL puts together a solid, but unspectacular season. They bring in a new signing during the season that shows potential, but is uneven. Olave gets hurt, but only misses a couple games. Allen looks good, but doesn't hit stardom yet. Sunday is a good addition. RSL wins the Ben Cup by a goal and RSL fans everywhere rejoice. Yura drops in about 10 goals and over 5 assists. You follow the Royal Review on Twitter (@Royal_Review) because you love me and this blog so much. RSL reaches the playoffs as a low seed and puts up a fight in round 1 before going out.

Royal Rankings #1

Frequent readers of the review know I like to put together a "power ranking" every now and then (I try to do every week, but it doesn't always happen. Now that every team has gotten started, here is the first Royal Ranking for the MLS season:

15-Dallas (0-2-0) - Handily beaten in both their games. Could be a long season.
14-Kansas City (0-2-0) - Everyone's favorite soccer-playing-minor-league-baseball team with a rough start.
13-Los Angeles (0-0-1) - Scored a controversial tie in week 1 against DC.
12-New York (0-1-1) - Got a home tie against the injury ravaged Revs after getting dismantled by Seattle.
11-REAL SALT LAKE (0-1-0) - Extremely poor all around against the expansion Sounders.
10-Houston (0-1-1) - Falls in a shootout at San Jose.
09-San Jose (1-0-1) - Get the win against a middling Dynamo squad.
08-Colorado (1-0-1) - Protected the home turf against KC.
07-DC United (0-0-2) - Probably should've beaten LA, get the draw against the solid Fire.
06-Toronto (1-0-1) - 1500 fans head to Columbus to prove they are the classiest in MLS.
05-Chivas TST (2-0-0) - 2 wins, but against poor opponents.
04-Columbus (0-0-2) - 2 ties in games they probably should have won for the reigning champs.
03-Chicago (1-0-1) - Eke out a road tie at DC after an easy win at Dallass.
02-New England (1-0-1) - Manage a road tie against the energy bovines even while injuries reduce them to starting the fat kid sitting in the 57th row.
01-Seattle (2-0-0) - Two very convincing shutout wins, but can they do it on the road?

I hate to put the expansion team first, but they have earned it after those first two games. I will be curious to see, however, if they can keep the momentum going.

Also, on a quick side note, RSL's own Mr. Kyle Beckerman will be joining ESPN.com for a live Q and A tomorrow starting at 1 pm (Mountain). Should be some interesting stuff.

Ye Olde Royal Predictions: Week 17 and other assorted musings

I know, I know, I missed posting another week of predictions, but as usual, they were made and can be scored. But, to get back on top of things, here are this week's:

Thursday, July 17:
Kansas City 1 vs. THE 2

Saturday, July 19:
NTOTB 0 vs. Streamer Warehouse 3
LAG 3 vs. Non-Reynas 2
Crapids/Cripids 1 vs. Dallass 2
REAL SALT LAKE 1 vs. BSOF 1

Tuesday, July 22nd (odd day for a game, so it gets tacked onto this week):
Creamsickles 0 vs. Ben Cup Losers 2

As for the last two weeks' results...
Week 15: 2 correct (0 exact), 4 wrong (33%)
Week 16: 3 correct (1 exact), 2 wrong (60%, 20%)

MLS Season Total:
46-65 [8 exact] (41%, 7%)


In other news, Cletus himself, Mr. Clint "The Original RSL Bust" Mathis was spotted recently playing for the RSL reserves in a match against the school which shall not be named (it's in Hell Provo). Apparently, he is out of contract following his stint in Greece and needs somewhere to work out. While I don't see him signing with RSL (LAG still hold his MLS rights anyway), I can't say I'd be 100% against him being signed as a threat off the bench. That having been said, there are countless better options out there, and with two free International roster spots, let's hope RSL takes them.

Finally, in a blatant bid to win points at home, I want to say hi to my wonderful wife! :) She joined me at the Columbus game, which was a lot of fun and I appreciate, seeing as how she has little to no interest in sports. Interestingly enough, she actually made some very astute observations. The one that stands out in particular was her calling out of "number 5" (Becks) for being too hesitant and for not taking the lanes the defense was giving him. At one point (after he stalled an attack by pulling back with the ball even as he could've broken towards goal with it) she turned to me and said, "Why didn't he keep running up the field? No one was coming after him!" And, of course, I had been thinking basically the same thing. Great minds think alike I guess. Well done, honey! And, in fact, I've been thinking a lot about Kyle's performances lately, but that is planned for a whole separate post that I will be working on soon. Until then, enjoy the view from first place everyone! I know I am.

A couple things

First of all, if somehow you hadn't heard, RSL has traded "attacking" midfielder Mehdi Ballouchy to the Crapids in exchange for Kyle Beckerman. Hooray! I'm sorry, but Mehdi has been nothing short of terrible this year and Beckerman will bring experience (he has even played for the national team) and some much needed defensive bite to the midfield. Perhaps if Ballouchy had shown an ability to do any of the following: shoot, cross, hit set pieces, complete a reasonable amount of his passes, it would have been a different story, but this year he hasn't. While I still believe he has the potential to still become a very solid player, I am glad that we gave up potential (that may or may not ever develop) for a solid, known commodity (that's basically the same age). Plus, Freddy (or Okocha or someone else we may sign) will be able to take over at attacking central mid, and we can see what he can do. On top of all that, it also frees up a Senior International (SI) roster spot for RSL next year, when Mehdi will gain that status. It's amazing that I can say this, but some of the recent personnel moves by RSL haven't actually been awful. Even the much derided Esky/Cunningham trade I like. Esky's much younger and plays with heart that Cunny just doesn't have. Plus, RSL gets cap space and an extra first round pick coming up. Hopefully they can do something with it.

The other thing is just a note on something I heard on yesterday's Bill Riley show on 700 AM. Someone sent him an absolutely classic e-mail. I don't remember it word for word but here are the highlights:
-Why is Danny Torres still playing for RSL? He can't stop a nosebleed, let alone a striker.
-Nick Rimando is great and therefore should punch Torres in the face and thereby injure him so he can't play.
It was so ridiculous and over the top that it was amazing. I'll see if I can find a transcript (or better yet, someone with an audio copy of the show) and post it if I can find one. It was truly a high point in sports radio.

PS-Despite his recent play, I do like Ballouchy (and he has shown flashes), and wish him all the best. And hopefully he won't have to spend too much time with Pablo....yuck...can you imagine it? ;)