You know I have been a fan of Jason as the coach of RSL since day one, I knew it would take time but having watched Jason on the pitch for several years at the Dallas Burn, before he came to RSL I knew he was a focused and driven competitor. We saw that as he was the first player in RSL history, the first captain in RSL history, the first player to score 100 goals in MLS history, and it continued when he retired from play and took over as coach of the team.
Since then he has learned a lot of lessons and was forced to make some very tough decisions, but not once have I seen him shy away from it. Instead if you watch him during matches, or even at practices you see a guy who is focused and driven for success and perfection, and that attitude has translated to the team. You often hear catch phrases like "The Team is the Star" or "Fortune Favors the Bold", but with Jason those aren't catch phrases those are reality as he and the team embrace them.
I have always liked how Jason and the players will give a lot of credit for their incredible success at Rio Tinto Stadium to the fans, you hear it mentioned in almost every press conference and the relationships between the fans and the players is truly one of the most special things I have ever seen in my many years as a sports fan.
So here is what Jason had to say when I asked him about what could the fans do to help the team on Wednesday:
So here is the plan, wear Claret (or red for those of you not fans of BYU) and let's all show up early gates will open at 7pm and if the stand were fully 30 mintues before the start of the match, we could all do our part to lift the emotions and spirits of our team, and make sure Monterrey know that they are in for a very long night.
OFF MY SOAPBOX