Tues., Aug. 29, 2006
Where do Real Salt Lake go from here? Saturday night's game was an undeniable disaster. A meltdown of colossal proportions. It may even be one of the worst scores in recent MLS history. And still, it only cost three points, just like any other loss.
In the standings, the result was far from a disaster. It was disappointing to end such a great run with such a horrendous loss. But as bad as it was, the 6-0 loss to the New York Red Bulls is not the end of the season ... at least, it doesn't have to be.
How will the players recover from a loss suffered in that fashion? Wednesday's game vs. the Los Angeles Galaxy will definitely show what this team is made of, and Saturday's game vs. Colorado will have a huge impact on the team's playoff hopes.
This is the most important week in team history from a competitive standpoint.
The Galaxy game is yet another - and perhaps the greatest - character test that RSL will face this year. As an athlete, you always want to win and you detest losing. But losing and being blown out in an embarrassing fashion is something that no competitive athlete tolerates well. Different people react differently, so we all are left to wonder how the players are going to deal with this, and how, collectively, they are going to move forward.
The game, while disappointing, was going to be an uphill struggle from the moment that Jack Stewart was red carded in the eighth minute. A brilliant run by John Wolyniec and a perfectly-weighted ball by Youri Djorkaeff were enough to get behind the RSL defense, leaving Stewart in a desperate chasing position. Wolyniec took the perfect touch and angle, inviting the contact, knowing that it would result in a foul. From that moment on, RSL had no choice but to defend with everything they had, and they could provide very little attack.
RSL did an admirable job in the first half. Not just because New York didn't score, but more importantly, because New York didn't have any really solid chances. Tremendous team awareness and work rate kept the score at 0-0 going into halftime, and RSL should have been feeling pretty good about how they were doing.
With the insertion of Edson Buddle in the second half, the Red Bulls took a more aggressive stance, forcing RSL to deal with two true forwards and an excellent pair of attacking midfielders. In the end, it proved too much for RSL.
In that situation, the players are thinking about getting out of there with a tie, happily taking that precious point and knowing that they would have pulled off a major coup. As soon as New York scored, the mindset began to change. At that point, the players were thinking that they need to press and get it back, while at the same time thinking that there was plenty of time and there was no need to give another one up soon.
The Red Bulls scoring their second goal proved to be the back breaker for RSL. That was a very difficult one to recover from. Aside from being a phenomenal goal, which no one likes to give up, it was also the goal that put them down by two goals, down a man, on the road, with time ticking away. That is when players start to think about pressing to try to score. The Red Bulls trumped that thought by scoring again, and again, and again ... and again.
Thurs., Aug. 31, 2006
Wow, what a performance last night at Rice-Eccles!
RSL were facing a very tough opponent, playing the team they were neck-and-neck with in the hunt for the final Western Conference playoff spot. RSL beat the Los Angeles Galaxy 1-0, despite a major difference between the two teams entering the game. RSL were coming off their worst loss of the year and the Galaxy were coming off their most dominant win, a 5-2 road victory over league-leading D.C. United.
One team was asking many questions of themselves and the other was overflowing with confidence.
I guess RSL answered the questions!
The good thing for RSL is that they didn't have to wait a full week to try to erase the memories of Saturday night. After a bad loss, you are thankful for a midweek game because if that one goes well, the constant flashbacks of picking the ball out of your own net will disappear in 90 swift minutes.
RSL captain Jason Kreis said it best after the game: "What is so remarkable about this team is how level-headed we are. If you came to each training session from the beginning of the year to the end of the year, you wouldn't know when we were in a losing streak or a winning streak, and for me that is a very good thing."
From the timely shot-stopping of goalkeeper Scott Garlick, to the refreshed legs and work-rate of Willis Forko, to the tenacity of Carey Talley and Kevin Novak, to the possession of Medhi Ballouchy and Andy Williams, to the explosive runs of Jeff Cunningham, to the veteran leadership of Eddie Pope and the poise and calm of Nelson Akwari, RSL looked like they might as well have come into the game off of a 6-0 win.
So back to the question posed earlier ... how are RSL going to react?
They looked in the mirror and saw the team that had played so well in June, July and August - the team that had won three straight on the road before New York, the team that has gone 6-1-2 since mid-July.
They looked at each other and reminded themselves to work hard for their teammates and themselves. Combining all those thoughts, the players need to continue to come out with the right attitude to win at home and continue the push toward the playoffs. After all, Houston and Dallas aren't out of reach.
Robin Fraser, a five-time MLS Best XI selection and two-time MLS Defender of the Year, ended his 10-year MLS career and 16-year professional career last October, and now begins his first season with RSL as the team's color television analyst. Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Fraser amassed 27 caps for the U.S. National Team and was drafted fourth overall by the Los Angeles Galaxy in the inaugural MLS draft.
Comments? E-mail Robin and the entire RSL broadcast crew at fun@realsaltlake.com, and your e-mail could be featured in the Computech "Fan Feedback" feature on all RSL on KSL and FSN Utah broadcasts, as well as on KALL 700 AM.
