there were plenty that were left open for everyone. That will be the policy on that going forward. We have some ideas as to how better communicate with you all, and we will make definitely try to improve in that area.
Q: - [14:05:22] - What's our game plan for the home opener against the Fire?
A: - Far too early to say -- we don't know what our team will look like at that time, and we definitely don't know what theirs will look like. Something with snowballs seems like a good idea though.
Q: - [14:10:02] - For the past two seasons the answer to our continued struggles has been to recruit more strikers. However we continue to have one of the worst GAA, and allow more shots on goal than almost any other team. What are the plans to sure up the leaky sieve tha
A: - JK: In our opinion, we need to improve in all areas of our game.
Q: - [14:11:30] - Coach, are you going to have any personal involvment w/ the development of our youth side teams since it is the best way to home grow players?
A: - JK: If I am fortunate enough to still be around, I hope to have some involvement in this area. I too recognize how important this area will be to our club's future.
Q: - [14:13:14] - With all of the draft picks that RSL has going into the SuperDraft this season can we expect RSL to trade some of those picks or has the scouting process shown that using those picks for future talent will be more beneficial?
A: - Garth: The strength of the draft will be influenced by which underclassman come out and in particular which players sign Generation Adidas contracts. With three high picks we have lots of options. Certainly there are good players in this draft that can help us, but I am not sure there is anybody who can start consistently for us right away. That is pretty common though when you think about Maurice Adu and in stretches Dane Richards. Those are pretty much the only guys that really made a difference for their teams. We need to keep adding talent to our roster and the college draft can help with that.
Q: - [14:13:34] - For both of you, how many wins will it take next season to consider it a successful campaign?
A: - JK: Can't put a number on this, but I would say that number should be roughly one more than six other teams.
Q: - [14:16:20] - This is a question for Coach Kreis. What would your ideal offensive strategy be going into an average game, and how close are you to being able to implement that with the players RSL currently has on the roster?
A: - I prefer an attacking minded game - I put a high emphasis on possession and simple play, and I like to see large numbers involved in every attack. We are very close to getting to my ideal, and I feel that having a long preseason with the entire group should be enough time to fully impement those things.
Q: - [14:21:18] - I believe Real is building a great foundation to be a legitimate contender years down the road, but what is happening to help us compete in the 08 season?
A: - JK: We have identified some very talented players both domestically in the college game as well as internationally that we feel will add to our core group of players to make us extremely competitive this year. In fact, we are about to enter negotiations for a few of these players. Stay tuned!
Q: - [14:21:41] - Why does Real not have any songs for the crowd to sing to enhance the atmosphere at each game. If fans had something we be able to help the team a lot more and enjoy the games more ourselves.
A: - Garth: I love the idea of the crowd bursting forth in full throated voice. Songs come along with tradition and traditions evolve organically in my experience. When I was doing TV for DC United the fans continually used their creativity to come up with new banners, slogans and acts to get the crowd involved. That's what creates a great atmosphere. I can't think of anything worse than a corporation pre-approving what their fans should sing. One of the things I really want to grow here is the fan clubs. I've met a couple of folks who are really passionate about the team and we need more. we want supporters groups to be part of our organization. They will have a section dedicated just for them in the new stadium. If anyone on the chat wants to propose ideas in this vein or post video clips of themselves and their friends singing an RSL song, put it on YouTube and see what others think. My catch phrase "Sweet Creamery Butter" seemed as inane to me as everything else in my TV broadcasts, but someone put it on YouTube, people liked it and away it went.
Q: - [14:24:07] - What has the staff been up to in the off-season in terms of player acquisitions? Are there any notable prospects receiving preseason invites?
A: - JK: we are currently mulling over a scenario in which we will make a few international signings now and invite five others into our preseason. For obvious reasons, we cannot identify those players by name.
Q: - [14:27:53] - You claim to believe in results-based accountability. As such, will you resign if RSL fails to reach the playoffs again in 2008?
A: - JK: Difficult question. I am getting used to difficult questions though. I can honestly say that I haven't pondered that scenario at all as of yet, and nor do I plan on pondering it until next year. I have enough to worry about at the moment to not worry about that possibility as well. The easy answer though is to tell you that we are convinced we will make the playoffs. Perhaps the better question here though is whether or not Garth will be prepared to fire me in that scenario!
Q: - [14:30:49] - Do you guys ever read BigSoccer?
A: - JK: religiously. We consult it in every decision making process.
Q: - [14:35:24] - What is the current status of the RSL/Real Madrid Youth academy? Also, any news on the player loan from RM front (as outlined in the press release about the partnership with the teams)?
A: - Garth: I think you will see our relationship with Real Madrid continues to progress. It takes awhile to build trust between the organizations and that is what it takes to make the agreement effective. As the new guy here, I was able to sit down with some of the RM folks at MLS Cup which was great. I think in the future there is a real possibility we could get an RM player, though to be clear, nothing is imminent. Its terrific to be affiliated with such a famous club and really beneficial for us. We look forward to hosting them again this summer and its great for our players to be in the atmosphere of a competitive games against a truly world class opponent. Hopefully it sells out! The Academy plans will move forward in accordance with our youth program which will be a slow but steady process. We are three years old as an organization and I hope you the fans can bear with us. We need to build an infrastructure and identify young kids early enough to make a difference in their development and that is only possible with time.
Q: - [14:36:01] - why is jason so full of crap?
A: - JK: Because my diet consists of healthy doses of fiber and metamucil. My doctor tells me its good to be regular though.
Q: - [14:39:41] - Do we have any injury updates?
A: - JK: As of right now, there is a concern about Carey Talley's knee. We should have his MRI results later today. Nathan Sturgis took a knock to his calf a few weeks ago in Olympic team camp. Both should be ready for the beginning of preseason. Other than that, we are all healthy, apart from Garth, who is still rehabilitating his achilles tear. We will have to put him on the disabled list.
Q: - [14:41:37] - I have been to Xango field and frankly it's horrible. Anything happening w/ regards to a training field?
A: - Garth: We are really lucky to have a great sponsor like Xango who allows use the land for that practice field. If its an imperfect set-up, please keep in mind that it is temorary and its pretty good for a short term solution. Having said that its an imperfect set-up and we are listening to overtures from communities that want to host us over the long term. I've been very impressed in my short time here with the diversity of Utah and we have a couple of pretty interesting proposals that we are looking at. We would love to get our guys a permanent home.
Q: - [14:41:41] - Coach Kreis, do you expect to be given the same latitude as your predecessor in terms of the time you have to produce a winner?
A: - JK: Better question for my bosses.
Q: - [14:45:32] - With Pope out, and a good player in Kipre who seems to be Out as well, were either of you able to spot the talent needed to replace our backline in the scouting trips? Or are you awaiting the SuperDraft to pick up some hopeful prospects for the backline? R!........S!..........L!
A: - JK: We have identified quite a few good candidates to fill these holes, yes.
Q: - [14:48:32] - Are we attempting to bring any of the American talent abroad back to the MLS?
A: - We like that idea. When the five of us (me, Jason, Robin, BJ and Jeff) sit down together those are five American players thinking about what we want our team to be right now and where we want MLS to be in the future. Looking abroad for American players makes sense because you gain an experienced player. The only other way to add American players without giving up an asset in trade is the college draft and obviously those kids havent proven themselves as pros. Its not easy to get Americans playing abroad back in MLS. They often are better paid overseas and are well known to all the MLS teams so we need to create an environment here that is player friendly and receptive so guys will want to play here. Utah itself is a great advertisement as there are so many things to do here. With the stadium opening next Fall that provides a huge, massive advantage in this department as everyone sees that and wants to come back if they can have a home like that.
Q: - [14:53:16] - Jason, I consider myself to be somewhat knowlegable about soccer and I must admit I do not understand what RSL sees in Atibba. I can honestly only remember 1 game where I thought he helped us win. What is it that RSL sees in him that allows him to get so much playing time?
A: - Garth: This is a little eerie. I knew the internet was omnipotent, but this is crazy. We just traded Atiba Harris to Chivas for a third round pick in 2008 which will be #37 overall. We actually like Atiba and think he is a great kid, but moving him allowed us to open up an international spot, giving us 4 to play with. We are actively pursuing a couple of signings as we speak that if consummated will make our team better at positions of critical need.
Q: - [14:57:58] - Of course I have to ask, can you PLEASE clarify the Generation Adidas Situation. And, for all of us who are Jamie Watson what was the reason behind not picking him back up?
A: - JK: Jamie Watson was graduated from the Generation Adidas program by the league. Their decisions in all of these scenarios are somewhat vague and ultimately convoluted. We would like for these decisions to be based on more black and white statistics, but unfortunately this is not the world we live in yet. We pitched the league to leave him on GA because frankly, he would be more valuable to us if he were. In the end, it was their decision and we all have to live by it. So, what that means to us is that Jamie Watson would have to occupy a full roster spot. We do not feel that this is a realistic possibility, and we have communicated this to him. We will do everything we can to help him get to another team. We wish him the best, and we will miss him on a personal level.
Q: - [15:04:06] - I regret but understand why we let Cline go but not Cris Brown. And then to keep Williams? Williams is late on every play. He stands and reacts never anticipates, He'll never get hurt because he is lazy and never plays hard. He rarely takes on a defender 1 on 1, so why is he a forward. Better yet, why is he still on this team.
A: - JK: We regret having to let go of all of the players that we have had to let go of. We have to make difficult decisions on what we think we need to do to get better. On Andy, frankly, we disagree with all of your points, especially the bit where you call him a forward.
Q: - [15:06:22] - It seems players with the highest salaries play the most time, regardless of production on the field. It seemed players on the pitch who produced results weren't granted anymore playing time. Coach, do you recieve any pressure from club management in this respect or is all playing time based on your opinion?
A: - JK: No, I receive no pressure from anyone on who to play. All decisions on playing time are based solely on what myself and my staff think about their current form and who we think we need to put on the field to have the best chance to win.
Q: - [15:09:20] - Does RSL believe a DP player exists out there currently that would have the impact of a juan pablo or blanco and are we pursuing anyone like this?
A: - Garth: From a soccer standpoint yes of course and that is how we intend to pick our players. From a team standpoint Emilio was a superior acquisition to Angel because he scored 1 more goal for less than 1/7th the price. We need to find valuable players first and foremost. If there is a type of player we feel we simply cant acquire without expending DP level resources then we will. As we improve our team we hope the fans will continue to support us. The fans can show us how much they want a DP by buying tickets and selling out the stadium. We have the greatest owner in professional sports and he will absolutely step up if we collectively show him we are worthy of it by combining a good team on the field with enthusiastic fan support.
Q: - [15:14:39] - It seems like all the talent you are looking for is in south america.....Are there other places in the world where you are actively scouting for talent?
A: - JK: we have looked alot in South America, and in particular Argentina due to two factors. The first is due to our financial constraints. Acquiring players from Europe is frankly, almost an impossibility, unless you are talking about DP salary ranges. The South American leagues pay the majority of their players in similar ranges to our league, so these players are on average more attainable. The second factor is that it is our opinion than in all of South America the play in Argentina is closest to our league. i.e. - speed of play, athleticism, defensive pressure, etc...
Q: - [15:21:11] - Coach, you just mentioned in response to a previous question about Watson that, "we would like for these decisions to be based on more black and whte statistics,". If this is true, why do you not practice the same principle with your team? It seems like the players that get results are not playing for the majority of the time.
A: - JK: this question is confusing to me as I think we have done a pretty good job of this. I could be wrong though. Please explain: which player or players are you basing this on, and which statistics are you using to base this judgement on? In the end though, here is how I come out on statistics and decisions on playing time. Statistics should be collected, they should be viewed, and they should be analyzed in making decisions, but they should not drive decisions by themselves -- there are alot of unmeasurable things that need to be paid attention to in these decisions as well. I feel that soccer is a game of feel and a game of many opinions, and ultimately it will be our feel and our opinions that will weigh most heavily in our decisions.
Q: - [15:23:09] - Garth's first answer was cut off....just mentioning in case no one noticed. I was really wanting to hear the answer to that one.
A: - Garth: We are having fun with this chat and would like to do something similar again. I think that is one way to improve our transparency. We are just finishing a front office restructuring having brought on a new coach in May, a new GM in September and a new president in October. We will continue to try to improve our team and as we make moves we will keep our fans updated as much as we can. We hope you understand that we are often unable to give specifics as doing so would endanger not only current transactions, but future transactions if other teams think we will leak information. Ultimately, we all want the same thing, for RSL to win consistently and we want fan input to contribute to our organization. The fanbase here seems divided on some issues. When my signing was announced everything on the DC United BigSoccer board, the folks who knew me from seven years of TV broadcasts and seeing them in the stadium, was largely positive. On the RSL board a lot of the sentiment was negative and that is fine. I think it is as simple as DC United wins and to this point RSL has not. We are trying to build a winner and we hope to earn your trust through the players we acquire and the way we play. Without the support of our fans we cannot succeed so I hope that anytime someone sees me on the street or in the stadium they will ask me a question about the team. After all I'm a guy who used to talk for a living!
Q: - [15:24:42] - Will Robbie Findley be even better next year? Will Alecko remember that he gets paid to actually play and not just model headwear?
A: - JK: Yes, Robbie Findley will be even better next year, and I think Alecko has realized that already as was witnessed by his not wearing his protective headgear in our last match. Seriously, though, could you really ever have any doubt about Alecko's willingness to work for the team? He may not have collected the stats we would have liked last year, but he worked his tail off every time he was out there.
Q: - [15:27:58] - So what are your thoughts on Julien Valentin at Wake Forest? In my opinion very solid and organized back. Very effective in the center back position and has the ability to get forward. Doesn't get beat and is strong in the air. Solid service from the back and composed on the ball. Seems like an ideal pick in the first round.
A: - JK: We agree with everything here but your last sentence. We wouldn't want to tip our hand to our competitors on how much we like him, but suffice it to say, we like him.
Q: - [15:34:26] - The first season gave us poor soccer quality but a fun, exciting atmosphere and a real unity between team and fans. How can we get the unity back and continue to improve the soccer?
A: - JK: we have been extremely focused on improving the quality of the soccer here for the past 6 months, and perhaps, now that we have had the chance to hear from many of our supporters, we should focus a little more attention on keeping you all informed as well. We will simply promise this on both fronts: WE WILL DO OUR VERY BEST.
Q: - [15:36:20] - Many fans have debated with themselves about renewing season tickets for several well publicized reasons. What would you personally say to these individuals to make them feel better about their investment (both emotional and financial) into RSL?
A: - We have three picks of the first 17 and we have four foreign player slots available. We have scouted in Germany, Argentina, Peru, Ecuador and Trinidad as well as all over the U.S. We are scouring the earth for talent. We owe this community and a better team and we intend to deliver. I would argue watching a good young team develop over the next few years is a pretty good emotional investment. It won't be easy. There will be moments that feel like we are summiting Everest and others that feel we have sunk to the bottom of the Marianas trench, but that is kind of the point. We at RSL and you the fans are all in this together. This team is worth making part of your family to watch it grow and get better week to week. And, if you stick with us you get the real estate eqivalent of watching your kid get into Duke, namely, you get to watch us open the new stadium which will be the best in the league. Players from all over the world have heard about it, have heard about us being a former professional player run organization and they want to play for us. And we want to put on a better show for our fans.
Q: - [15:52:13] - From the full-page Tribune ad, I gather that Mr. Checketts is getting desperate for a stadium naming deal. How close are you to getting this done? Will there be a reduction in cost/time?
A: - We are almost a year out from the stadium opening and we have sold all but 6 of the suites in the stadium which is pretty good in my estimation. I'm not sure why there would be any cause to perceive advertising as desperation. If you post your lamp for auction on EBay is that desperate or good business? We want nothing more than to be a good citizen in our community and the progressive company who partners with us needs to embody the values of our community. We are out of time, but Jason and I both look forward to continuing this dialogue with all of RSL's fans. If folks liked this forum let us know and we can do this again sometime after the college draft to talk through our selections. Thanks for taking time out of your busy day to send in all the questions and we apologize if we weren't able to get to yours. Happy Holidays to everyone!
