Horst Crap

Well, I'm a bit upset about the game. Everyone except the back 4 played an outstanding game. Borchers played what looked like a crappy game because he had to play two positions at the same time. Horst had two or three bright spots in the first 10 minutes, but when it mattered most, he did nothing. Weenert looked dead tired all game and Russel bit on every fake that he saw. If we would have had Olave in the game, it would have been an easy win, guaranteed. That just reinforces the fact that Olave is probably our MVP.

The Ace Slideshows, LLC Bad Ace of the Match this week is a very close call. Yura Movsysian made a very, very strong case for himself because he looked very dangerous every time that he touched the ball. Doctor Goals finally got a goal on a sweet shot, but didn't play long enough to impact the game as much as the Bad Ace needs to impact it in order to get the award. Morales scored also, be he missed two other EASY goals that knocked him out of contention. Beckerman and Williams also had very, very solid games. However, this week's award had to go to none other than Robbie Findley. He was the biggest reason that RSL was so dangerous on offense and he also, especially at the end of the game, was trying harder than anyone else on the field. He took everything personal all game long. If he'd make a little mistake and loose the ball in an attacking position, he track down the guy who stole the ball and make him make a crappy pass and win the ball back. Towards the end of the game when a tying goal was within reach, he was everwhere trying to win the ball back and get another opportunity on goal when most of his teammates weren't able to move. He got into a bunch of dangerous positions and nearly picked up a couple of goals with his head. And most importantly, it was his awesome assists that were the reason for two of our three goals. His first assist to Movsysian was an awesome, perfectly weighted pass into space where Movsysian nearly managed to take all of his own angle away, but made up for it with an excellent finish past Pat Butt-steada (the Houston goalie). Then, he switched roles with Dr. Goals for his second assist and layed down a header right in the path of Dr. and Dr. rifled it home with a sweet finish. Findley is very deserving of this Bad Ace award and lets hope his teammates can all give the same effort that he gave this comming weekend against the first place team in the league, the Columbus Crew.

RSL vs Houston Reaction

Bull crap. The game was bull crap. Real Salt Lake can't buy a goal. They are the unluckiest group in the entire soccer universe. Dr. Goals is especially unlucky. They dominated the game and had the lions share of the chances for the first 80 minutes of the game and couldn't break through that dorky keeper, Pat Onstad. There was one sequence in the second half where RSL had chance after chance after chance and couldn't put it in!! You can't fault these guys for lack of effort though. All of the previous years of this franchise's history, they would roll over and die at half time or before when they were going through a frustrating time. But this team hustles and keeps creating chances even though they can't find the back of the net if their lives depended on it!

The game was an exciting one though. The fights at the end of the game were not surprizing at all. The entire game, RSL was all over the place and Houston was fouling our aces. Every clear break away or coutner that we had, some butt on Houston would come in late from behind and stop our progress. The ref handed out plenty of yellows, but never accomplished anything by giving the yellows. He never had control of the match. Then Weenert gets shoved and a little bit of chaos ensues and Weenert gets slapped with a red? It may have been alright to give a red, but where in the crap is the red for Corey Ashe? Or where is DeRosario's card? That was bull crap. And then, after showing 4 minutes of stoppage, the game ends in the 92nd minute?? Bull Shiz.

There were some bright spots of the game I thought. I'll quickly name a few of them here:

• Ian Joy did well in his return. He looked more confident and composed than any of his previous appearances and he made some really good decisions. I like Beltran's speed a little more back there, but Ian Joy clearly is more experienced and makes better choices back there.
• Olave, Borch, Rimando are awesome. The best defense in the league. There is nobody in the league that I'd trade for any of those three.
• Like I mentioned above, the effort and emotion is oozing from this team. They are much easier to cheer for despite their bad luck when you can easily see them trying as hard as they are.

Anyways, now that this post is over, we can wipe this game off the books and focus on scoring a fetching goal this Saturday against Columbus.

RSL vs Houston

Tomorrow evening we've got a match-up of the two second place teams in the West at Rice-Eccles Stadium. With a win, either team can take over sole possession of the top spot in the West, at least until the LA Galaxy have their game on Saturday. Just like every home game, this is a must-win situation for RSL. Here's some key points for tomorrow's game:

• No Dema Kovalenko - Cutler will probably get the nod because Stugis is still out with his fetching injury. We need Sturgis to get better ASAP. However, Cutler has not made too many mistakes, so it is not the worst thing that could happen to RSL. Remember when the "Mane Event" Kenny Cutler ripped a rocket at Joe Cannon towards the end of the San Jose game? Lets hope that's just a taste of what we'll see from the "Mane Event."
• Dr. needs a goal. So do a lot of people on the team, but Dr. is in the most need of a goal. He's only got two all year, has hit the post a dozen times, and works way too hard to not be scoring. He better get on the score sheet.
• Thug aka Andy Williams is playing well. He was the difference between the crappy team that we saw settle for shots from 30 yards away against San Jose and the bad ace team that was dangerous all night and owned the New England Revolution. He is the best player in the league on that turf field, and he needs to bring his "A" game tomorrow night.
• It's awesome nowadays that we don't have to worry about the defense sucking. Borch and Olave are bad aces, and Weenert is exactly what we need on the left back. Beltran is a good soccer player, but is kinda stupid and dribbles way too much. He's got a lot to learn. Ian Joy has had some personal problems with his family in addition to his injuries, so I'm still not sure what I think of him back there, but from what I've seen so far, Beltran is a better option. That said, I hope Ian Joy gets another shot sooner rather than later once he gets his shiz together.

There you have it. RSL has always had sweet games when they have fireworks following the game, so lets hope tomorrow is no exception! See you all there!