Thoughts on the US Open Cup

Well, RSL is currently playing their first match in US Open Cup Qualifying, and they are getting blown away against Seattle 4-1 in the second half.  As I have been listening to this match, I was thinking about the US Open Cup, and here are some thoughts.

I wish that people took the US Open Cup more seriously.  And by that, I don't mean the players, because I think that they go out and play hard every game.  I am glad that the radio is providing coverage of this match, but if we have a TV Channel dedicated to Real Salt Lake, why can't they provide television of this match?  Why is the only game that we see ever in the US Open Cup is the final?  There are great stories that develop during the open cup, whether it is teams from the lower division making deep runs, as well as qualifying for the CONCOCAF Champions league.  

While I love the international game, I would love to see maybe some extra coverage of the Open Cup on Fox Soccer Channel.  By this, I do not mean every game, but they could at least start with maybe the quarterfinals, and do some games on tape delay.  All they would have to do is not show Fox Soccer report 8 times a day. 

I think that people do not care about this tournament, because nobody gets to see it ever.  At least let me see my home club play in this important tournament.

Well, that is all for this time.  What do you guys think about the US Open Cup?  

Week 6 Power Rankings

Sorry for the lack of a week 5 power ranking.  Instead of backtracking, here is week six.

1. Chivas USA- 16 points

Started out the week losing to a Toronto team that has started to play very well.  Finished the week with a victory against a struggling Dallas team.  Still the most points in the league.

2. Toronto FC- 11 points

Jumped to first place in the east with victories against the powerful Chivas USA and Kansas City.  Did not allow a goal in either game.  Both games were at home, so it will be important to see if they can continue this success on the road.

3. Seattle FC- 12 points

Following a couple of losses, Seattle bounces back with a victory against San Jose.  Kasey Keller has still not allowed a goal all season, which is still pretty scary for other teams.

4. Real Salt Lake- 9 points

After a disappointing loss on the road to a horrible New York team, RSL puts on the most impressive victory in all of MLS this season, trouncing the New England Revolution 6-0, with all goals coming in the second half, and all by different players.  However, RSL has yet to score a goal on the road, which is where they will be on Saturday when they take on Colorado.  If RSL wants to show that they can be a powerhouse, they need to win away from Rio Tinto.

5. Chicago Fire-10 points

After blowing a victory last week by giving 2 goals to KC late in the game, Chicago turns it around and scores two late goals to get a draw against Columbus.  If the Fire want to rise in the standings, they need to turn these draws into Wins.

6. DC United- 9 points

Pulled of an incredible comeback against the New York Red Bulls, scoring two goals in the 90th minute of play.

7. Kansas City Wizards-10 points

Started the week with a win against New York, although the only goal was on a penalty kick, and they played the entire game a man up following a Red Bull red card.  Closed the week out by losing in Toronto.

8. Colorado Rapids- 8 points

Only able to manage a draw against a struggling Galaxy at home, but they will have another chance as rivals Real Salt Lake come into town.  The Rapids need to find somebody other that Conner Casey to score goals consistently.

9.  New England Revolution- 8 points

Suffered their first lost of the season to RSL, giving up 6 goals in the process.  Even though New England was without many starters, they played horribly.

10. San Jose Earthquakes- 5 points

Lost in Seattle, and they were blanked by Kasey Keller, but who hasn't been this year.  They still lack a dynamic scorer.

11. Houston Dynamo- 5 points

Did not play this week, they will see if they can build on their victory against Colorado.

12. FC Dallas- 4 points

Lost to Chivas USA, and did not score any goals in the process.  At least they have a victory this year.  Kenny Cooper continues to impress.

13. New York Red Bulls- 5 points

Trying to build after an impressive victory against RSL, New York goes and puts a goose egg in Kansas City, and then handed the game to DC United, giving up 2 goals in the 90th minute.  

14. Los Angeles Galaxy- 4 points

They haven't won any games, but at least they aren't losing a whole lot either.  I don't know if Beckham is going to want to come back.

15. Columbus Crew- 4 points

The defending MLS Cup champs are struggling, and they still have not had a win this year.  They looked in position to do so, up 2-0 against the Chicago Fire, but they gave up 2 goals late and settled for a draw.  Same as LA, at least they are not losing a lot of games.

RSL Vs. New England Revolution

Hey there everybody.  What a game on Saturday night.  Rio Tinto turned into a giant party in the second half.  The first half had plenty of missed chances, booing at the ref, and some disappointment.  However, following Olave's goal in the 53', the party began and never stopped.  We got to see one of the best goals in the history of RSL, as Clint Mathis had a perfect left-footed volley that hit the top right corner of the net.  That goal was only two minutes after Olave's header.  Well, after that, Aubrey says to me, "I am feeling good that Yura is going to get a goal tonight."  Well, who would have guessed, but right after that, Yura scored his first goal of the season.  Following a goal by Escalada to put us up 4-0, Andy Williams came into the game.  After about 5 minutes, Aubrey says to me, "I know this is crazy, but I am feeling a goal for Andy."  Well, we had never seen 5 goals in the HISTORY of RSL, and when Williams stepped up to the ball to take his free kick, the crowd started getting excited, chanting "We want 5, We want 5."  Well wouldn't you know, Williams "bombed" it right into the back of the net. Everybody was singing and dancing after that goal.  RSL continued their aggressive play, and for a period of time, put together about 20 passes in a row.  The whole crowd was saying "ole" with each completed pass.  Another corner kick came, and everybody started chanting "We want six, We want six."  Crazy, right?  Well, it didn't happen then, but Williams put a beautiful ball to Findley's feet, which he buried into the back of the net, and even more craziness in the stands.  Smoke bombs, singing, jumping, flag waving.  It was incredible.  It was a night that I won't soon forget.

DC United

So I know that this is an RSL blog, but I just wanted to share a few things.
I am watching the DC United vs. New England match on ESPN right now. So far it is scoreless. This is one of the premier rivalries in the MLS right now. Back in 2005, I had the opportunity to attend my very first MLS match, and it was to see DC United host New England. I loved the game, and had a very good experience there.
Many of you have probably heard of the difficulties that DC is having right now trying to get a stadium deal done to build a soccer specific stadium. There have been talks that if a stadium deal does not get done, then DC United will be forced to relocate somewhere where they will build and fund a stadium.
I think that it would be horrible for the league if DC United is forced to relocate. I think that the fan base they have one of the best loyal fan bases in the league, and they have been one of the best teams in the history of the league. I do not think it would be good to have one of the premier teams in the league forced to relocate.
Imagine the LA Lakers, or New York Yankees, or the Dallas Cowboys having to relocate to another city. What do you guys think about this situation?

The Striker Debate

So, with the rumors stating that we are going to get Fabian Espindola back for RSL, I was pretty excited. He was one of my favorite players for RSL, and I was sad when he left. When he was healthy, he was one of the better players that we had.
However, I am hearing that a lot of people are relieved that we are getting Fabi, because they feel like we are struggling with our strikers, and he will be able to help out and possibly replace Yura Movsisyan.
While Yura has yet to find the back of the net, I personally do not feel like he is struggling. After watching the first three games, Yura is putting a lot of pressure on opposing keepers. He is forcing them to make a lot of excellent saves (did you guys see the great header against DC). I think that having Espindola back, as well as Escalada will only strengthen our attack, and make us one of the most feared teams in the league.
What our your thoughts on Espindola's return? How have you felt the play of Yura Movsisyan has been?
As always, let me know what you would like to see from this blog in the future.

So i just got mobile Blog on my phone. Sweet.

MLS Power Rankings

Hey guys, sorry for the lack of posts.  I was trying to figure out what I really wanted to do with this blog, because I didn't want to feel like I was reporting on the Real games and other games as well.  I just want this to be a place where I can share my thoughts on different things that I am reading.  

So, if you guys want to hear news on the team and league, let me know and I can guide you to the right places.

So, here are my Power Rankings after Week 4 in the MLS

1. Chivas USA-They are unbeaten, and played a tough game against LA, where there were a ton of cards, including three reds.  I think Chivas have proved that they deserve to be on top.

2. Seattle Sounders- Having started the season 3-0, they suffer a difficult home loss against Kansas City where Kasey Keller was sent off, and a very good shot by Davy Arnoud has been the only thing to find the back of Seattle's net.

3. Chicago Fire- Looking to be the favorites in the East, they are being blessed by the great play of Brian McBride.  However, they are drawing matches that they should be winning.  I think this team will only get better.

4. New England Revolution- For a team that is missing many players due to injury, New England is playing great.  Hopefully they got the rest they needed by having a bye this week, and can look at getting some players back.  They have gotten some fortunate results this season, but they show that they are working hard.

5. Real Salt Lake- Coming off a surprise end to 2008, RSL is showing the league that they are for real.  Following a disappointing opening day loss in Seattle, they have followed through with two impressive victories at home, but they have only been able to beat teams that are struggling.  Hopefully their road woes do not continue against a struggling New York team.

6. Colorado Rapids- Colorado is playing some great soccer.  They have not lost since the opening weekend, and they are getting some great play from Conor Casey, who is leading the league in goals scored.

7. Kansas City Wizards- They were able to go into Seattle and big up three points, something that no team has been able to do this year.  They are getting some great play by Davy Arnoud, and have had two impressive shut out victories after dropping their first two games.

8. Toronto FC- Toronto is surprisingly  struggling at home, after losing to Seattle and then dropping three points by giving up a late goal to FC Dallas.  However, it seems that Dwayne de Rosario is starting to find his rhythm.  

9. DC United- After missing the playoffs last year for the first time in forever, DC United is continuing to struggle trying to get some wins.  They suffered their fist loss of the season on Saturday against Real Salt Lake, but they have only posted one victory on the season, against a struggling Houston Dynamo team.

10. San Jose Earthquakes- Following a horrible game against Kansas City where the quakes were only able to get one shot on goal the entire game, they go up against one of the better teams in the league and score 3 goals.  The problem was, every time they scored, they gave up a goal and ended up with a tie.  San Jose needs to work on their defense and some offensive consistency, and they could be a contender this year.

11. Columbus Crew- Columbus continues to struggle, as they are winless to start out the season.  They gave up a late goal against Colorado to lose three points.  Things do not look bright as Chicago comes into town next.

12. Los Angeles Galaxy- Apart from the play of Landon Donovan, LA is horrible.  Their defense in bad, goalkeeping has been a huge question (except for Saturday) and they continue to look for their first win of the season.  At least they have the offense somewhat working.

13. Houston Dynamo- Following the loss of Dwayne de Rosario, Houston has struggled to find any consistency.  A scoreless draw against New York was pretty pathetic.

14. New York Red Bulls- New York better hope that these players that they are expecting get here soon.  New York has only scored one goal this entire year.  Their play has been pretty poor, but their defense has allowed them to pick up 2 points so far.

15. FC Dallas- Dallas finally got their first points of the season, follow a late equalizer against Toronto FC.  They also should have gotten a point at New England but were the victims of a poor penalty call.  Dallas needs somebody to step up, and this team needs to start playing together.