Monday, September 22, 2008
Friday, September 19, 2008
RSL Stadium Opener Tickets
I just have a note for anyone who bought the single game tickets online for the big opening night extravaganza at the new Sandy stadium. Although the web site says the tickets will be shipped out the next business day, they will actually ship about 2 weeks before the game according to the RSL offices. So by my count, that would be around next Thursday, the 25th. So don't worry (like I did) if you haven't seen your tickets yet, do that if you haven't seen them by the 5th or so!
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Game 24: RSL @ Energy Bovines: That's More Like It!
Ah yes, RSL has returned. After looking like they may become a competent team and finally make the playoffs, RSL has now reverted to their normal state, completely blowing the second game in a row now. Welcome back, crap team, how we've missed you!
Game grade: F
This is the kind of game RSL needs to win if they want to be considered a good team. In a fairly even match, they take an early lead and then squander it with stupid mistakes. The Angel goal was especially egregious with Olave doing his now-signature half-assed follow the ball routine (perhaps he's been listening to Sherry Bobbins? "Don't pout, don't sob/Just do a half-assed job...It's the American way!"). Angel then did a little swim move past Olave (who inexplicably collapsed as though he'd been hit by a semi truck) got the ball and put it in the net. RSL has to earn some points on the road to make the playoffs and in the last two they have squandered at least 3 (2 to LA and at least 1 here). If the reds can't remove their heads from their rectal cavities, and soon, the season will be over in a scant 6 games... Is an F a bit harsh? Perhaps, but if they can't even pull a tie out of a game like this, they don't deserve any better.
Player Grades:
Nick Rimando-8 Some great saves to help keep RSL in it.
Robbie Russell-5 Not a great night for Russell, too many little mistakes.
(Ian Joy 84)-6 Not really enough time to do anything.
Chris Wingert-5 Was overrun by Richards in the 1st half.
Nat Borchers-8 Without Nat it is probably 6-1.
Jamison Olave-3 Absolutely terrible in every facet. And we let Mantilla go for nothing...
Kyle Beckerman-7 Pretty active, tried to lead the charge.
Javier Morales-4 Too many giveaways, not one good free kick. Not one.
Will Johnson-8 Man, has he been a great pickup. We better make sure he is locked up long-term, and soon.
Andy Williams-6 OK game.
(Clint Mathis 59)-5 Did nothing, as per usual.
Robbie Findley-5 Beautiful assist, otherwise his touch killed him. Should've probably had 2 goals...
(Kenny Deuchar 78)-6 Tried, but was smothered by Bovines.
Yura Movsisyan-7 Nice goal, but like Findley, probably should've had more.
Coaching grade-4 I get the Mathis sub, but when you are down late you put in Deuchar for Findley??? And then Joy for Russell??? How about Deuchar for Wingert or Russell? Where's Tino Nunez? How about looking for the tying goal? How about 'fortune favors the bold'?
Officiating grade-8 Other than a soft yellow or two on RSL the officiating was solid.
RSL Man of the Match: Nat Borchers
Nat is retaking his title as the brick wall in center defense. He stopped everything that came his way (and quite a bit that went other ways). A great performance by Nat.
Game grade: F
This is the kind of game RSL needs to win if they want to be considered a good team. In a fairly even match, they take an early lead and then squander it with stupid mistakes. The Angel goal was especially egregious with Olave doing his now-signature half-assed follow the ball routine (perhaps he's been listening to Sherry Bobbins? "Don't pout, don't sob/Just do a half-assed job...It's the American way!"). Angel then did a little swim move past Olave (who inexplicably collapsed as though he'd been hit by a semi truck) got the ball and put it in the net. RSL has to earn some points on the road to make the playoffs and in the last two they have squandered at least 3 (2 to LA and at least 1 here). If the reds can't remove their heads from their rectal cavities, and soon, the season will be over in a scant 6 games... Is an F a bit harsh? Perhaps, but if they can't even pull a tie out of a game like this, they don't deserve any better.
Player Grades:
Nick Rimando-8 Some great saves to help keep RSL in it.
Robbie Russell-5 Not a great night for Russell, too many little mistakes.
(Ian Joy 84)-6 Not really enough time to do anything.
Chris Wingert-5 Was overrun by Richards in the 1st half.
Nat Borchers-8 Without Nat it is probably 6-1.
Jamison Olave-3 Absolutely terrible in every facet. And we let Mantilla go for nothing...
Kyle Beckerman-7 Pretty active, tried to lead the charge.
Javier Morales-4 Too many giveaways, not one good free kick. Not one.
Will Johnson-8 Man, has he been a great pickup. We better make sure he is locked up long-term, and soon.
Andy Williams-6 OK game.
(Clint Mathis 59)-5 Did nothing, as per usual.
Robbie Findley-5 Beautiful assist, otherwise his touch killed him. Should've probably had 2 goals...
(Kenny Deuchar 78)-6 Tried, but was smothered by Bovines.
Yura Movsisyan-7 Nice goal, but like Findley, probably should've had more.
Coaching grade-4 I get the Mathis sub, but when you are down late you put in Deuchar for Findley??? And then Joy for Russell??? How about Deuchar for Wingert or Russell? Where's Tino Nunez? How about looking for the tying goal? How about 'fortune favors the bold'?
Officiating grade-8 Other than a soft yellow or two on RSL the officiating was solid.
RSL Man of the Match: Nat Borchers
Nat is retaking his title as the brick wall in center defense. He stopped everything that came his way (and quite a bit that went other ways). A great performance by Nat.
Monday, September 8, 2008
Besagno's Back?
Not sure if this is still true, but Nik Besagno may be back riding the pine here in Salt Lake as soon as tomorrow. According to his profile on the Sounders web site, "Nik Besagno comes to the Sounders on loan from Real Salt Lake for period between June 9, 2008 and September 9, 2008." The 9th, of course, is tomorrow. If he does come back, get your goodbyes in, I have a feeling he won't be back with the reds next year...
Game 23: RSL @ LAG: Broken result, broken leg
Sigh...kind of a tough game to watch. RSL really outplayed the Galaxy for 99% of the game and yet could only come away with a draw against a very beatable LA team. A Galaxy squad that was also missing Beckham and MLS's leading scorer Landon Donovan. Instead, RSL decided to use some defensive moves from RSL circa 05-07 to give up 2 goals to nobodies. And in the process, give up two points that will be very crucial coming down the stretch. In addition, the inevitable finally happened and Espi injured himself doing his celebratory backflip. To add insult to injury, the goal was waved off. To make matters worse, the official word is that Espi has broken his leg. Well, that was a nice 80 or so minutes he gave us since the first injury...
On the plus side, RSL did get a point on the road, which is sadly a vast improvement over their usual road result. In addition, Yura finally played a game where he didn't look 100% lost. His goal was just a right place, right time affair, but credit is due on the assist on the Johnson goal. That was a beautiful pass. Unfortunately, if you discount the 15 seconds that those plays took up, he was completely invisible in this match. At least it is a step in the right direction.
Overall, this is a game RSL could and should have won and one that will come back to haunt them. If RSL misses the playoffs, they will look back to this game as the point where it got away. That being said, they did outplay LA on the road and looked like a team that may be able to put a couple road results together yet.
GAME GRADE: B-
Individual Grades:
Nick Rimando-5 Put in a bad position on both goals, but if he's going to dive after the ball he needs to get it clear at the very least.
Chris Wingert-6 Pushed forward well, pretty good defensively.
Nat Borchers-5 See below
Jamison Olave-5 I wanted to give 6's across the board for the D, but those two insane scrambles that led to the goals (that prominently featured these 3) push them all down to a collective 5.
Ian Joy-5 See above
Will Johnson-8 Has been a great pickup; nice goal and was EVERYWHERE on the field.
Kyle Beckerman-7 Finally, some of the feistiness that's been missing.
Javier Morales-6 Meh.
Clint Mathis-5 Didn't really provide much of anything.
(Dema Kovalenko 67)-6 Nice to see Dema on the field.
Kenny Deuchar-6 Kept the defense honest throughout.
(Robbie Findley 75)-6 Why he came in so late is beyond me (did he run over Jason's stupid cry kids or something?); was ok after coming in.
Fabian Espindola-3 Broke his leg celebrating a goal that got called back...at least wait on the celebration until you know it stands!
(Yura Movsisyan 9)-7 Goal and (very nice) assist, yes, but invisible for the other 80 minutes he was on.
Coaching grade-6 JK lucked out with the Movs sub, but I'd still have liked to have seen Robbie get some extended minutes against a club that he would have something to prove to. Why exactly does Jason hate Robbie anyway? He seems to be SO reluctant to use him...
Refs grade-6 Would've been a 7, but really, does it really take 15 minutes to decide whether a goal stands or not? On top of that, there were a few foul calls both ways in this game that came in REALLY late. It almost seemed the ref was watching the game on tape delay or something...
RSL Man of the Match: Will Johnson
Scored a goal and, with Beckerman, was really the catalyst for the offense. On top of that, he worked hard defensively as well and was more than willing to mix it up.
Assclown of the Match: Fabian Espindola
I love ya, Espi, but 80 minutes between major injuries isn't going to cut it. Especially when it's 100% preventable...
On the plus side, RSL did get a point on the road, which is sadly a vast improvement over their usual road result. In addition, Yura finally played a game where he didn't look 100% lost. His goal was just a right place, right time affair, but credit is due on the assist on the Johnson goal. That was a beautiful pass. Unfortunately, if you discount the 15 seconds that those plays took up, he was completely invisible in this match. At least it is a step in the right direction.
Overall, this is a game RSL could and should have won and one that will come back to haunt them. If RSL misses the playoffs, they will look back to this game as the point where it got away. That being said, they did outplay LA on the road and looked like a team that may be able to put a couple road results together yet.
GAME GRADE: B-
Individual Grades:
Nick Rimando-5 Put in a bad position on both goals, but if he's going to dive after the ball he needs to get it clear at the very least.
Chris Wingert-6 Pushed forward well, pretty good defensively.
Nat Borchers-5 See below
Jamison Olave-5 I wanted to give 6's across the board for the D, but those two insane scrambles that led to the goals (that prominently featured these 3) push them all down to a collective 5.
Ian Joy-5 See above
Will Johnson-8 Has been a great pickup; nice goal and was EVERYWHERE on the field.
Kyle Beckerman-7 Finally, some of the feistiness that's been missing.
Javier Morales-6 Meh.
Clint Mathis-5 Didn't really provide much of anything.
(Dema Kovalenko 67)-6 Nice to see Dema on the field.
Kenny Deuchar-6 Kept the defense honest throughout.
(Robbie Findley 75)-6 Why he came in so late is beyond me (did he run over Jason's stupid cry kids or something?); was ok after coming in.
Fabian Espindola-3 Broke his leg celebrating a goal that got called back...at least wait on the celebration until you know it stands!
(Yura Movsisyan 9)-7 Goal and (very nice) assist, yes, but invisible for the other 80 minutes he was on.
Coaching grade-6 JK lucked out with the Movs sub, but I'd still have liked to have seen Robbie get some extended minutes against a club that he would have something to prove to. Why exactly does Jason hate Robbie anyway? He seems to be SO reluctant to use him...
Refs grade-6 Would've been a 7, but really, does it really take 15 minutes to decide whether a goal stands or not? On top of that, there were a few foul calls both ways in this game that came in REALLY late. It almost seemed the ref was watching the game on tape delay or something...
RSL Man of the Match: Will Johnson
Scored a goal and, with Beckerman, was really the catalyst for the offense. On top of that, he worked hard defensively as well and was more than willing to mix it up.
Assclown of the Match: Fabian Espindola
I love ya, Espi, but 80 minutes between major injuries isn't going to cut it. Especially when it's 100% preventable...
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
US Open Cup
Congrats to Ben Cup rival DC United on winning the Open Cup over Charleston tonight. Well done ya blacks!
Saturday, August 30, 2008
I'm Baaaaaaaaaaack: Crapids vs. RSL 8/29
Hey everybody, sorry about the long break since the last post, I have fallen way behind. Between work and vacations and everything else, I have been pretty busy. I did finally get to watch a game live (on TV) last night (hooray!) and so I'll do some quick grades here to start getting back in the flow. I have work in a half hour and have the cold from hell so this is the best I can do for now! Enjoy.
Player grades:
Nick Rimando-8 Positioning was good, made some key plays.
Chris Wingert-7 No big mistakes, played 90 in a shutout.
Nat Borchers-7 Got slightly caught off guard a couple times but otherwise solid.
Jamison Olave-8 RSL's defensive rock for the night.
Ian Joy-7 Played pretty well, pushed forward when opportunities arose.
(Robbie Russell 46)-7 Had a very similar game to Joy: quiet but good.
Will Johnson-7 He was active and looked to be helping to push the RSL attack
Kyle Beckerman-7 While still missing some of that spark from last year, he was feisty in the midfield.
Javier Morales-6 Disappeared for stretches, had 8,000 corner attempts, maybe 1 was any good. Long assist to Espi was nice though.
(Clint Mathis 81)-6 Wasn't on the field long enough to judge well.
Andy Williams-8 Played well both ways, his assist on the first goal was a thing of beauty.
Kenny Deuchar-6 Looked pretty active but blew a header and was a bit too unselfish.
Fabian Espindola-9 Simply amazing. Best player on the field by miles.
(Yura Movsisyan 72)-4 Why this guy is getting paid to play soccer is beyond me. Should've had 2 or 3 goals with the chances he had. On the flip side, much more active than usual.
Coaching grade: 5 The lineup seemed to play well together but points off for the subs. Yura Movsisyan should be working at Burger King, not being the first sub off the bench. If you're going to pull Espi, and not a mediocre Deuchar, at least put in Robbie "I score millions of goals as a sub" Findley over Movs. Hell, put a wheelchair bound grandmother in before you put in Movs.
Ref grade: 6 Decent, but a bit inconsistent. Second half was better than the first but (especially early) he would let hard, obvious fouls go, and then call ticky-tack little fouls that no one should ever call. But for the most part seemed fair and eventually got a handle on the game before it got too rough.
RSL Man of the Match: Fabian Espindola
Was there any doubt?
Assclown of the Match: The Crapids
In a surprisingly (and somewhat unfortunately) low-key RMC match, no one really stood out. So I give it to the whole Crapids organization, just for being them.
Player grades:
Nick Rimando-8 Positioning was good, made some key plays.
Chris Wingert-7 No big mistakes, played 90 in a shutout.
Nat Borchers-7 Got slightly caught off guard a couple times but otherwise solid.
Jamison Olave-8 RSL's defensive rock for the night.
Ian Joy-7 Played pretty well, pushed forward when opportunities arose.
(Robbie Russell 46)-7 Had a very similar game to Joy: quiet but good.
Will Johnson-7 He was active and looked to be helping to push the RSL attack
Kyle Beckerman-7 While still missing some of that spark from last year, he was feisty in the midfield.
Javier Morales-6 Disappeared for stretches, had 8,000 corner attempts, maybe 1 was any good. Long assist to Espi was nice though.
(Clint Mathis 81)-6 Wasn't on the field long enough to judge well.
Andy Williams-8 Played well both ways, his assist on the first goal was a thing of beauty.
Kenny Deuchar-6 Looked pretty active but blew a header and was a bit too unselfish.
Fabian Espindola-9 Simply amazing. Best player on the field by miles.
(Yura Movsisyan 72)-4 Why this guy is getting paid to play soccer is beyond me. Should've had 2 or 3 goals with the chances he had. On the flip side, much more active than usual.
Coaching grade: 5 The lineup seemed to play well together but points off for the subs. Yura Movsisyan should be working at Burger King, not being the first sub off the bench. If you're going to pull Espi, and not a mediocre Deuchar, at least put in Robbie "I score millions of goals as a sub" Findley over Movs. Hell, put a wheelchair bound grandmother in before you put in Movs.
Ref grade: 6 Decent, but a bit inconsistent. Second half was better than the first but (especially early) he would let hard, obvious fouls go, and then call ticky-tack little fouls that no one should ever call. But for the most part seemed fair and eventually got a handle on the game before it got too rough.
RSL Man of the Match: Fabian Espindola
Was there any doubt?
Assclown of the Match: The Crapids
In a surprisingly (and somewhat unfortunately) low-key RMC match, no one really stood out. So I give it to the whole Crapids organization, just for being them.
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