RSL 2012 News Thread (Regular Season)

Garth on OnFrame WAS great. It's just refreshing to hear intelligent people in sports.

The "zoob" straw man is way way way overdone. There are all forms of zealotry in the world, but most people are pretty normal wherever you go.

 

Unless I'm mistaken, we will know which teams our US Open Cup matchup could be (winner of a certain game) and we'll know if we are hosting or if we have to go there by the end of the day...
http://thecup.us/2012-us-open-cup-bracket/

It also appears they are trying to keep the travel for teams to a minimum (as they did last year) so we can narrow down the list to somewhat close squads. Though, didn't we play a team from North Carolina last year... not so regional with that one

It looks like the first 8 MLS spots will be Eastern Conference teams and the bottom 8 will be Western Conference teams.

Some of these teams crests look as though they did a clip art search and pasted some basic times new roman font over it.

 

That horse head that we've had in pictures here sure does get around. See picture 13 in this series from the Preakness in Baltimore.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/...al-preaknessinfield-pg,0,7196896.photogallery

 

and apparently it got to the legal age rather quickly.
are horse years different than human?
what about horse head years?

 

Can someone explain the dislike for Beckerman on the US squad? I've tried getting a real answer but I can only get the usual "he sucks". If there is a good reason then I would be more accepting of the dislike, but when all I get is opinion based answers it is hard for me to wrap my head around.

 

You went to the US Boards, didn't you?
I told you, Simba, that area is forbidden!

Serious answer: he plays in MLS and isn't named Donovan or Shea.

Seriously, the US board is full of such Eurosnob assholes that they would put a guy like Jermain Jones ahead of KB purely on the fact that Jones plays in Europe. They wouldn't care that KB has had, overall, a better US showing. They wouldn't care that KB is actually really coming into his prime now (as opposed to Jones who is leaving it).

US Fans, just like any other set of fans, find a player they don't like on their own squad and blast the living hell out of him for everything (Sabo?). Remember the 2010 World Cup when everyone wanted to murder Bradley for adding and playing Findley/Bornstein. These two guys, especially Bornstein, actually proved to be some of our best players.

Same thing with Bradley Jr. That's who KB needs to look to for inspiration. People hated (and still do) Bradley Jr for varying reasons, mostly because he was the coaches kid. Then he was, by all accounts, our best player on the biggest stage HE also, though I would give the edge to Dempsey, had arguably the best US abroad season with Chievo.

Beckerman just needs to do his thing. Klinny, for the most part, knows what the hell he is doing. Keep playing and keep being the beast in the middle. Let the haters hate.

 

He plays in MLS.

 

It's like a Junior High election. If you're not from a 'cool' you're immediately on the dubious list.

Last WC lots of people would clamor for Buddle while arguing that Findley had no business being on the team - IMO both are kind of fringe players, but neither are 'established' strikers. Basically nobody on the US forward line put any shots in. But if Findley would miss one shot (while say Dempsey missed 15) it was like a crime against humanity.

We're seeing the same thing with Beckerman now - never mind that his priorities are disrupting the enemy and maintaining possession going forward - and he does that - he's still a 'dirty hippy' or he's slow (which I think is a fair criticism, even in MLS). But he can and has contributed to positive results and as a fan I'm proud of him. If he were from LA the mob would behave differently.

 

what 15 said, never, ever, EVER go over to the US forums and expect to find reason/logic behind any comments you read there. that place is a wasteland for soccer idiots, i've tried multiple times using sound tactical logic for the reason for KB inclusion, but the people over there are denser than osmium. the people that post in the US Mens forums range from absolute ********ing idiots who couldnt identify a soccer formation to save their lives to the soccer ignorant that just have no clue what they are talking about.

 

The overriding criticism of Beckerman by most on the national boards is his lack of speed, really does not matter since the one guy who matters likes KB and that is Klinsmann.

 

Ehh...you're right about roughly 75% of the posters there (especially immediately following a game), but there is some really good stuff on that forum. You just have to keep your head down and power through the garbage posts until you find those who have something decent to contribute.

 

All I've can say is "Wow!"

 

Haven't seen one of these in a bit, so I thought I'd oblige.

 

Tracking the 2012 Points

However, yours is easier to read.

 

Ah, thank you for the redirect. I'm used to seeing those things in this forum; I didn't realize it had its own. My chart betrays my clumsiness with excel. The first game starts at number 2 on the chart :S.

 

It doesn't look like they are trying to minimize travel. It looks like we play the winner of Des Moines and Minnisota Stars. Then if we win that we will play either Sporting KC, KC Athletic, or Orlando (at least thats what the chart looks like now).

 

Colorado will either go to Tampa or have Jacksonville come to Denver. That's pretty much the opposite of "minimizing travel". After that, if we win, we're likely to face DC, another long trip for the road team. In the quarters, should we get that far, it would be either Columbus or Seattle probably.

 

A few games back I posted it in both forums. In this forum I indicated that I was moving it to the Tracking the Points forum (that 15 to 32 created for his measures of RSL's performance compared to win them all at home and a perception of good/bad fortune for the team). Since then, I've only posted in the Tracking the Points forum. Here's a quote of the post.

 

I swear I had read that they were doing the regionalizing thing again. oh well, travel is travel.

Come on Des Moines!

I also hope we get past whoever we play and that we get to play Sporting in the next round back here at the RioT. I wanted to boo those assholes in person this season and thought it not possible. Now it is quite possible

anybody have any information on our two possible opponents?
http://mnstarsfc.com/
http://www.menacesoccer.com/

 

http://www.ussoccer.com/news/u-18-m...len-adapts-to-right-back-with-us-u18-mnt.aspx

Maybe I haven't been paying enough attention... But no mention of this?!?

 

jordan tweets....A LOT, the RSL section the MLS app posts a ton of his tweets and its interesting to get a more personal side of the story. he hasnt exactly made it a secret that he is kind of sick of casa grande. not sure if its just the location (hot hot hot temps) or what, but the gist that i get from his tweets is that he cant wait to get out of there.

Jordan Allen ‏@jayalllen
hopefully my last day ever at vista grande

Jordan Allen ‏@jayalllen
@ksmith585 wouldnt give a teacher my phone..somehow got suspended for three days


lol, probably just a high school kid who is tired of crappy arizona weather and home sick. hopefully RSL tags him so we dont lose another player that has an incredibly bright future.

 

while it is an LA kit
https://www.facebook.com/lagalaxy/app_215771625200882
I've been having fun making RSL 3rd kits with this

 

Didn't see this mentioned anywhere on here, but looks like RSL dodges at least one bullet in their next MLS match: Shea suspended three games for kicking ball at referee.

 

Three games for that? What happened to Beckham getting suspended when he threw the ball at the center earlier this year? I can understand a fine, maybe one game suspension, but Marquez seems to be trying to injure guys and gets the same 3 game suspension.