Madrid Withdraw From August Contest...
Deseret News/James Edward:
Saturday predictionsI was surprised as anyone when Garth Lagerwey pulled my Salt Lake Tribune cohort and I aside to tell us about Real Madrid yesterday. It’s obviously disappointing, but without Beckham wearing the Real Madrid jersey anymore there’s no way over 40,000 people would’ve flocked to Rice-Eccles Stadium again.
Keepin' it Real:
Real Madrid Financial Troubles
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Also, make sure to check out the great report on Cordoba)
Real Madrid's financial health has also been called into question this week in relation to the pursuit of Cristiano Ronaldo (reportedly set to become the world's first £100M athlete). Although the pricetag is high, the Spanish club appears to be searching for a marketable player to replace the revenue stream lost by the departure of David Beckham.
Deseret News/James Edward:
Real Madrid backs out of RSL game Real Madrid has officially backed out of its scheduled and contracted Aug. 9 exhibition game with Real Salt Lake according to RSL general manager Garth Lagerwey.
Salt Lake Tribune/Michael C. Lewis:
Real Madrid pulls out of Aug. 9 visit to SLCLagerwey said RSL is committed to giving its season-ticket holders their money's worth, and is talking with four teams - two Mexican, two European - as potential replacements. He declined to identify the teams, however, saying that negotiations are ongoing and that, as the Real Madrid cancellation illustrates, even signed contracts are no guarantee of a game being played.
cRapids Land First Blow at the Dick*****RSL 0-2 cRapids*****cRapids Go One Up For The CupPost Match Quotes: (
Provided by RSL Communications)
Head Coach Jason Kreis:
“I’m a little disappointed that we didn’t come out with a better mentality in the second half. Typically we have seen a team that responds well to half times and responds well in the second half and picks up their play. Tonight that wasn’t the case for us at all. I think there was a bit of sharpness that was lacking tonight. The play was a little bit loose all over the place. I think both teams could say the same thing. Maybe it is a little bit of fatigue. We have played a few games now in a couple of weeks so that may have played a part. This is the second team we have played with a 3-5-2. I don’t think that it gave us a whole lot of problems in the first half. The players may have been a little confused about what was going on. I think the players made a bigger deal out of it then it was. When you have a player like Christian (Gomez), you have to keep on idea of where he is at all times. Kenny (Cutler) was charged with the responsibility for keeping on eye on where Christian was.”
Midfielder Kyle Beckerman:
“It was just two average teams and it got to a point where the first team to score was going to win the game. They got it, they were sharp at the start of the second half and they got rewarded for it. (The first half) was solid, both sides weren’t very dangerous. It was kind of a stalemate, and then it kind of continued, but they we sharp and we were sloppy. The 3-5-2 caught us off guard. It isn’t really X’s and O’s on defense, there is some gray area and that kind of confused us for some reason.”
Midfielder Andy Williams:
“We limited their chances in the first half. We know they would come out strong in the first 10 of 15 minutes, but we didn’t take good care of the ball. They kept us pinned down in the second half. Christian (Gomez) has kind of been the linchpin for this team the last couple of games. Kenny (Cutler) did a good job and didn’t give him very good shots other than the PK. We were out numbered in the midfield. They played hard.”
Head Coach Fernando Clavijo:
“It was easy to see (Salt Lake’s) game plan. Their game plan was simple, they wanted to slow us down, counterattack and look to score on a set piece. It worked for them last time. When we play at home we try to be aggressive. I didn’t feel like we were that in the first half. The level of energy was not there is the beginning. We were too casual on the ball. In the second half our touches and our technique was much better. There was an improved energy. Something we mentioned at half was that the wing play was poor. In the second half Colin (Clark) and (Jacob) Peterson created more chances. You didn’t see (Chris) Wingert getting up on the wing. I was pleased with our young guys tonight, but also with the leadership of Pablo (Mastroeni). He played his third game in a row and has become more of a mentor to the young guys.”
Midfielder Pablo Mastroeni:
“These games against Salt Lake are always interesting. The team who imposes their will on the other has the better chances. We came out of half time and wanted to find Christian (Gomez) as much as we could. He finds spaces and it is our job to get him the ball. With Christian being man marked, there is more space for me. It was a breath of fresh air, it was liberating. We also came out and had some good combo passing. In this formation (the 3-5-2) you have to keep the ball and I felt like we did that.”
RSL Blogs Sound Off...(I will be linking to every RSL Blog out there very soon. If I somehow overlook yours, please let me know.)
Donks Blog:
Post cRapids thoughtsRSL always seems to have a deer in the headlights look about them on the road. I don't know why this is and have suspicions that its because they are content to play for the draw. Really both teams didn't play that well. As some have described the nasty rivalry that is the Rocky Mountain Cup, it was a cripple fight to make South Park proud.
The Mind of Scads:
It has never been more clear...For the very first time I had the oppurtunity to watch RSL play in HD Thursday night against Colorado. It has never been more clear that we can't play on the road...or in the final third. While the first half wasn't horrible, it wasn't pretty either. The second half was all Colorado.
The Royal Review:
Game 8: Rocky Mountain Disaster
(
Also, Be Sure to Check Out the Player Rankings)
Pros:
-Borchers looks to have regained his form, he was huge in the back.
-Rimando was solid again. How much do you think DC wishes they still had him instead of Wells right now?
-Deuchar finally started getting involved in the attack again.
Cons:
-Tony Beltran was absolutely horrible.
-Matias Mantilla was also horrible.
-Beckerman's first touch seems to be getting worse.
-Morales was injured and couldn't go.
-Espi was trying to do too much.
-For a Rocky Mountain Cup game, there was little to no passion from RSL.
-We lost to Colorado.
The Fan's Scorecard:
Colorado Rapids vs Real Salt Lake (
Don't Forget to Vote!!!)
Masochistic Link-Fest:Deseret News/James Edward:
By choice, Kreis sits in press box"I really like being up there to see the shape and to see what adjustments need to be made," said Kreis.
Deseret News/James Edward:
Real Salt Lake blows chance to climb to top of conference race"To be completely honest I don't think we deserve to be the first place team in this conference. We're not ready for that yet," said RSL coach Jason Kreis. "Hopefully that opportunity will come again. I told the guys you have a limited number of opportunities in your life and certainly in your career in professional sports so it's very disappointing we let this slip by."
Salt Lake Tribune/Michael C. Lewis :
RSL misses chance to take over 1st place"We kind of wilted toward their pressure in the second half," midfielder Andy Williams said. "We just couldn't get out of our half."
Goal.com:
Colorado Goes Top with Win over RSLThe first half was a long, lazy affair with few chances from either side. After the break, things didn’t look to change for 20 minutes until Rapids striker Herculez Gomez dropped back and picked up the ball just inside RSL’s half of the field.
DenverPost.com/Brian Forbes:
Offense finally gets rollingThe Rapids' slow crescendo finally sang in the 65th minute with a goal from Omar Cummings and ended Thursday with a 2-0 victory over Real Salt Lake to push Colorado to the top of the Western Conference standings.
Soccer America/Ridge Mahoney:
Rapids are best in the West By beating Real Salt Lake, 2-0, Thursday night with two second-half goals, the Colorado Rapids confirmed their status as best team in the Western Conference.
MLSNET.com:
RSL lets shot at first place slip away"It's disappointing for sure, especially against Colorado, our rival," said Salt Lake goalkeeper Nick Rimando. "There was opportunity there and everyone in this locker room knew it. We didn't step up to play and we played one of the worst games of our season."
MLSNET.com/Owen Perkins:
Rapids exact revenge on rival RSL"Salt Lake puts a lot more emphasis on the rivalry than we do," head coach Fernando Clavijo said after the victory. "Our goals are a little bit bigger. We're not looking for the Rocky Mountain Cup; we're looking for the championship. On the way, if we can defeat Real Salt Lake, absolutely, more power to us."
Boz Note:If anyone would like to submit their thoughts on anything RSL related, please email me at
rslboz@gmail.comAlso, if you would like to share any pictures you may take, or if you have any original artwork that is either RSL or soccer related, please send your work my way and I will gladly post it here.
I'd like to make this site more than just my stuff, so hit me up if you'd like to share your thoughts\creations with the RSL community. Regardless of topic, your independent opinions are most welcome.
Cheers,
Boz
