RSL Soapbox - All Posts

Schuler, Watson-Siriboe could face extended sideline spell

2013-06-20T00:21:51Z

Chris Schuler and Kwame Watson-Siriboe could be facing an extended spell on the sidelines, leaving Real Salt Lake in a precarious position at center back.

Both are being evaluated for their injuries; Schuler has been experiencing a stress response signal in his left foot, while Watson-Siriboe may have an ACL injury in his left knee. An update on both players is expected next week, according to Real Salt Lake Communications.

Should Schuler and Watson-Siriboe be out for an extended period, Real Salt Lake is left with only Nat Borchers, Carlos Salcedo, and Aaron Maund as options, and Borchers as the only one of the three to have seen extended time with any club, let alone Real Salt Lake.

Listen: Garth Lagerwey's ESPN 700 interview

In an interview with ESPN700 on the Bill and Hans Show, Real Salt Lake GM Garth Lagerwey said the club may have to dip into the soon-to-open transfer market to find replacement options.

"We've got some concerns right now with Kwame and Chris Schuler," he said. "If both of them were to be out for an extended period, we'd have to look at possibly some reinforcements. We obviously have a lot of confidence in Carlos Salcedo and in Aaron Maund to get a job done, but we'd have to look at our plan for the rest of the season at center back."

Lagerwey continued, noting that the international transfer window opens on July 9: "I think that we certainly have lists of players ready to go at (...) center back and outside back, depending on our situation. It's a jigsaw puzzle — you're looking for domestic options, trades within the league, foreign players from outside the league."

As such, Real Salt Lake will be bringing in further trialists to explore options, Lagerwey said.

"I strongly expect us to have some more trialists. We've had a number of players in with us over the past few weeks who are long-term plans, but in terms of short-term plans, guys coming in this summer, I think we'll have a lot more guys coming in early July."

Lessons learned from hosting the USMNT: The crowd and the game

2013-06-19T19:56:44Z

Hosting a big match like the one we witnessed last night pitting the United States against Honduras would be pointless if we didn't take some lessons away from it — good and bad — so let's talk about those.

The Crowd

Rio Tinto typically features one of the best crowds in MLS, but the reaction to last night's audience was, at best, mixed. We're not going to delve into the details much — this isn't a rant about YSA or whether we were loud enough — but it is worth noting that the big noise from our stadium derives not entirely from the south end supporters. Notably, sections 35 and 26 and the surrounding areas produce a strong, raucous noise; pricing and other factors saw some of the louder voices off to the south end to join with the American Outlaws. Understandably so, but there was always going to be an impact on noise level as a result.

It also highlights the fact that we've grown support outside of the south end rather organically, and I think that makes sense for the future of the fanbase. The future of MLS support is, I maintain, not dependent on European-style hard-nosed, tightly organized support, and nor should it be.

It's also worth considering that it wasn't exactly the sort of match that gets everybody on their feet. The finishing was poor, genuine chances were hard to come by, and the opposition got forward in numbers and threatened. There was a nervous air about the crowd, and that's probably understandable.

Honduras fans were a joy to have around, though — they were loud, passionate, and, from everything I saw, friendly. I did hear some post-match taunting from U.S. fans directed at small pockets of supporters, but that was, to my mind, rather out of order.

The Game

It was nice to see the U.S. men play on a field that wasn't suffering. Rio Tinto's pitch is just fantastic, and as a result, we saw a game that didn't include a lot of errant slipping and bobbling passes.

Michael Bradley is very, very good — his understanding of the game was on full display, and he really ran the show. Now, I have some other thoughts about that. Inevitably, of course, right? I just wonder if sometimes the players around him would defer to him too often, and if sometimes, getting other players in good positions and involved in play would have been beneficial in a greater way. Bradley's distribution is good, but the absence of an attack-minded playmaker — Dempsey isn't that, whatever he is — meant that he was shouldering the distribution load in addition to any defensive responsibilities.

Honduras played like so many sides we've seen at Rio Tinto, which was a little funny. I was mostly glad Mario Martinez didn't score a late goal. I'd have nightmares for weeks. Again.

Improved RSL attack leads to goal gains with club on track for best scoring season

2013-06-18T19:02:49Z

The conclusion to the 2012 season was a disappointment for Real Salt Lake. Not only were they knocked out of the CONCACAF Champions League but they also exited in the first round of the MLS playoffs. Both of these events were due to a slump in scoring goals. RSL failed to score at all during their last five matches of the season.

The team finished 2012 with a respectable scoring rate of a goal every 66.52 minutes. But those last five games cost RSL dearly. The decision was made to make changes to the team. One of the greatest positions of change happened with the forwards. The team quickly traded or cut 4 of the 5 forwards on the team.

Many questions arose about who would replace these players on the front line. It was announced that Robbie Findley would be coming back to the team after spending time in England. A trade was made with Toronto for Joao Plata. Devon Sandoval was taken in the second round of the MLS Superdraft. And finally, Olmes Garcia was signed out of Colombia to round out the new forwards.

Going into the 2013 season, the question still remained about if these new players, along with star striker Alvaro Saborio would be able to jump start the RSL attack. After 16 league matches, the answer so far has been yes. The team is currently scoring at a pace of a goal every 60 minutes. This ties the 2010 team for the best strike rate in RSL history.

That doesn't say that it has been an easy transition for the team. RSL started the season with a decent record but they were not scoring very many goals. Over the first 9 games of the season, the team only had scored 7 goals. That is a goal every 115.7 minutes. As a matter of perspective, the 2005 team which was by far the worst offensive team in RSL history scored a goal every 96.00 minutes.

Since that time though, everything has changed. In the past 7 MLS matches, RSL has scored 17 goals or a goal every 37.05 minutes. All five forwards on the roster have scored a goal during this stretch of games.

But it is not just the forwards that have stepped it up for RSL; the midfielders have also gotten in on the action. During the course of the entire 2012 season the RSL midfielders scored 13 goals. Through 16 games this season, the RSL midfielders have already scored 10 goals. This might be due to the fact that RSL coach Jason Kreis is really challenging his midfielders to score more.

Probably the most reassuring thing for RSL is that the team is getting so many goals from players other than Saborio. In 2012 players other than Saborio scored 29 times total. This year that number is currently at 20. This can only be a good thing with Saborio expected to be gone for the coming Gold Cup.

By looking at these numbers it does appear that RSL's off-season mission to strengthen their attack has been a success.

Klinsmann: Salt Lake a "very good environment" for soccer

2013-06-18T14:18:43Z

At a pre-match celebration in downtown Salt Lake City, Jurgen Klinsmann, Sunil Gulati and a selection of players praised the fanbase ahead of an important 2014 World Cup qualifier at Rio Tinto Stadium.

"We wanted to come to Salt Lake ... because we know that it's a very good environment here for soccer," Klinsmann told the crowd during a panel at a pre-match celebration in downtown Salt Lake City. "We wanted to choose certain market and locations where we really had the feeling that people would really get behind us, help us, push us to get three points."

U.S. Soccer Federation president Sunil Gulati, who made an early appearance during the celebration as well, said he expected a positive crowd for the match and hinted at qualifiers in the future at Rio Tinto Stadium.

"We fully expect this to be a very pro-US crowd tomorrow ... to get three points and to make it impossible for us not to come back here in three or four years during the next round of qualifiers," he told the crowd.

Eddie Pope, three-season Real Salt Lake defender, U.S. international standout and current director of player relations for the MLS Players Union, noted the improvement in crowd and stadium from his three years in Salt Lake City.

"I think coming to Salt Lake was a great experience," he said. "I think we had some difficult pioneer years. (...) to be able to see the fruits of that labor, a soccer-specific stadium, to see the fanbase continue to grow — to see an MLS championship — those things made it worth it."

Real Salt Lake goalkeeper Nick Rimando took his opportunity to praise the crowd he plays in front of week-in, week-out.

"It's very exciting to share what these fans can bring," Rimando said. "I'm privileged to play for you guys every week, these guys, they don't know what it's like, coming here, playing in front of fans like you guys."

Eddie Johnson, interrupting: "I know, I know." The Seattle forward could be back in Salt Lake City on Saturday as Seattle Sounders take on Real Salt Lake.

Depth Assessment: RSL depth continues to impress through first half of season

2013-06-17T17:03:15Z

It's been some time since we assessed the depth of the squad, and given we've seen a good slew of matches since then and that we're nearly at the midway point of the season, it would be particularly interesting to go through it again.

The goalkeeping position looks as good as it did last time around, if not better. Nick Rimando's in the form of his life, Josh Saunders is a capable if unspectacular backup, Jeff Attinella has started showing glimpses of his future after going on loan then performing better for our reserves, and Lalo Fernandez is developing into a steady force after having wrist issues last year.

Goalkeepers | Grade: A | Who can complain about four effective goalkeepers in the squad, with three of the four ready for their first real chance?

Moving further up the pitch, let's break out our center backs from our full backs, as the positions are radically different in scope. The central defense, to some extent, seemed deeper than almost any other spot out there, even if the depth did lack experience. That assessment was fairly accurate, but some mitigating factors have cropped up.

Nat Borchers, first, has recovered well from early injury and has been the steadying force we so desperately needed. Chris Schuler showed well then started showing worse and is now injured once again - for how long is anybody's guess. Kwame Watson-Siriboe struggled for a match or two, but he's picked up his game and played more physicality. It's suited him well. Carlos Salcedo has come along much faster than anybody would have expected, playing substantial minutes and showing well during those. Aaron Maund struggled during his one senior appearance (as did everyone during that half against Charleston Battery, but he's been good for the reserves.

Central defense | Grade: B | Some figures have stepped up well, but injuries could hurt us in the long run.

Full back is an interesting position that has, over many years, developed into a position in which attacking qualities are perceived to be more important than defensive qualities, at least until defensive holes crop up and the pendulum swings back the other way. In reality, it is a hybrid role that serves as a case study in the long-term development of the game.

Tony Beltran has continued developing at a fine rate, and it's difficult now to not describe him as one of the best right backs in MLS. Jurgen Klinsmann seems to agree, as he's slowly integrating him into the U.S. Men's National Team setup. His season started slightly rocky but has moved forward effectively. Chris Wingert, who started the season injured (have we noticed a pattern here?), has - like everyone else - had a game or two that was slightly frustrating. He, too, has picked up well. His crossing is still less than perfect, but his defending is perfectly suited for a side that often relies on him to step into the midfield.

The backups have done fairly well, too: Lovel Palmer has been reliable if a step down from Beltran and Wingert, and Abdoulie Mansally has showed the attacking force we sometimes need from that position to disrupt defenses. Rich Balchan sustained an early injury but look fine for the reserves - he'll be interesting to watch when he comes back from his shoulder injury.

Full backs | Grade: B | Palmer and Mansally are fine backups, but without Balchan, there's not excessive depth here. It's nothing to be worried about, but we could always use more.

Given the rotation that takes place across the midfield now, it's difficult to separate out most of the midfielders from the positional pack. The obvious exceptions: Kyle Beckerman and Javier Morales. They've both been very good; Beckerman has been a better attacking presence and has shown why it is he's captain, while Morales has recovered his ability to break defenses with his pinky. Ned Grabavoy has had a fine goalscoring season, but in general he has done far more than score goals. His propensity for attack - and the physical qualities that demands - have been a real benefit to our side.

The second tier is perhaps the most interesting group in our squad. Khari Stephenson has shown his rocketfoot changes games, and he's been our Open Cup savior once or twice (or maybe something between). Luis Gil has had good moments and bad, which is fairly commonplace for event he most talented youngsters. Sebastian Velasquez is as exciting as ever, but more importantly, he's dropping into defensive positions much better than he ever did last year. Velasquez does, however, need to work on his metering of energy, as he often wears himself out by the time the second half roles around. Yordany Alvarez, rounding out the second tier, has looked very good at defensive midfield.

After suffering a nasty concussion, Cole Grossman is back and playing in reserves matches; evaluating him for those recent matches would be a little unfair, as he missed out on even mundane training for some time. Enzo Martinez has been a bit back-and-forth but has at times been incredible for the reserves. David Viana has looked surprisingly unfrustrated with his playing time or lack thereof, as he hasn't made it on the pitch. John Stertzer, rounding it out, looked good early on but suffered a shoulder separation and will miss significant time.

Midfield | Grade: A- | More is needed from some of the midfielders individually, but as an assessment of depth, it's hard to argue.

The forward position is perhaps the most exciting for us this season, and it's easy to see why. Even with Alvaro Saborio missing swathes of the season so far, we've had little to no trouble finding goals, despite our occasional struggles. With the return of Robbie Findley, the arrival of Joao Plata and Olmes Garcia, and the drafting of Devon Sandoval, things are looking positive.

Saborio's injuries have been frustrating, but he still leads our side in goalscoring with four - a mark to his lethal scoring touch. Findley has been a frustrating figure, but he brings to the side a tactical flexibility we've lacked in recent years. There's also a sense that Findley's on the cusp of returning to his best, but repeated injuries have put a stopper on that progress at times. Joao Plata has been fantastically creative but lacked finishing, but reassuring is the fact that he's in the right positions. Olmes Garcia has been magnificent if slightly injury-prone, but sometimes, he does seem to lack the vision that will surely develop as he ages. Devon Sandoval has been somewhat the biggest surprise, as the rookie has been a difficult force for defenders to deal with - and he's been very much the reason we've progressed twice in the US Open Cup.

Forwards | Grade: B+ | Each of our forwards has been frustrating in their own ways, but they've also been fantastic in their own ways. Things are looking better than perhaps we expected at the season's start.

Player Ratings: RSL Reserves with another scoreless draw with Phoenix FC

2013-06-16T17:39:31Z

Attinella: 7.5 - Jeff Attinella didn't have much to do throughout, but when he was called upon, he made good saves and came out well for crosses. His decision-making throughout was spot-on.

Watson-Siriboe: N/A - Kwame picked up an injury early on and can't really be ranked on his momentary appearance.

Salcedo: 8 - The young center back has a real knack for stepping into the right position and winning headers against strikers - this is exactly what you want your center backs to be doing, of course, but to see it so young in his career is encouraging. He was spot-on last night.

Maund: 7.5 - Maund went from looking simply bad to solid in the course of three days. Given he doesn't play much, that's not surprising. He did well to snuff out chances during their early stages.

Palmer: 7 - Lovel got forward well when needed and didn't do too much wrong. I'd like to see more attacking thrust from him.

Alvarez: 6 - Alvarez broke up play well, but he takes a big hit from a moment of frustration that should have seen him sent off. He was called for a foul late on - perhaps unjustly - and immediately lashed out at the ball, which hit the referee. I don't know that it was purposeful, but it was very bad behavior.

Grossman 5.5 - I'm not really sure what Grossman did out there for me. He did rotate positions well, but he didn't offer much in the way of balance to the midfield. In the future, I'd like to see him a bit more assured, but given he's still only just coming back from a serious concussion, he does deserve some leeway.

Martinez: 7.5 - This is the best I've ever seen Enzo Martinez look. He was assured on the ball, willing to attack, and eager to make a difference. It was also the first time I'd seen him in the side of the diamond in some time, and he looked, well, very good there.

Velasquez: 7.5 - Sebastian Velasquez was, by and large, magical on the ball, but I'd like to see a bit more in the final pass from him. He'll get there, I'm sure, but these sorts of games are tailor-made for him to hit those marks. He takes a hit for not chipping the goalkeeper to score a fantastic goal, as in the last time I saw him score a reserves goal. Just kidding.

Sandoval: 6 - Devon Sandoval remarkably started the match and played a full half after going 120 minutes on Wednesday. I was pleased to see him removed at the half, as I don't much want him to die of exhaustion.

Garcia 6.5 - No matter how magical the striker, options are needed from the midfield. They weren't forthcoming, so Olmes Garcia didn't end up with many chances. Still, he made a few from out wide on his own, but I'd also like to see him play the easy pass on the flank and make a run sometimes.

Substitutes

Glad: 7.5 - Justen Glad, only 16, didn't look out of place at right back once Watson-Siriboe left the match. How remarkable is that? He's a member of the US U-17s and it's easy to see why.

Lopez: 6.5 - Benji Lopez nearly scored with a fine header from a Justen Glad cross, but aside from that, he didn't do much. He didn't get many chances, either. It's hard to fault him for the latter, but I wasn't entirely comfortable with his partnership with Olmes Garcia. That should hardly be surprising, as Lopez is fresh out of the academy and not vastly experienced with our side.

Viana: 6 - David Viana had a very nice moment in which he nearly played a striker through on goal, but other than that, I didn't see anything substantial from him during his short time out there.

Brody: N/A - Andrew Brody wasn't on long enough to garner any sort of rating, but the academy kid didn't look uncomfortable out there.

Match Thread: Phoenix FC v. Real Salt Lake

2013-06-16T02:16:11Z

With Real Salt Lake and Phoenix FC facing off again in MLS Reserves/USL Pro action, join in the discussion and all-around fun as we look to not struggle against them for a second time.

RSL Reserves XI: Attinella; Palmer, Maund, Watson-Siriboe, Salcedo; Alvarez, Grossman, Velasquez, Martinez; Garcia, Sandoval

This means Devon Sandoval, Olmes Garcia, Sebastian Velasquez and Aaron Maund all start again after starting on Wednesday. Devon Sandoval, in particular, put in a lot of work, going 120 minutes against Charleston Battery in an overtime thriller — and scoring two goals in the process.

Bench: Lalo Fernandez, Andrew Brody, Justen Glad, Brooks Lennon, Benji Lopez, David Viana

The bench should be stuffed with RSL academy players; we'll update as we know more.

Kyle Beckerman called in to USMNT for match against Honduras at Rio Tinto

2013-06-14T23:44:58Z

Kyle Beckerman has been added to the U.S. Men's National Team roster for the single remaining 2014 World Cup qualifier, to be played at Rio Tinto Stadium.

His addition comes after some injuries to the men's team, including a concussion for midfielder Jermaine Jones. He'll be in contention with Geoff Cameron for the defensive midfield spot, and while Jones could make it into the match as he's expected to be recovered from his concussion, one can never be too careful with those sorts of things.

Stars and Stripes FC asks the question: Why Beckerman now?

Beckerman joins goalkeeper Nick Rimando on the squad and should miss no MLS matches as a result of his late call-up.

It seems unlikely that either man will play, but given the match is Tuesday at Rio Tinto, the home-stadium advantage could be slightly tempting for coach Jurgen Klinsmann. Both players are very likely to feature heavily in the Gold Cup, a match of which will take place at Rio Tino Stadium as well.