Real Salt Lake 3 - Seattle Sounders 0 - recap, stats and post match quotes
by denz on Oct 30, 2011 12:58 AM MDT
Email
PrintIt is late and I will put my thoughts together later, but here is the good stuff from the RSL Communications Team:
REAL SALT LAKE ROLLS TO 3-0 WIN OVER SEATTLE IN WEST SEMIFINAL LEG ONE
FW Álvaro Saborío Notches Pair of Tallies, MF Ned Grabavoy Tacks on Late to Give RSL Upper Hand Heading into Wednesday's Second Leg; RSL Allows No Shots on Frame in Stout Defensive Effort, but Sees Center Backs Jamison Olave and Nat Borchers Leave Due to Injuries
SANDY, Utah (Saturday, October 29, 2011) - Real Salt Lake raced out to a huge advantage in its Western Conference Semifinal Series against Seattle Sounders FC, using a pair of goals around halftime by FW Álvaro Saborío and a late tally from MF Ned Grabavoy to post a 3-0 victory in tonight's Leg One contest in front of 17,067 fans at Rio Tinto Stadium. RSL will carry its three-goal cushion in the home-and-away aggregate goals series into the second leg nextWednesday, Nov. 2, when Sounders FC will host the Utah side at CenturyLink Field for a 8:00 p.m. MT kickoff (live on ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes).
With the return of captain MF Kyle Beckerman from suspension, Real Salt Lake Head Coach Jason Kreis was able to field his first-choice line-up for the first time in nearly six months. Instead of unfamiliarity, the group showed their cohesion quickly on both ends of the field, resulting in no shots on frame for Sounders FC on the evening and plenty of attractive, attacking soccer flowing towards the Sounders defensive third. RSL's dangerous moments on offense finally paid off in the 41stminute, when Saborío ran onto DF Chris Wingert's cross from the left flank right on the goalline, ushering RSL to a 1-0 lead heading into the halftime break. The only bad news for RSL in the opening stanza was the loss of DF Jamison Olave, who suffered a right quadriceps strain and had to be removed at the half hour mark in favor of DF Chris Schuler.
Saborío saved his best effort for his second tally in the 54th minute, running onto MF Javier Morales' cross from the right side of the area and using a cheeky flick with his right heel to redirect low past Seattle GK Kasey Keller, pushing the lead to 2-0. With RSL keeping the visitors on their heels thanks to steady possession throughout, the Utahns would push for more, and it was the substitute Grabavoy that would push the scoreboard once again with two minutes left in regulation. After hustling to beat a defender to a poor clearance in the right side of the area, the veteran midfielder fired a shot that glanced off a defender on the goalline and into the back of the net. Much like the first half, the only thing to go wrong for the home side was a left knee strain suffered by RSL's other sturdy center back, Nat Borchers, forcing him from the contest in the 84th minute
more after the jump:
Real Salt Lake Match Notes
- Both of RSL's injured center backs, Nat Borchers and Jamison Olave, will be re-evaluated by the team's medical staff on Sunday, the process including an MRI for Borchers to further diagnosis the severity of his left knee strain.
- The two goals for FW Álvaro Saborío marked the first two MLS Cup Playoff goals for the Costa Rican international after he was shutout in last year's Western Conference Semifinal Series against FC Dallas. The brace was also the first in postseason play for an RSL member in its now 11-match playoff ledger.
- Not to be outdone, MF Javier Morales became the first RSL player to notch a pair of assists in MLS Cup Playoff game, the helpers on both of Saborio's tallies marking his fourth and fifth career playoff assists.
- Collecting his first-ever playoff assist was DF Chris Wingert, whose cross to the doorstep on Saborío's opening salvo gave the eight-year veteran his first helper in now 14 postseason contests.
- MF Ned Grabavoy returned to the scoring column in playoff action for the first time since 2005 with the LA Galaxy (Oct. 29, 2005 @ San Jose), his late strike giving him a second career postseason goal (9 games).
- The three-goal effort for Real Salt Lake tonight tied its largest offensive output in postseason history, even with the three it put up on the Columbus Crew in a 3-2 victory at Crew Stadium on Nov. 5, 2009, in the second leg of their Eastern Conference Semifinal Series (4-2 agg. win in the series).
- On the heels of his MLS-leading 13 regular season shutouts, RSL GK Nick Rimando once again came up with a clean sheet, the ninth in 22 postseason contests for the All-Star netminder.
REAL SALT LAKE 3 : 0 SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2011
RIO TINTO STADIUM - SANDY, UTAH
Goals by Period 1 2 F
Real Salt Lake 1 2 3
Seattle Sounders FC 0 0 0
Scoring Summary:
RSL -- Alvaro Saborio 1 (Chris Wingert 1, Javier Morales 1) 41
RSL -- Alvaro Saborio 2 (Javier Morales 2) 53
RSL -- Ned Grabavoy 1 (unassisted) 88
Misconduct Summary:
RSL -- Fabian Espindola (caution; Reckless Tackle) 30
SEA -- Osvaldo Alonso (caution; Reckless Foul) 54
SEA -- Fredy Montero (caution; Unsporting Behavior) 91+
SEA -- Erik Friberg (caution; Reckless Foul) 93+
Lineups:
Seattle Sounders -- Kasey Keller, James Riley, Jeff Parke, Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, Leo Gonzalez, Lamar Neagle (Erik Friberg 60), Osvaldo Alonso, Brad Evans, Alvaro Fernandez (Roger Levesque 77), Sammy Ochoa (Mike Fucito 63), Fredy Montero.
Substitutes Not Used: Nate Jaqua, Zach Scott, Tyson Wahl, Bryan Meredith.
Real Salt Lake -- Nick Rimando, Robbie Russell, Jamison Olave (Chris Schuler 32), Nat Borchers (Luis Gil 84), Chris Wingert, Andy Williams, Kyle Beckerman, Javier Morales (Ned Grabavoy 79), Will Johnson, Alvaro Saborio, Fabian Espindola.
Substitutes Not Used: Arturo Alvarez, Paulo Araujo Jr., Collen Warner, Kyle Reynish.
Referee: Mark Geiger
Referee's Assistants: -Joe Fletcher; Steven Taylor
4th Official: Silviu Petrescu
Weather: Clear-and-50-degrees
Attendance: 17,067
MLS POST-GAME QUOTE SHEET
WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINAL SERIES - LEG ONE
REAL SALT LAKE HEAD COACH JASON KREIS
On getting Kyle Beckerman and Javier Morales back on the field at the same time:
"I'd speak more to having everybody on the field at the same time - our strongest lineup. I don't think we've had that ability to pick our absolute strongest lineup since the first leg of the (CONCACAF Champions League) final at Monterrey."
On whether or not Real Salt Lake kept their focus for 90 minutes:
"Yeah, I was very, very pleased. For me that was a complete match, and we haven't had a complete match of good soccer and good focus and the requisite commitment for a very long time."
On coming out with an aggressive mindset early in the match:
"Yeah, and I thought our spirit was really, really high. And I'll tell you what, that's a credit to the crowd. That was the first time in a long time that I can remember at the beginning of the match looking around and saying, ‘the stands are almost full.' Typically we have to wait until close to halftime to get the stands completely full and tonight they were almost full from before the kickoff. So it was a very, very loud start."
REAL SALT LAKE GOALKEEPER NICK RIMANDO
On the defensive effort making his job easier in goal:
"One of our focuses was to keep a zero back there. We knew they had some lethal weapons up top and in the midfield and (we had) to stay compact. When you add a leader like Kyle Beckerman to the lineup it gives us a lot of defensive work, and he covers so much ground. He helped out a bunch, but all in all I think my job was pretty easy tonight because of the guys in front of me keeping it tight, keeping a high line and stepping to the ball."
On the injuries to center backs Nat Borchers and Jamison Olave:
"Hopefully it's nothing too serious with those guys, but again, guys stepped up and we said, ‘You know, the playoffs are when you step up,' and we showed that we have some depth tonight and guys slid over and we got the win tonight."
On taking a 3-0 advantage to Seattle on Wednesday for the second leg:
"Seattle is a tough place to play. You can't be too comfortable with any score. They're still a great team and they'll be better at home, so we have to make sure we do everything right with our bodies, and I'm sure coach will have a game plan for us. 3-0 is a good lead, but I just think we need to continue to play well."
On the mentality that Real Salt Lake had going into the match:
"We looked at some tape and I think everybody got a little bit disappointed from that last-minute goal against Portland, and we wanted to make a 90-plus (minute) effort tonight. We're at home and we feel comfortable at home, and we know we can get our offensive chances if we play good defense."
REAL SALT LAKE MIDFIELDER NED GRABAVOY
On the way the match unfolded for Real Salt Lake:
"It looked good. I obviously had to watch it as a spectator as well the first 60 or 65 minutes. It's such a weird thing, you go into the playoffs and, obviously, we hadn't been doing our best stuff, but we kept telling ourselves if we keep playing and working through it that the soccer's going to show through. It doesn't necessarily surprise me. This is a very veteran group and I thought it would turn around."
On RSL's tactics going into the second half up 1-0:
"To be honest with you, I think we felt pretty comfortable at halftime. We thought the most important thing was making sure we got a zero here on our home field. I think that when we defend well as a team like that, our chances kind of seem to come from that; they kind of come out of nowhere. I don't think it's a situation where we were like, ‘let's throw numbers forward, let's try to get another one.' We were pretty confident that we'd find some chances in the second half by doing the things that we were doing and we did get some chances."
REAL SALT LAKE FORWARD ÁLVARO SABORÍO
On the team's performance:
"I think the team was sharp in all the positions."
On the injuries to Nat Borchers and Jamison Olave
"I hope they get better soon and we have the whole team together again."
SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC HEAD COACH SIGI SCHMID
On the overall play of his team:
"We're lucky we didn't lose 6-0. We were well-served by losing only 3-0. We played not well and I thought Real Salt Lake played very well. It was a bad time for us to choose to have a bad game, and obviously they had a really good game. Hats off to them."
On his team's difficulty on the offensive end:
"We couldn't keep the ball, we couldn't hold on to the ball. Some of that was due to their pressure, but some of it was just our bad passing. That's probably one of the worst games I've seen (Osvaldo) Alonso play in his three years with us, and it just wasn't a good exhibition of soccer from us."
On what his team has to do on Wednesday to be successful:
"We need to score four, it's very simple. We can't allow any goals. There's no secret strategy, everybody has to play better soccer then what they played (tonight), everyone has to put in a better performance. From the coaching staff to the support staff to the players, everyone has to do better than what they did because tonight wasn't good enough."
SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC FORWARD FREDY MONTERO
On the possibility of coming back in the second leg:
"Why not. They won 3-0 nothing, why can't we do the same?"
On what made things difficult tonight:
"We didn't do a good job. We didn't win out duels. We need to play more with the ball."
On why it was so hard to create chances:
"The whole time we were defending so our team was back and we didn't find a way to score goals and keep the ball."
SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC FORWARD MIKE FUCITO
On the 0-3 result:
"We just had to come out better than we did. Those are not goals we want to give up. We created some chances, we just couldn't put them away. Everything from top to bottom can be better. They were more physical; we just need to be tougher all around."
On being three down going into the second leg:
"We dug ourselves into a hole, but if any team can come back I believe it's us. There's still another game to play, so we'll see what happens."
On the mentality and strategy of the team before conceding the third goal:
"For me, as a forward, I wanted to get one back. It goes both ways because you don't want to push too far forward and give up another one, but you want to chip away at the lead."
On the mood in the locker room:
"We have a lot to be upset about, but come tomorrow we've got to put it behind us and do whatever it takes to turn the table the other way."
SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC FORWARD SAMMY OCHOA
On gaining his first career MLS start:
"I was happy to get the start, but we didn't get the win here. We have 90 minutes to go and we have to do the best we can to come out on top."
On what Real Salt Lake did well:
"They did well pressing us and they did well pressuring us. It was hard to get the ball. We have to see the video, see where the mistakes were made and go from there and try to get the win on Wednesday."
There you go all the official goodness to get you going until I can post my match thoughts.
OFF MY SOAPBOX
38 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
Question
I know that Colorado is our main rivals due to geography. and that Chivas is our rivals due to the fact we came in the league together so they are like that brother we try to one up the entire time. Also you could throw Galaxy name out there because of how much we hate on each other.
But over the course of the last couple years, could we make a successful case that Seattle Sounders and Real Salt Lake are the newest form of rivalry forming in front of our eyes?
I believe that
So while MLS believes there are only geographic rivalries, I consider the teams that we play against where the matches are a bit more intense for both teams. I do think Seattle has become one of them, as has LA. I also throw Houston and Columbus into that mix as the teams just seem to dislike each other.
The reality is that every team will be a rival, every match is one that both teams want and expect to win now in MLS so with the top 5-6 teams in the league I consider all of them rivals.
Everyone wants to be to Seattle’s rival cause “nobody likes Seattle” their level of self loathing, and the general behavior of some of their fans who honestly believe that MLS didn’t exist until they came along. Then you add in the clown act of lifelong LA Galaxy fan Drew Carey (who is from Cleveland), becoming an owner and all of a sudden a “Seattle super fan” and well you can make up your own jokes. The Sounders are the best run franchise in the league, in part because they have a staff and front office that has the resources of a NFL team, I am proud of them and what they do it is great for the league. For their fans who think it is all about them, I only can remind them of 0-4-1
Join the group denz
Great job listing reasons to hate Seattle. Kick ‘em while they’re down right? I love how it’s not good enough to be proud of your team. It’s all about how bad the other team and they’re fans feel. That’s the important thing. Being a Seattle hater is not an original idea of yours. Have you ever heard of ACES? They’ve been loud haters since day 1. It’s an easy bandwagon to jump on. Good for you.
Someday Seattle will win an MLS Cup or CCL (probably faster than RSL did) and instead of a star above the team crest, they should put a big gold middle finger.
really, you clearly missed
the part where I state that I am proud of what the Sounders organization does and think it is great for the league, but you have some of the most self-loathing fans I have ever seen. It comes from every pore, like the ECS singing “everyone hates us”. Come on you have the most supported team in MLS, even outside of Seattle you have displaced LA as the top team despite them having Donovan, Beckham and now Keane. Be proud of what you have done, winning a 3rd US Open Cup is huge, be proud of it. Getting out of the group in CCL is huge, and I wish you all the best next spring, be proud of it, but I read the reactions on Sounder at Heart and I just laugh at the self-pity.
Let me be really clear for you, I love the organization and team, but your fans remind me of those rapids fans, who any and every time something doesn’t go how they want just tend to be unbearable in self-pity. Now I know that not all Sounders fans are that way, but enough are vocal about it that it is kinda sad. You lost a game, it isn’t as if you team sucked, they ran into a RSL team that played perhaps their best league match of the year. It will happen, and your boys now need to regroup, dig deep and get ready for Wednesday, and I am sure they will.
You stated why people want to be the Sounders rivals, I listed a few reasons why despite all the good things that other teams and groups think less of you guys and the reality is it comes down to some of your fans who think that the world revolves around them. Like all fans your egos are huge when you do well, but unlike a lot when things go bad some of your fans just sound like the world has ended, it is like a damn soap opera.
denz
You’re killing me. I get this is your blog and you can say whatever you want, but I really thought you were above this. you’re throwing these absolute generalizations out as if sounders fans are the only ones that act this way. No one likes us is the anthem of Columbus, Philly, NY, and God knows who else. biggest bunch of self loathers my ass. And you know what else? I distinctly remember reading RSL fans bashing Seattle for shouting YSA (another thing we did not invent). Lo and behold, what did I hear every fucking time Keller took a GK from your boys in the stadium?
by chrisperry1983 on Oct 30, 2011 4:14 PM MDT via mobile up reply actions
I have never heard our fans
complain about YSA, they have done it for years in english and spanish. I have never had a group of opposing fans come into our stadium and chant that “nobody likes us” except the fans of Seattle that have done it the last two years. Again if you read my actual comments I say that you have some of the most self-loathing fans, I don’t claim it is all of your fans, but I read most of the comments on Sounder at heart late last night and almost all that I read were comments that were so full of self-pity that they made me laugh.
I know the vast majority of your fans are just like a majority of other fans, but your most vocal ones online (and sometimes in the stadium) are some of the ones who just love to live in the deep end of BS.
So my comments are about two very specific groups of Seattle fans, those who were in attendance last night, and a big number of those who were commenting on Sounder at Heart. Now we both know that there are those who go way over the top with the self-pity thing, and yes there are plenty of RSL fans who do it as well.
Perhaps the only redeeming thing yesterday was the number of Sounder fans who thought Alonso should have been red carded, usually a good number would try to make excuses for him. Perhaps the issue is that you simply have too many fans online who live with their “electricity yellow” glasses on 24/7.
Lay off denz
He’s got one of the most objective viewpoints on the Sounders that I’ve read.
My own thoughts about my team’s fanbase can be summarized: we’re fortunate to have more fans showing up to games, and as a result we have a proportionately larger group of vocal asshats who feel compelled to share their opinions on the Internet.
That said, I’m glad that SSFC hasn’t fallen into the negativity trap of some of our rivals. In general, I believe our supporters are more concerned of supporting our team rather than starting the ACES Cup or other such nonsense.
by magistermilitum on Oct 30, 2011 12:00 PM MDT up reply actions
a lot of us share the same objective viewpoint
Problems we get these dumbass statements blanketed over us without any thought. I have a lot of respect for what kreis has done and for the team RSL is, and it makes it really difficult to follow a teams blog when the editor gets unprofessional.
by chrisperry1983 on Oct 30, 2011 4:17 PM MDT via mobile up reply actions
first
this isn’t the teams blog, it is my blog. The comments I make are my comments, just like I don’t take what Dave or Jeremiah say as the opinions of the Sounders.
The statements I made are the statements of what I have seen over the 3 years of the Sounders being in MLS, and I have never stated that all Sounders fans are that way, but I stick by the reality that there are a good number of the fans who post online that really are so far over the top that it is humorous. I also realize that there are plenty of well grounded fans who get lumped in with them, that is what happens when people refuse to acknowledge that these others exist.
I have no problem stating that RSL has some of those types, we like all teams have some nut jobs in and among our fans. thankfully most of them don’t post on my blog. I have no problem calling out our fans who behave badly, I don’t have a problem calling out our players who do stupid things on or off the pitch. Nobody was harsher on Saborio for his antics than the RSL fans, yes some tried to excuse it. I was one who called for the additional suspension for Kyle Beckerman at the end of the season, I have yet to hear any Sounders fan say Osvaldo should be suspended for Wednesday.
I will simply say if you don’t like my posts or comments, you have two choices. Disprove what I say, or simply don’t read it. There are a dozen blogs that cover RSL, and I am not the first choice for a number of people because I speak my opinions and often that isn’t what people want to hear.
There is the reality that some Sounders fans are so full of themselves that they really believe that MLS didn’t matter until the Sounders joined the league, hell I bet there are a ton of Sounders fans who never say a MLS match before the Sounders joined the league. While I dislike, what I consider inappropriate, attention that the league pays to a small group of teams, I think all that attention feeds into the ego of some of the Sounders fans. The reality is you have a great number of fans, and that is a great thing for your team and for the league, but the league existed before you, it would still exist without you, and that is just a fact.
Do I laugh at your patron saint Drew Carey, damn straight I do, because he was a LA Galaxy season ticket holder before your team existed, he isn’t from Seattle, but because he is a celeb who bought a partial share of your team, all of a sudden he is all about Sounders. Has he been great for your fans, yes he has, can you see that anyone who knows about him being a Galaxy fan first thinks it is funny? it appears not.
Anyhow, read, comment, don’t read, don’t comment those are your choices. I stick by my comments that are based on my interactions both in real life and online with Sounders fans, the vast majority are great people who love their team, but there is a real element that are so self absorbed that it is humorous to the rest of us.
Wow
I was one who called for the additional suspension for Kyle Beckerman
No you didn’t. I just reread all of your posts and comments regarding the Vancouver game. You didn’t say a word about wanting and additional fine/suspension for Bekerman. You did however bitch and moan about the ref (dedicating a whole post to it). After the suspension was issued, you said you didn’t disagree with it. That’s quite a bit different than the altruism you’re trying to portray.
hell I bet there are a ton of Sounders fans who never say[sic] a MLS match before the Sounders joined the league
Yeah, I’m sure RSL fans are generally much different. They were all watching MLS back in 1996 right? Seattle’s the only place where people jump on a bandwagon (if that’s what a new MLS team is).
Do I laugh at your patron saint Drew Carey
Dude, listen to yourself. Nobody’s made a patron saint out of Drew Carey. You sound rediculous when you spew crap like this.
he isn’t from Seattle
Garth Lagerwey and Jason Kreis aren’t from Salt Lake either, the heathens.
all of a sudden he is all about Sounders
Ownership will do that to you. In related news, I was an RSL fan before Seattle got a team. Does that mean I should be as ashamed as Drew Carey. I guess we’re both flip-floppers, just like John Kerry.
At the risk of getting involved in this:
He did say he supports the suspension of Beckerman:
by Nussdorfer AC on Oct 31, 2011 8:01 AM MDT up reply actions
You're welcome to get involved
But please read the full comment you replied to. I linked to that exact post where he said he didn’t disagree with the suspension. The problem is he’s signing a different song here where he claims he was calling for the suspension before it happend. Enough with the histrionics denz.
Very good.
I was caught reading the Vancouver link you posted and then replied. My fault there.
I will say as much as I was against the suspension for Beckerman, Denz was for it (perhaps this was in the comments somewhere) so I was just sticking up for Denz there. I did a poor job of it by failing to finish reading your post.
by Nussdorfer AC on Oct 31, 2011 2:30 PM MDT up reply actions
I'm going to roll responses from both threads into this one
First, I know this isn’t your blog, as I stated in the other thread. It was meant to read more like, it’s hard to follow a team when bloggers who write about it are unprofessional.
You’re not understanding what I am saying. You can have an opinion – right or wrong – of Seattle, but what I’m getting at is I up until your posts here thought you were above clown status. I expect to see this type of garbage at mlssoccer.com or other well known trolling areas, not in a place like SBN where editors are held to a certain standard. I’m not saying change your opinion, even though I think it’s narrowminded and still a vast blanket statement. I’m saying be professional at all times since you to a lot of people are kind of a face of the team, even though you are not affiliated.
Aside from your dumb statements stereotyping Seattle fans, I think K61 covered your total inane statements about our ownership. It’s a fucking business, denz. Drew Carey is a businessman, in this to make money. LA doesn’t need any more owners, so what’s he gonna do? Buy into another team. The fact you’re attacking him because he’s based on LA and is/was an LA season ticketholder is absolutely stupid. By the way, he has lots of connections to Seattle, but that’s besides the point.
Finally, it disappoints me that you would just write off criticism and say “read it or don’t”. If I were a struggling journalist and I started firing off my mouth with stupid comments and people started calling me out on it, (your own RSL fans even!) I would think twice before giving people the finger and watching your readercount dwindle. If that is the attitude of this blog, then fine, I will leave. I have been a longtime reader and supporter of this blog, checking in every few days for new RSL coverage, much like I check in at several other SBN blogs of teams whom I like to follow. I am level headed and not just trolling around, and I engage in good conversation with other editors and readers. I am not the type of reader you want to lose, but here we are.
by chrisperry1983 on Oct 31, 2011 7:50 AM MDT up reply actions
I'm glad you're here
I do enjoy the good conversation and it is awful when it degenerates. I think some RSL fans (that I have spoken with) have gotten tired of the incessant SSFC fans posting on the recent RSL articles on MLS. Mostly the consist of “RSL suck,” “Olonso > Beckerman,” or even the innocuous “Go Seattle.”
I’m not extending this to all Seattle fans. You have more fans and, like you said, that means you, simply statistically speaking, have some fools in there (as every club does). Sadly the annoying ones can sometimes overshadow all the others. I hope any run-ins with such RSL fans doesn’t do the same for you. When I traveled to the championship in ’09 the SSFC were very generous and friendly. Tip of the hat.
Anyway, it’s a shame these two clubs had to play each other early. In terms of pure entertainment I would pick these two clubs at the top.
by Nussdorfer AC on Oct 31, 2011 8:08 AM MDT up reply actions
Thanks
The main thing that bothers me is that every single team has “those fans” and yet we constantly get ripped because our trolls like to brag about attendance. Everybody’s got their niche though. I was ready to shoot myself after all the self-loving I kept hearing from RSL fans about CCL and just the general how great we are type stuff. But being a level headed person, I knew that is the minority, and I knew the venues I was at were hotbeds for that.
I too was at the ‘09 championship (included in my season tix) and hung out with a group of RSL fans pre and post match, they were great. And yes, I agree it’s a shame we met up front like this. But, that’s the nature of this crazy system I suppose. Someday they’ll figure something out, I hope at least.
by chrisperry1983 on Oct 31, 2011 8:22 AM MDT up reply actions
Schmid
In one of the mls videos he did say Alonso was lucky not to get a red for that altercation. It’s too bad there was no video of it on their website. Does anyone have video of it? I was still celebrating the goal and missed what happened.
It was hard to see because the cameras werent focused on it.
Alonso basically walked up to your player and pushed him. It wasn’t really clear the extent to which it was normal jostling for position, but judging from where they were on the field it looked pretty intentional. Most of us on Sounder at Heart believe he should have seen red.
by magistermilitum on Oct 30, 2011 12:01 PM MDT up reply actions
To be honest:
I’m glad it wasn’t a red. If the ref didn’t see and wasn’t sure of what happened then he shouldn’t pull the red.
by Nussdorfer AC on Oct 31, 2011 7:55 AM MDT up reply actions
Given the ball
Was about 10 yards away, and Alonso wasn’t looking at the ball and went some distance out of his way to attack, “jostling position” doesn’t even come into it. It absolutely should’ve been a red, and I think the only reason it wasn’t was the fact that the appeared to keep his arms just below neck height combined with a general reticence on the part of the ref to issue cards.
Where were all the RSL fans
Last night’s game was an incredible team effort from RSL. I didn’t think Morales would be able to perform at the level needed for the playoffs given his recent return to health. That was not the case. Everyone in red had a great game last night and made Seattle look like fools (even though Seattle players were doing that to themselves just as often).
One lurking question for me from the game though is how many empty seats there were in the stadium. How is it that only 17,067 were in attendance? It was not a mid-week game and there was over a week of leadup where tickets were being sold. This was probably one of the best performances in RSL’s playoff history. Pity it wasn’t a sellout. What happened?
It was likely the
University of Utah football game, but I think it was unacceptable that fans didn’t turn out. I also put some blame on the RSL front office, as I am not a fan of their increasing the prices of tickets on the day of the event. That might make them a bit more money but it also can scare away families because of the increased cost.
It was disappointing
to not fill the place up, but the fans who were there were vocal.
by Nussdorfer AC on Oct 31, 2011 7:57 AM MDT up reply actions
Waaay better atmosphere than Colorado
Or any of the wildcard games. No shame in the turnout on Saturday.
The SAH Links Guy
I agree.
The fans in Utah are outstanding and I hope I conveyed that.
by Nussdorfer AC on Oct 31, 2011 2:24 PM MDT up reply actions
I actually was most impressed by
The Union fans, I barely saw any open seats, their supporter section was loud and active despite their team struggling. That on a Sunday with their NFL team playing at home and with an unexpected winter storm.
I thought the RSL fans who showed up were incredible, as were the several hundred Sounders fans, but still 3,000 empty seats for what might be the only home playoff match is unacceptable, and worse is that it was part of the STH package.
Wow
So I just noticed the dive that got the yellow card to Espindola, no contact at all. I had to stop watching the replay to get back to the live action of LA vs NY, but I will be finishing the replay of our match tonight.
I love the thin skins of some Sounders fans
K61, you follow me on twitter and you know very well that I called for an additional two game suspension after the match and have defended the MLS’s decision on this matter. You also know that the head butt didn’t happen in that match, it happened in the Chicago Fire match. Have I complained that MLS has suffered from horrible officiating this year, yup and the number of replays have shown that far too often they have blown calls, have I stated that selective enforcement after the fact by the MLS DC is a joke and made no difference, yes I have and I stick by it.
Neither Garth or Jason are owners, both are employees, not owners. Our owners are both from Salt Lake City, and I doubt either of them owned season tickets for another MLS team before they did.
So lets go back to my original response to “Everybody wants to be Seattle’s rival”:
Everyone wants to be to Seattle’s rival cause "nobody likes Seattle" their level of self loathing, and the general behavior of some of their fans who honestly believe that MLS didn’t exist until they came along. Then you add in the clown act of lifelong LA Galaxy fan Drew Carey (who is from Cleveland), becoming an owner and all of a sudden a "Seattle super fan" and well you can make up your own jokes. The Sounders are the best run franchise in the league, in part because they have a staff and front office that has the resources of a NFL team, I am proud of them and what they do it is great for the league. For their fans who think it is all about them, I only can remind them of 0-4-1
Did I pigeonhole some Sounders fans, yup I did. Do I stick by my statement yes I do, based on my interactions with Sounders fans in Seattle, in Salt Lake, and other places both live and online. Did I state that every Sounders fan is that way, nope not once. Did I poke fun at Drew Carey, yup and I stick by it, it is funny and makes me laugh. Oh did I pay your organization a number of compliments yes I did. Did you get all pissy and defensive (living up to expectations) yes you did. Did I continue to push when you did so, yup cause you simply make me laugh. It is as if nobody else can say anything you might not like, sorry I say what I want, when I want, and if it makes you mad, then sorry, but that is your problem and not mine.
I am not a struggling journalist, unlike a lot of bloggers I do this for one simple reason, I enjoy it. I am not looking for a full time writing gig, I am not doing this with hope of getting a job, I already have one. I have been doing it for 5 years and I will again simply say if you like my blog you are welcome, if not then just please go away. I am not here to live up to your standards, the only standards I am held accountable to are my own. I never asked to join SB Nation, they asked me to join them. The reality is that and nothing more.
Neither of us have thin skin, and you're further proving my point.
I’m calling you out as being an unprofessional journalist by playing into stereotypes. If you were just another commenter, I wouldn’t give you a second thought. The fact that you are a journalist sets you apart from regular folks and holds you to a higher standard. By writing elementary level insults, giving into stereotypes, etc that’s what is bothering me. Insulting the team and ownership doesn’t bother me, it’s part of being a fan. I would lose a lot of respect for Dave, Jeremiah, Martin, Ryan, Geoff, etc if they started putting this type of stuff into their respective blogs, but they maintain that level of professionalism that keeps people coming back. I am disappointed to see you give up that professionalism and join the masses. It’s really a shame, because I’ve enjoyed your writing for so long. You may be doing this for fun, but it’s no fun when nobody reads what you right is it?
by chrisperry1983 on Oct 31, 2011 10:02 AM MDT up reply actions
where was the statement made
It was in the comments, in response to the comments of a Sounders fan.
Again did you really take the time to read my comments, I said some of the Sounders fans, can you deny that what I stated isn’t the opinions and attitude of a portion of the Sounders fan base? I simply stated that within the Sounders fan base that there are some who play the self-pity, self-loathing thing, am I wrong? based on comments I have read from some of them on various forums I stick by my comments.
If you asked me if I thought RSL had similar fans I would say yes, and most teams do, but that wasn’t the point, instead you considered a comment about some fans as some type of blanket statement of stereotype about all the fans of the Sounders. You simply had a knee jerk reaction to something you didn’t like, I get that, doesn’t change the facts of what I said.
I am not a journalist, I am a fan blogger, the very nature of what SB Nation is about. I was one before I joined SB Nation and I will be one long after. Is my thinking that Drew Carey and his involvement in your organization is funny, unprofessional? Sorry I don’t see it, it is called my opinion. Just like my comment that I think the Sounders are the best run organization in MLS, is just my opinion.
It doesn't really matter
whether it’s in a post or a comment; both are still an expression of an opinion that you believe is valid. So when you post that opinion and list as one of the underlying reasons something that is patently an unrealistic stereotype, the “some” qualifier is irrelevant, because by doing so you’re indicating that you believe that reason is somehow typical of how Sounders fans act (or it wouldn’t be a valid reason, natch).
You must know that fans like that are no more typical for the Sounders than they are for the counterparts at your own club; or do you believe, since you yourself confirm they exist, that the RSL equivalents are somehow different? Moreover, I have no doubt from your posts here and elsewhere that you quite clearly know what’s what in the league – certainly to the extent that you should be able to recognize the degree to which what Sounders fans post on forums are reactive rather than proactive, thanks to the persistent goading – so it’s incredibly grating that you would readily buy into a blinkered belief that has little basis in reality.
And yes, you did mitigate your comments by acknowledging the impact of the front office (though evidently even that is qualified), but the FO and the fans are not one and the same, and it doesn’t really go any way to offsetting the patent rubbish you hold as truth where the fans are concerned, so you can’t be all that surprised when people get het up about it. I imagine if I were to suggest that all RSL fans are all glory supporters just because they didn’t have anb SB blogger until November 2009 you’d think – correctly – I was doing them a gross injustice, too.
by Targaff on Oct 31, 2011 9:06 PM MDT up reply actions 1 recs
Req'd
Was planning on writing something very similar though not nearly as eloquent as this.
Two additional replies:
I am not a journalist
Well then why don’t you turn in your press pass and let’s call a spade a spade. Short of that, RSL recognizes you a journalist, so you should act like one.
Did I state that every Sounders fan is that way, nope not once.
You sure had a lot to say about “some” Sounders fans while you were replying to my comment. As Targaff explains, by doing this, you’re very clearly grouping the person you’re replying to into the larger stereotype your sharing “facts” about. If you don’t think those commenting here are part of that group, then why even bring them up?
Did I continue to push when you did so, yup cause you simply make me laugh. It is as if nobody else can say anything you might not like
I will say, part of the reason I keep coming back to this site is because I do get some level of entertainment out of correcting you when you are way off in the weeds. Here are a couple of your most outrageous claims:
1. A dive in the middle of the field affects the outcome of a match just as much as a dive that results in a PK goal
2. Seattle’s STH base is 50% populated by NFL season ticket holders
If my terse corrections of your occasionally far fetched “facts” entertains you, then I guess we’re both having a good laugh.
While I appreciate your backing
I’m not sure that dragging up arguments from almost 2 years ago is in any way productive. Regardless of whether you’re right on either of the points you raise, treating a forum thread like a relationship breakup isn’t going to improve anyone’s day.
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Related FanPosts on RSL Soapbox
Related FanShots on RSL Soapbox
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
