Are You Loyal?

The End, and a New Beginning

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Salsbery) — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 21:19:00 +0000

The End...

This blog was started 18 months ago as a way to share our fun and antics on a road trip to our first MLS Cup in 2005.
It was just four soccer fans that thought we had something to say and thought people would want to read about it.

Scott Black, Scott Stucki, Steve McAfee and myself, all began this adventure for the sheer fun of it. We intended to play a few pranks, leave a few RSL stickers around Texas and generally have a hell of a good time. Then write about it.
Well we did all that and kept right on having fun right up until today.

When we started I never dreamed that we would still be updating it 18 months, and 89,000 actual hits later.
It has been a great experience being part of the blogger community. I have met and interacted with many great people and unfortunately a few not so great. But we have kept plugging away through many an educational experience. We have retained our original four contributors and have also added new friends that have all contributed in their own way to the success of Are You Loyal?

In the grand scheme of things we were just a small voice on the soccer scene in Utah. Our small voice has been straining under the limitations of Blogger for quite some time now. So we as a group decided that it was time to move on... To try to create a larger stage for our small voice.

A new beginning...

After months of preparation, a few setbacks and trials aplenty, today we are happy to announce we have that larger stage. A place where we can focus on the important things in the Utah soccer scene... you know... the soccer.

We don't want to be the biggest, the coolest, or have the highest hit count. What we want to do is continue what we have been doing all along. That is to provide the best possible original Real Salt Lake content on the internet.

we are not closing down, we are opening up... just in a different place with a different name.

We are now AYL Soccer and we can be found at www.aylsoccer.com. so please update your bookmarks.

What we want from you is to have you keep coming back for that original content and even some RSL news.

We hope you visit AYL Soccer and see some pretty cool pictures and videos or hear some awesome podcasts and read some interesting articles. You can even leave some comments for our writers.
Thanks for everything so far. As this new season starts, we look forward to having many more seasons providing original content for our loyal readers.

www.aylsoccer.com

RSL to Practice Tuesday at Rice-Eccles

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Salsbery) — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 22:39:00 +0000

Release from RSL Communications

SALT LAKE CITY (Monday, March 26, 2007) – Real Salt Lake has announced the club will conduct its training session for Tuesday, March 27, at Rice-Eccles Stadium beginning at 10:00 a.m. MT. All players and coaches will be made available to the media for interviews following the training session at approximately 11:45 a.m. In the case of inclement weather, RSL will move practice to Spence Eccles Field House, also located on the U of U campus. Media are advised to contact John Koluder in the RSL Communications Department at 801-924-8584 (office) or 773-726-0985 (cell) to confirm the location of the session on Tuesday morning.

Tuesday will mark Real Salt Lake’s lone practice session in Salt Lake City until Tuesday, April 3. RSL will leave Salt Lake City on Wednesday morning for three days of training and a reserve squad contest against the USL PDL’s BYU Cougars in St. George, UT, before departing for Las Vegas on Friday. RSL will round out the match portion of its 2007 preseason this Saturday, March 31, with an exhibition contest against the Colorado Rapids at Peter Johann Memorial Field on the campus of the University of Nevada-Las Vegas.

Real Salt Lake Team Schedule: March 27 – April 1
Tuesday, March 27: Practice at Rice-Eccles Stadium from 10:00-11:45 a.m. MT
*** In case of inclement weather, practice will move to Spence Eccles Field House
Wednesday, March 28: Depart for St. George, UT; Training at Dixie H.S. at 3:00 p.m. MT
Thursday, March 29: Training at Hanson Stadium at 10:00 a.m. MT; Reserve Game vs. BYU Cougars (USL PDL) at Hanson Stadium at 7:30 p.m. MT
Friday, March 30: Training at Hanson Stadium at 10:00 a.m. MT; Depart for Las Vegas
Saturday, March 31: Exhibition vs. Colorado Rapids at UNLV’s Peter Johann Memorial Field at 7:30 p.m. PT
Sunday, April 1: Return to Salt Lake City; Off Day

Real Salt Lake & Freddy Adu to Make “The Hotlist” Tuesday Afternoon on ESPNEWS
The 2007 Major League Soccer season is fast approaching, and ESPN “MLS Primetime Thursday” sideline analyst Allen Hopkins will tackle some of the League’s hot topics when he debuts his weekly segment on ESPNEWS’ “The Hotlist” on Tuesday, March 27, at approximately 3:10 p.m. MT. Among the burning questions Hopkins will discuss with host Josh Elliott is the impact the off-season acquisition of MF Freddy Adu will have on Real Salt Lake’s upcoming 2007 campaign.

www.realsaltlake.com

An RSL Information Item

London Calling!

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Salsbery) — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 19:33:00 +0000

Some of you already know that I was away in London last week to shoot the world premiere of the Ford Films feature, Piccadilly Cowboy which opened at BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) in London's Piccadilly Circus on Saturday, March 17th.

Leading up to the premiere, KSL 1160 and 101.9 The End ran simultanious contests to promote the movie premiere. Each station gave away an all expense paid trip for two to London for 5 days to attend the premiere.

I was hired by Ford Films to travel with the Grand Prize winners and document their trip.
I flew along with the two couples and photographed them doing touristy stuff and had plenty of personal time to go out and shoot my own stuff as well. I will be sharing the photos at Deuce Photo in the coming weeks.

The London side of the trip kicked off after checking in to the Thistle Victoria Hotel which is about 500 yards from Buckingham Palace, after check in to drop off our gear and quick showers we went down to a tour of Parliament where we sat in on a debate in the House of Lords. Then to an open top bus for a whirlwind tour of London.
I dressed in what I thought to be appropriate gear but was quick to learn that I was under-dressed for the top of the bus. My hands were too cold to take a lot of pictures.

Dinner the first night was at the original Hard Rock Cafe, where I bought a cool pilsner glass, which I promptly left on Tower Hill prior to the guided walking tour of the Jack the Ripper murder sites. Our group was met at Tower Hill by KSL's Doug Wright who joined us for the walking tour.
I was starting to get a little cranky after a 12 hour flight, freezing on the bus and losing my pilsner glass on Tower Hill. So I was very pleased when the tour ended and we jumped on the tube at Waterloo station and went back to the hotel for some much needed sleep. Ahhhhh! Sleep!

Friday morning I got to sleep in a bit because the itinerary was changed. We were supposed to be taking a trip to Warwick Castle but were given personal time instead. I joined one of the couples for a tour of the Tower of London. Actually they toured it while I spent an hour and a half walking around taking pictures on and around Tower Bridge and the Tower of London. I spent the day just walking around.
Friday evening we were whisked off to Her Majesty's Theatre for a West End performance of The Phantom of the Opera. In the grand scheme of things this was my first broadway style show and at the risk of my cultural well being I have to admit it was a pretty cool experience. I was not allowed to take my camera for this so no pics on this bit.

We wandered around Trafalgar Square after the theatre before we had dinner at a proper Indian Restaurant. The Rogan Josh was pretty good, however, the Producer of the Film, Daniel Shanthakumar, owns the Bombay House on Parleys Way in Salt Lake and has promised me an authentic Rogan Josh, which I intend to have very soon.

Saturday morning early to rise to catch a southwest train to Windsor Castle. Windsor Castle was the replacement for the Warwick Castle trip that was postponed the previous day. The Queen was at Windsor Castle. We did not see her but she was there. The castle was breathtaking, a picture right out of a fairie tale. Way Cool! Lots of pictures.

Then it was time for the Film Premiere. The big night, the reason we came all this way.
The premiere was on a busy London street so there were tons of people walking by. I stood outside BAFTA in a suit with my camera and waited for the limos to drop off the cast and the Grand Prize winners.

Each time a Limo would stop a small crowd would gather to see who was getting out. No one seemed disappointed when they did not recognise anyone. They just gathered around, smiled, ooh'd, ahh'd and wandered off when it was over. It was all pretty bizarre really.

Now for the Film. The Piccadilly Cowboy was a super small budget independent film written by Tyler Ford when he was in Film School in London. It is a romantic comedy about a Montana Cowboy living in London and dating his boss' grand daughter. He wants to get married but the grandfather has a couple of conditions.
I will leave it there and tell you to go see the film. The film opened in Utah on Friday. Check out the website for show times and locations. Doug Wright gave it 2.5 stars.
I am not a big fan of romantic comedy but I have to say this was a pretty good film. It had every appearance of a Hollywood production costing many millions of dollars. It was well written and the production was first class. I recommend this film as a "can't miss, feel good date movie".
This film's advertising is purely word of mouth so go see it... and then tell your friends.

On the morning after while the two couples went to church, I walked down to Buckingham Palace and Westminster for some more photos. In the afternoon we took the tube to the Valley to attend the Newcastle United at Charlton Athletic match. Too cool for words!
That was it. We came home on Monday and I was back at work on Tuesday. I caught a nasty cold on the plane. Still fighting to get rid of that.

Pictures coming soon.

Match Report: RSL at Fresno Fuego

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Salsbery) — Sun, 25 Mar 2007 16:40:00 +0000

Press Release from RSL Communications

Real Salt Lakeshut down Fuego 3-0
Chris Brown Strikes Again; Kreis, Tejada Convert Ballouchy Helpers

FRESNO, CA (Saturday, March 24, 2007) – Real Salt Lake rode an early Chris Brown goal and added scores by captain Jason Kreis and Panamanian forward Luis Tejada in the second half to defeat the USL PDL Fresno Fuego 3-0 Saturday night at Chukchansi Park in downtown Fresno.

"I'm very pleased with the week's work here in Fresno," said RSL Head Coach John Ellinger. "We now have two weeks to fine-tune ourselves for April 7 against Dallas."

Veteran Chris Brown, who scored twice in Wednesday's 4-1 reserve win, opened the RSL account in the 12th minute, taking a looping cross from the right side by Jeff Cunningham off his chest and slamming a low line drive into the corner of the net. DF Jack Stewart started the play on the RSL side of midfield, winning the ball and playing long to Cunningham, who took one touch and sent a 40-yard cross onto Brown on the left side of the box.

Major League Soccer's all-time leading scorer, Jason Kreis, put RSL up 2-0 in the 53rd minute, heading home a ball sent in by playmaker Mehdi Ballouchy. The second-year player, who assisted on all three goals in last Saturday's 3-1 over Chivas USA, curled a left-footed ball into the box from the right side, finding Kreis at the spot.

RSL tripled the margin in the 84th minute, when former CONCACAF Gold Cup MVP Luis Tejada settled a Ballouchy corner kick at the top of the six-yard box and slotted a right-footed blast into the goal. Tejada, who reported to RSL camp on Wednesday night following visa delays, exhibited several quality displays in the box, combining nicely with Andy Williams and Ballouchy.

RSL started the game in its now-familiar 4-5-1 formation, with Nick Rimando starting in goal, behind the first-choice backline of Stewart, Eddie Pope, Danny Torres and Willis Forko lining up right-to-left. MF Carey Talley and Kreis shared space behind Ballouchy in the center, while Chris Klein lined up at right mid, with Chris Brown on the left wing and Cunningham as the lone striker up top.

Talley was removed just 20 minutes into the game due to a slight hip flexor strain, being replaced by third-year RSL veteran Kenny Cutler. At halftime, Williams came in for Cunningham, pushing Chris Brown up top. In the 66th minute, Ivorian Coast trialist Jean-Martial Kipre entered for Forko, while draft-day acquisition Kyle Brown came on for Kreis, pushing Williams into the middle. In the 72nd minute, former Maryland standout Chris Lancos came on for Klein, while Luis Tejada entered for Stewart, pushing Brown to right mid and Lancos to right back.

RSL GK Chris Seitz and MF Freddy Adu remain in Frisco, Tex., for U.S. U-20 camp, rejoining RSL on Friday in St. George. RSL returns to Utah on Sunday and has Monday off before training at Rice-Eccles (weather permitting) Tuesday morning at 10:00 a.m. MT. On Wednesday, RSL travels to St. George, UT, for a 3:00 MT training session at Dixie High school, in advance of next Saturday's final preseason tuneup against the Colorado Rapids in Las Vegas.

RSL 3:0 Valley United

Scoring SummaryRSL: Brown (Cunningham, Stewart) – 12’RSL: Kreis (Ballouchy) – 53’
RSL: Tejada (Ballouchy) – 84’

RSL Information Item

Show Me the Money 2

noreply@blogger.com (UtahGamer) — Sat, 24 Mar 2007 05:51:00 +0000

Today Los Angeles and Toronto announced front of the jersey sponsorship deals. They are only the 3rd and 4th clubs to announce such sponsorship. The first, arguably, was Red Bull New York. Real Salt Lake was the first true sponsorship in that Xango has no ownership interest in the team.

Toronto picked up the sponsorship of Canadian banking firm, BMO Financial. Los Angeles extended its relationship with Herbalife.

What's the deal with MLS clubs and complementary medicine companies? Half of the jersey sponsorship deals are with companies that make some claims about health benefits of their products, not that they have had these claims tested by the FDA. Red Bull is noted for 'giving you wings,' an energy drink (like anything else with more than zero calories to it).

The new kids on the block, Toronto, is the only MLS team looking like the old fogies of the league.

Also mentioned in the article was that front of jersey sponsorship was considered part of the grand tradition of soccer. Seems to me that when such sponsorship first came into use in England in the 1970s, there was a lot of discussion about its appropriateness, So, we aren't talking about tradition in the traditional sense, but more in the sense of "we've done it this way for long enough that only old fogies remember times when we didn't do it).

Visited Team Gear in the Fort Union area on Friday evening and saw a Xango fronted jersey for the first time in person. It wasn't as ugly as I imagined.

Show me the money!

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 14:02:00 +0000

There was a collective gasp from Real Salt Lake fans when Goldman Sachs informed everyone that they were pulling their name from the group funding the stadium. A lot of people were saying that this would be the death of the stadium because no one would want to invest money in this project. RSL gave us reassurances that they had another investor lined up, but because they were unwilling to reveal who that was, some questioned whether the investor actually existed. They called this a stall tactic to allow RSL to figure out a way to recover from this blow.

I guess they were telling the truth all along. iStar Financial has been revealed as the new investor for the stadium. iStar Financial is a publically traded company (NYSE: SFI). According to Yahoo! Finance, iStar Financial's "Corporate Governance Quotient (CGQ®) as of 1-Mar-07 is better than 91.8% of Russell 3000 companies and 88.6% of Real Estate companies." It sounds like Uncle Dave has found himself another winner to partner with.

Hopefully, this will dispel some of those doubts out there about this stadium and RSL being a bad investment. It is rather interesting that one of the top real estate companies in the country is willing to invest in RSL and the stadium, yet Mayor Corroon and his "experts" didn't think that they could make it. If I were going to get advice from someone on which real estate deals to invest in, I know which group I'm going to pick. Too bad Mayor Corroon was more interested in politics and his polictical career than doing what was right for Salt Lake County residents.

Freddy Adu and Chris Seitz Kick off U.S. Under-20 MNT Camp Today

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Salsbery) — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 04:08:00 +0000

RSL Press Release:

RSL Duo Part of 16-man Roster Taking Part in Weeklong Camp in Frisco, TX

SALT LAKE CITY (Thursday, March 22, 2007) – Real Salt Lake MF Freddy Adu and GK Chris Seitz are among the 16 players taking part in the U.S. Under-20 Men’s National Team training camp that kicks off today at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, TX. Adu and Seitz are two of Major League Soccer’s nine representatives at the camp, which will run through next Wednesday, March 28 and include at least a pair of exhibition contests, details of which will be released as the week progresses.

The weeklong camp marks the first time the U.S. U-20s have convened since winning Group A of the CONCACAF Final Round Qualifying Tournament in Panama this past January. Along with the nine MLS players, U.S. U-20 Head Coach Thomas Rongen has also invited two European-based professionals and four players from the collegiate ranks to the camp. This will mark one of the final opportunities for the U-20’s to meet prior to the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup, taking place across Canada from June 30-July 22. The USA has already learned its draw for the tournament and will face Korea Republic (June 30), Poland (July 3) and four time U-20 World Cup champion Brazil (July 6) in Group D play.

Adu and Seitz featured prominently in the USA’s success during the January qualifying tournament, as both started all three games in helping the Stars-and-Stripes to a 2-0-1 record and first-place finish in Group A. Despite being the youngest member on the squad, Adu captained the U.S. in all three matches and figured in three of the USA’s goals in a 5-0 trouncing of host Panama on Jan. 21, scoring twice and adding an assist in the group’s decisive contest. The 17-year-old Adu is a lock to make his third appearance in a FIFA U-20 World Cup this summer, having already played in both the 2005 and 2003 tournaments in the Netherlands and United Arab Emirates, respectively. Like Adu, Seitz went the full 90 minutes in all three games in Panama and gave up only one goal in 270 minutes of play on his way to registering a pair of clean sheets during the qualifying tournament.

U.S. Under-20 National Team Training Camp Roster – Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, TX – March 22-28
GOALKEEPERS (2): Diego Restrepo (University of South Florida), Chris Seitz (Real Salt Lake)
DEFENDERS (5): Kyle Davies (Southampton FC), Amaechi Igwe (New England Revolution), Quavas Kirk (L.A. Galaxy), Ofori Sarkodie (Indiana University), Tim Ward (Columbus Crew)
MIDFIELDERS (5): Freddy Adu (Real Salt Lake), Jalil Anibaba (Davis, Calif.), Tony Beltran (UCLA), Danny Szetela (Columbus Crew), Anthony Wallace (FC Dallas)
FORWARDS (4): Josmer Altidore (N.Y. Red Bulls), Gabriel Ferrari (Sampdoria), Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew), Sal Zizzo (UCLA)

Real Salt Lake Communications

Be Careful

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Nicoll) — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 00:47:00 +0000

A while back Eric complained about stupid drivers. Well I wanted to show everyone what I saw as I was driving home. While I didn't see the accident and I do not know who is at fault, someone wasn't paying attention today. Please keep your eyes on the road and pay attention.

Be Careful

Chris

AYL Audio: The RSL Show, Episode 1

noreply@blogger.com (Adam Merkley) — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 00:40:00 +0000

Well, it took longer than we'd hoped, and it's still a work in progress, but we're happy to announce that we have a new podcast for your listening pleasure: The RSL Show. Chris and Scott will be back with a new episode every week, packed with RSL news, information, interviews and other fun stuff. Enjoy!

Click here to listen, right-click to download

Jones Deserves Fond Farewell

noreply@blogger.com (Jacob Hart) — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 19:06:00 +0000

Newer fans of Major League Soccer questioned why Cobi Jones felt important enough to hold a press conference Monday announcing that this would be his final year as a professional soccer player. After all, Jones has become something of an average player in the league, nagged by injuries and at 36 sometimes a step slower than his counterparts.

But long-time observers of the league and US Soccer know why Jones is important enough for a year-long farewell tour. He is, simply put, an American soccer legend.

Cobi Jones was one of the country's top stars in the 90s, playing in England and Brazil before answering the call to join the brand new MLS. He has played for Los Angeles since 1996, the only original MLS player left who is still with the same club.

He has scored 66 goals for LA (the club record), and has played in 281 games, adding up to 23,478 minutes played in Major League Soccer. He has won both MLS Cup and the US Open Cup twice. He has played in three World Cups for the United States, and holds the record for caps with USA, at 164.

He remains one of the few American soccer players known overseas. When my Italian friends found out I cheered for the US Men, they always asked whether Cobi Jones still played.

He does still play, for one more year - and he deserves his fond farewell as a legend of American soccer.

New RSL Stadium Site

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Salsbery) — Tue, 20 Mar 2007 06:02:00 +0000

I just got back from London about an hour ago and found a message from RSL Communications in my inbox with a link to a new Real Salt Lake website dedicated to the "truth" about the Real Salt Lake stadium in Sandy.

"The site is very basic as of now. Just a splash page and a FAQ section. Eventually it will grow into a much bigger project, but for now I am just trying to educate the public and dispel some myths."

Have a look for yourself.
www.rslstadium.com

I will be posting a report (with photos) from my trip to London in the next day or two. Whenever my jetlag gives way to more clearly formed thoughts.

Until then, brush up on your stadium facts.

Observations by The Czar

noreply@blogger.com (Jacob Hart) — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 22:09:00 +0000

With the beginning of the MLS season right around the corner, a few observations are in order. Actually, one of the big observations got tired of waiting around and backed out - but there is a new unnamed observation ready to step in, and I'm sure it will be just as noteworthy.

Is there room for both Ballouchy and Adu? The former has been given the "future of RSL" label by fans after just one slightly-underacheiving-yet-full-of-potential season. The latter has been given the "future of American soccer" label by fans, and wants to live up to it by playing his natural position at attacking-mid.

Adu will likely miss a lot of time this year with American U squads, and don't forget the speculation about a transfer to Europe later this year. That's why I think it's imperative that RSL keep developing Ballouchy as the future of the team. But what if Adu is forced to play on the left more than he wants to? There was tension at DC United over the same thing, of course. Will Coach Ellinger bow to his demands or risk ruining a relationship that has been described as "father-son?"

And now for the unnamed replacement observation...

Intriguing storylines abound as Serie A nears completion. Italian soccer has been in the news lately for lots of bad reasons (except that whole winning a fourth star thing), but the way this season is ending gives Calcio fans a lot to look forward to:

None of the teams that were punished for match-fixing are currently in the relegation zone, though Reggina is flirting with it (as they always do). In fact, Lazio is in a Champions League qualifying spot, and AC Milan is pushing for one of its own while holding a UEFA Cup berth presently. Fiorentina are just 5 points back from a UEFA Cup spot despite being penalized 15 points at the start of the season - they would be challenging Roma for 2nd place if not for the penalty.

Penalized teams aside, there are some exciting prospects for the upcoming year. Sampdoria and Torino are both well out of relegation trouble, meaning we may have more derbies to look forward to. Juventus has distanced themselves from the pack in Serie B, so a Juventus-Torino derby is in the works for next year. Having lived in Torino I can say that this will be an absolutely fierce rivalry.

Genoa is pushing for a promotion, currently holding 6th place (the final promotion qualifier spot) in Serie B. A Sampdoria-Genoa derby makes my mouth water as well, as the beautiful Ligurian town is absolutely ripped apart by these two rival teams. They hate each other passionately despite playing in two separate divisions. Perhaps next year will change that.

Napoli looks poised to make its much-anticipated return to Serie A as well, and though not a true derby, everyone knows that Roma-Napoli is a deep-rooted rivalry. Take it from a guy who has lived in both cities and been to both stadiums. Many Roma fans list Napoli as their top rivals (even over Lazio!), and viceversa.

It's an exciting time for MLS fans awaiting the beginning of our beloved league, and Serie A fans watching the twilight of their season. So here's to Mehdi and Freddy, and here's to the relegation of Messina (you've all heard about my run-in with Messina fans, right?) and Ascoli (not a good city for Serie A, it's impossible to get to). And let the derbies begin!

RSL 3:1 Chivas USA

noreply@blogger.com (UtahGamer) — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 00:22:00 +0000

Saturday evening was a nice win for RSL in Los Angeles. According to the press release by the front office, the team was firing on all cylinders. Playing a 4-5-1 lineup was very effective. While Cunningham didn't score, his runs were dangerous and attracted the defense opening possibilities for Klien to score 2 goals. Adu nearly scored, as did Cunningham.

Most impressive to me was Pope scoring on a header off a corner kick by Balouchy. I had grown despondent over the past 2 years. So rarely were corner kicks delivered to a dangerous position in front of the goal that I was convinced the team simply didn't practice them. Long corners were the rule, corners into the mix were such an exception that I believe they could be counted on one hand in 2006.

In other news, Tejada is in the doghouse with already. An article from last week in the D-News suggests Ellinger is disappointed with Tejada's fitness. A contrast is drawn with Torres who was 2 weeks late joining the team due to visa problems. When Torres shows up, he was up to speed and playing in the starting 11 in a handful of days.

Maybe that's why we saw a 4-5-1, and it is nice to know that it provided lots of offensive punch.

f(p)=e

noreply@blogger.com (Adam Osthed) — Fri, 16 Mar 2007 16:58:00 +0000

f(p)=e ??

...Expectations are often a function of Perspective...

During the past two years of following RSL, I have enjoyed seeing the varying expectations many fans hold for the team. Whether it is relative diehards posting on the internet... or guys I meet at weekend soccer pick-up games... or co-workers... or whomever... I always notice that each carry a distinct set of expectations for what they want from following the team and that this is based on their particular perspective of what the sum of the sport, league, and team is (or isn't) to them.

I had planned to write an article on an email exchange I had with Steve Pastorino recently, but as I reflected on how unique it is for me as a fan to be able to simply write a letter to the GM of a burgeoning professional league / team and actually get a response I thought I'd present it the CSPAN way ('as it is', without commentary)... Here it is:

(Blue Italics contain Steve's responses)

Stadium – When is the expected start date of construction? Has this pushed back the expected "opening" of the stadium? If so, to what date? There has been a flurry of activity in the past month, but I need to refrain from any specific mention of dates, pending some official communications first…
Have there been any significant changes to the design in terms of capacity, layout, etc? I don’t think so… fans are going to love this building!
Will there be an official website/webcams to follow the progress of construction? YES
Can you give me any details about certain “must have” or planned features that could be interesting to fans? Great sightlines befitting the sport of soccer from every seat in the building… “Soccer-specific” touches (proximity of seats to field, midfield player tunnel, gathering places for fans inside and outside the building, etc…) Again, all of the exciting details will be known in due time.
What is your reaction to the petition to stop funding the stadium? Has it impacted the start of construction? No.
Will fans have opportunities to participate in the completion of the stadium?
For example, perhaps “selling” bricks in a wall or pavers in common area that people could get their name on in a “Supporters Wall” kind of thing or giving fans the chance to help paint a section or something. When I lived in Europe (both Sweden and England) these types of things were great community builders/connections with local teams. It makes the team feel like YOUR team. I would expect something like this... I would love to hear anymore creative suggestions!
Attendance – Approximately how many full season equivalent tickets have been sold to date? We're roughly 3 weeks out from the season opener and I'm curious how it's trending... where do you expect the number to finish this year? MLS does not like me to release official numbers… but we are FOURTH in MLS, behind Toronto, LA and DC Only. Our team has been really pleased by the response this offseason. Numbers are better than either 2005 or 2006.. Opening Day is going to be strong (but still, tell all your friends to bring three friends…)
What has been the approximate renewal rate so far? In the 90% range… #1 in MLS.
Designated Player – What is the likelihood that RSL will use the DP slot for the 2007 season? (I know there have been statements about focusing more on an “impact” player at some point rather than perhaps a icon/marketing name like Beckham.) When the right player/deal presents itself, Dave Checketts, John Ellinger and I are ready and prepared to act. These deals are immensely complicated (as are jersey sponsorships), and may come together quickly… or take a long time for the right deal. I’m not sure any GM in MLS can honestly predict how/whether they’ll use their slot. If they’re 100% certain they will have a DP this year, they may find themselves overpaying, I think.
Real Madrid Relationship – What is the current status of the academy? Conversations are very active… stay tuned.
What kind of benefits have you seen from the relationship (in addition to the obvious pre-season training value)?
1) First class VIP experience in Madrid
2) Access to RM front office, directors, coaching staff, youth development team on a regular basis
3) Through RM, access to Spanish Soccer Federation, Rayo Vallecano, UD San Sebastian, Spanish (and other European) media
4) Multiple opportunities that I am not at liberty to discuss yet

Adam – This isn’t my best set of answers… sorry it’s brief… but hope it helps.
Cheers!Steve

Rumor: Earthquakes 08

noreply@blogger.com (Jacob Hart) — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 19:59:00 +0000

A source close to Major League Soccer tells me that the San Jose Earthquakes will be back for the 2008 season. They have or are close to having a stadium deal in place (no confirmation on whether it is the anticipated site on the San Jose State campus).

Furthermore, my source tells me that AEG was not forced to move the Earthquakes, but decided that Houston was a better market for cross-promoting their concert series. This has also been speculated among fans.

This rumor has not been confirmed by Major League Soccer.

AYL Audio: Coach Ellinger's State of the Team

noreply@blogger.com (Adam Merkley) — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 03:01:00 +0000

A recording of a brief discussion that I had with Coach Ellinger.
Topics:

How RSL's preseason trip to Madrid compared to other team's preseason training
Eliminating defensive mistakes
Tinkering with the midfield
Luis Tejada's fitness (or lack thereof)
Jean-Martial Kipre

Click here to listen, right-click to download

RSL Practice 3/14/07

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Nicoll) — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 02:39:00 +0000

Just thought I would give you a couple of pictures from RSL's practice today.

Practice, March 13, 2007

MLS Takes Another Step Toward Global Soccer

noreply@blogger.com (Steve McAfee) — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 01:11:00 +0000

Major League Soccer, in a deal announced Tuesday, will partner with the German Bundesliga, as they continue to move toward becoming a larger presence in the world soccer community.
The deal provides for a cooperative effort in the promotion and development of soccer in both markets, but stops short of any monetary or player exchange.
Specific areas of cooperation will include information on Stadium Construction, Player Development, Officiating and Marketing, and may also include exhibition games played in the U.S.

More information can be found here.

A Coach's Response to Freddy

noreply@blogger.com (Jeremy Horton) — Wed, 14 Mar 2007 19:05:00 +0000

Last week, in an interview in Spain, Freddy Adu was asked why soccer's popularity in America dwindles when players reach their teenage years. Freddy's response: "I attribute it more to the fact that in America, coaches take the fun out of the game for kids. They do. They coach them to play one touch, two touch… It takes the fun out of it and the kids aren’t creative. It’s no fun when you’re not creative and when you’re not expressing yourself out on the field. I think coaches should do a better job."

Dear Freddy,

To some extent I agree with what you're saying, but blaming coaches 100% is shortsighted. As a coach, I'm haunted by this statistic: Of all 12-year-old soccer players in the US, 75% won't be playing at 14. Burnout is the reason for the drop. Nobody, and I mean nobody, understands the importance of kids having fun more than their coaches. Unfortunately, we're hamstrung by several outside interests:

Clubs - Clubs want the reputation of success. Winning brings in good players from far away, which leads to more winning. I've seen clubs step in and remove coaches (even volunteer ones) whose teams are losing too much.

Kids - Go 0-10 sometime and watch how many players bolt for greener pastures. Kids in America are conditioned to believe that winning is fun and they don't want to play for a loser coach.

Professional Interests - While volunteer coaches can afford to be more altruistic, professional coaches (as I'm sure you had) need to think about keeping their jobs and possibly advancing their careers. Those who pay money want to see results, which means you'd better win. Check out the résumé of any of our state's ODP coaches: You'll see plenty of state cups and other impressive things. I bet you'll never see an ODP coach whose bio says "well, his teams were mediocre, but the kids sure had fun."

Parents - This is the biggest thing influencing coaches. Everything I mentioned above is driven by parents. Parents run the clubs, teach the kids how important winning is, and pay the money.

So Freddy, the reason I teach one touch and two touch is because that's what wins soccer games. It's not to stifle your creativity (although ironically, if I was your coach, I'd let you dribble all you want). I want my kids to have fun and to love soccer, it's just that that excuse doesn't work on their parents. So to some extent my teams will always play to win, even at the expense of creativity.

That's why all kids should play pickup soccer. I learned to love soccer on the streets, in the playgrounds, and on the beach, not at practice. Oh, and one last thing, Freddy: A one-touch pass can be just as creative as the sickest dribble.

love,
Coach

"We Need To Win This Game"

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher V. Enger (aka fuegote)) — Wed, 14 Mar 2007 01:17:00 +0000

Confidence is a funny issue. It can be your best friend and your worst enemy. If you have it on your side, nothing can bring you down. If it is not on your side, it acts as an anchor to your soul.

Players need confidence. At the start of the 2006 season, Real Salt Lake striker Jeff Cunningham mentioned he had lost his confidence and rightly so, he was in the middle of a funk. When his confidence returned, he went on a tear scoring goals at will. Jeff ended up winning the Golden Boot award last year.

Players from all sports discuss confidence as though it was something tangible, something that is purchasable, and something you can see and touch. It is amazing to see the difference in their eyes, their play when they know they have it.

Confidence only comes from performing well and winning.

This same confidence had me a little worried as RSL went to Spain to train. They ended up with two losses and a tie. Through the preseason they have only won 1 game.

This week, our lads travel to California to train and Saturday, they play one of our rivals, Chivas USA. Carey Talley told Bill Riley this afternoon that they “need a win.” They are already saying they need a win and it is only the preseason. I agree with Tally.

I hope they are able to get their confidence, their mojo, in time for the season to start. The poor start last year cost them a playoff spot.

What is difficult is this is only the preseason. Last year’s preseason, RSL had a great record only to come out flat. Hopefully the reverse is true this time around and hopefully Confidence bestows his majestic presence on RSL.

AYL Audio: Eddie Pope and Nick Rimando

noreply@blogger.com (Adam Merkley) — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 22:11:00 +0000

A short chat with Eddie Pope and Nick Rimando. Topics range from preseason to being reunited on the same team.

Note: There was a group of elementary school students at RES touring the Olympic Legacy Park, and they had converged on Eddie and Nick for autographs. One of the boys yelled, "This is the best field trip ever!"

Listen to the chat here

Audio: Carey Talley preseason Report

noreply@blogger.com (Adam Merkley) — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 21:30:00 +0000

Bill Riley continues his preseason coverage with an interview of Carey Talley. Carey discusses the preseason trip to Madrid, Luis Tejada's progress and the upcoming trip to California.

Click here to listen

The Bill Riley show is heard weekday afternoons from 1-4 on 700 The Zone.

Practice Report 3/13

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 19:59:00 +0000

It was good to be able to attend practice again. It seems like the team has been gone for a lot longer than they were. Too bad it's only for a couple of days before they head out on the road again.

Unfortunately, I accidentally locked my keys in my car as I was digging for change for the meter. I spent about 20 minutes trying to get it open. I had heard that you can send a signal from a remote door opener over a cell phone so I tried that. It didn't work. My wife had to drive to the stadium to unlock my door for me.

That cut into my time to watch practice so I was only able to watch them short-field scrimmage for a few minutes. There were some wonderful touches and passes happening, but there were also so bad touches and passes happening too. I would have thought that by this time in the preseason, there would be more cohesion. It was an up-and-down performance. Hopefully by the time the season rolls around they will be doing a lot more up and a lot less down.

After the short-field session, they all put on their track shoes and did some distance running. They were running for quite some time. They were still at it when I had to leave. I hope that this means the team will be in fantastic shape once the season starts.

With the short time I was able to watch, I wasn't able to pick up on much more than that. I plan on getting there earlier tomorrow to get a better feel for what is going on with the team (as long as I don't lock my keys in my car again). I did manage to get some video that I will post as soon as I can get it processed. Look for that a little later.

Novak the Mariner

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher V. Enger (aka fuegote)) — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 16:43:00 +0000

Kevin Novak has signed with the Virginia Beach Mariners.
http://www.marinerssoccer.com/home/172069.html

The Czar Picks and Knows

noreply@blogger.com (Jacob Hart) — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 19:52:00 +0000

Coming off historically bad predictions from last year (I think none of the teams I picked made the playoffs, a mathematical impossibility), back by unpopular demand: The Czar's picks. If you are looking for advice on wagering, a good place to start is the exact opposite of the following predictions.

Remember, the eight teams to make the playoffs this year are based on record (after the two conference champs), so X means playoff-bound:

Western Conference:

1. X - Houston Dynamo (Still the team to beat in the West. A very cohesive unit.)
2. X - FC Dallas (They will miss O'Brien more than they know - but Cooper is going to rock MLS)
3. X - Los Angeles Galaxy (Donovan has got something to prove, methinks.)
4. Colorado Rapids (They just don't lose at home)
5. Chivas USA (Preki will struggle in his first year as head coach)
6. Real Salt Lake (It will be a streaky year for RSL, and the 4-6 spots in the West will be very tight)

Eastern Conference:

1. X - DC United (This team is just plain good every year, and I think their additions are great)
2. X - New England Revolution (No Dempsey, no problem. Twellman will have a good year)
3. X - Kansas City (Johnson still won't perform well, but they are a team that does well steadily)
4. X - Columbus Crew (Surprised? I think this team will shock a lot of people this year)
5. X - Toronto FC (Expansion woes aside, this team is loading up on intangibles)
6. New York Red Bulls (Reyna gets injured within 5 weeks)
7. Chicago Fire (Usually a solid team, but I have a gut feeling that this year will not go well)

Despite the best efforts by the league and the officials, Los Angeles will not make MLS Cup - but everyone who tunes out after Beckham is done for the year will miss a great Houston - DC United final, which will go to the black and red.

Outrageous? Let me know why I'm nincompoopedly wrong.