The same could be said for Beckerman. If, in the off season, you can get a high-quality and proven midfielder for Rimando or Antinella, I'd say do it. If Nick were four inches taller you could sell his rights to some Euro club if he agreed to it
Whoa slow down buddy. Let's see how the season plays out. Two years ago, many here (myself included) were begging the FO to sell Javi. Where would RSL be now if that had happened? Kyle's still one of the best defensive mids in the league. If Nick were four inches taller he would have never touched Utah grass in an RSL jersey.
I like Jeff Attinella but he's not even in Rimando's league right now. Yes, he's got size, yes, he reacts well, but he needs time and coaching. He parries too many balls and gives up more corners, despite his size he fails to command the 6 yard box and crosses/corners bounce that have no business bouncing (happened last game), and his distribution needs work. Keepers - especially great ones that take care of themselves, have a long shelf life. I'd move Jeff before Nick at this point. Kyle on the other hand, seems to be aging more rapidly than either Javi or Nick. But all of those guys have earned the right to retire with the team if they want to. I would have said the same about Sabo - but didn't know he was as disruptive in the locker room as he apparently was.
Rimando is only 36. He could probably go another 4 years. If anything, if we can keep Attinella around a couple more years, I'd be more open to losing Rimando. KB and Javi I think should retire here, but given the low salary cap, it's not always possible to do so.
Javier Morales has to stay at RSL at all costs, until the end, which will be another 2-4 years. So I say of a 35 year old middie. Huh. But hey Giggs made it to 40 for Man U, and when he played at that strapping young age he was still an impact player. Anything's possible.
If there's hope for the playoffs this season, the two remaining home matches against Portland loom very, very large.
The first 20 or so minutes of this game were what I was hoping to see from this team all summer. There was intensity, there was confidence, there was good soccer. I was pleased purely from an effort perspective. Something that I've felt this team has really struggled with this year. This game was no exception in a drop in form for stretches, though. The 20th minute up to a few minutes before Javi's goal was pretty rough. We probably should have given up a goal in that sequence. One of the biggest flaws was that we kept fouling fukc roughly 30-40 yards from goal. To that point, Jeff Attinella is a hell of a keeper. He'd probably start at a lot of places (KC looking like one of them). One of his biggest flaws, though, is his complete inability to own his box on a consistent basis. In the first half he let the ball hit the ground like three times in his own six. A huge no-no that will be punished on a different night. Still, the guy was huge in other spots so it was forgivable to a point. The Javi goal was magical. Truly a special play from a special player. But if I'm KC, I'm absolutely livid at Besler. How in the hell do you let Joao Plata beat you to a header? That play could have been killed off if Besler wins the header like he should have. Instead Joao awkwardly flicked to Jaime who flicked to Javi. Then Javi made KC players look like cones in a training session and dribbled through them Mansally had a lot of big moments in this game - the aformentioned tracking of Dwyer being at the top. One that really stood out to me, though, was the cross he put in late in the first half that nearly was put in the back of the net by Plata. Mansally, on one touch, put in a ridiculously well placed cross to Joao that deserved a goal. I want more of that. It should come as no surprise that our outside backs have been better in the attack in this recently found goal scoring ability we have. Whatever was said by Cassar at halftime should never be said ever again. I haven't seen RSL look that flat coming out of the break in a long time. Just completely unacceptable. Credit to fukc for recognizing that if they introduced Benny into the midfield at a deeper position he would have space. Still, our midfield might as well have been cones for the first 10-15 of the second half. Great goal by Benny, it must be said. I mentioned this on twitter and I mean it: Feilhaber is the player FUKC deserves. He is a truly great talent. Hard to argue he shouldn't be up for MVP. But he also played a heavy part in FUKC losing this game. We didn't even have KB on the field and RSL was able to get under his skin in no time flat. if this were a CCL game, that "tackle" he put on Javi near the end would have been straight red purely on intent. That is why he is the player they deserve. Like KB, he can hurt you as much as he helps you if the attitude isn't right. I find it ridiculous that this club advertises about every other game as against "a rival". I've been very critical about how too many clubs are viewed as rivals after a game or two. That isn't a rival. However, it's hard to not see that this is becoming one. These teams just don't like each other. In fact, it doesn't even go to the "respect but hate" level. It's just pure hatred. Why the hell did Sandoval start? I just don't get how this is justified by the staff. The dude must finish like crazy in practice cuz he's shit in a game. That point blank miss should put his ass on the bench for awhile. Man did the FUKC outside backs struggle in this one in the second half. Simple passes were destroying them. They were struggling so bad that they started making flat out stupid decisions when they did have the ball. Under minimal pressure we could earn throw ins and corners. I think 3 or 4 of the corners we had in the second half were a FUKC player just kicking the ball out because Plata looked at them. I really don't get why we kept running short corners on the offensive right corner but wouldn't run them on the left. FUKC was giving us the space and a single mark on them. We kept doing it on the offensive right side and got Javi inside the 18 but with the ball on his left foot. Why the hell would we not run the same thing on the other corner!? Javi, on his right foot, on the corner of the 18? Yeah, that doesn't sound dangerous at all. I have no problem with Chapman going yellow on the Olmes pk. If you go watch replays, you'll see Olmes takes a really heavy touch around Chapman away from goal. Which on it's own shouldn't justify the downgrade. What does, though, is that FUKC had two players on the line within a half second. Olmes is fast, but he aint that fast. I would rather there not be a double whammy in those situations. I just hope we get the same smart refereeing for us. Attinella in the second half was amazing. How he stopped some of those chances is beyond me. Nicky (or even better) type stuff. I can't wait to watch the blood bath that will be the USOC semi. Too bad that it falls in a time where we'll have heavy legs from CCL. That has the makings of being another really really fun game. I'm really happy the player's only meeting happened. My only (small) complaint would be to question why it took so long. Though maybe that had something to do with Sabo. What this does show, IMO, is that Javi runs this team. KB is the vocal leader. Nicky is the backbone. But this is Javi's team. Do whatever we have to do to retire him and keep him as a coach.
With regards to 6, a few minutes into the second half I looked at my roommate and said "I don't know what the half time speech was, but it must have been ********ing awful." Not long after Benny The Douche scores his goal and I'm just shaking my head. How does a team come out so flat after a good half? Bad coaching, that's how. The same coaching that keeps starting Sandoval in the middle for no ********ing reason despite all the evidence showing Jaime should start in the middle with Olmes out wide. It'll be interesting to see what happens with KB back. He should start with Luke and Javi in the midfield with Plata, Jaime, and Olmes up top. Everyone can see that, it's so damn obvious it hurts my head to think of any other formation. But knowing Cassar he'll ******** it up.
actually I'd drop Luke for Allen assuming he's healthy Luke and Gil had some god awful passes in this game that lead to straight counters.
The scary thing is that, as far as I'm aware, all of our forwards were available and we started Dev the wonder sub at the target forward position and Jaime on the wing. To no one's surprise, both of them were pretty much non factors all game. That is, until Dev went off and Olmes came in and almost immediately earns a penalty. I just... don't get it. I don't. How can Cassar not see something that is blatantly obvious to even an amateur like me? Jaime has been on fire recently when he starts as center forward. Dev has been useless (sorry Dev, you're a nice guy an all but it's true) pretty much all season. He has 1 goal that was a consolation goal in the 4-1 thrashing at... Montreal? Other than that, not contributing at all. And here we are, all forwards healthy and available and Dev gets the start up top and Jaime relegated to the wing. How did we win again? Oh yeah, cuz Javi is a God among men and we took Sandoval off. Dev was ok when we needed a target forward to fill in when our better target forward (Sabo) was unavailable but he was never a starter. He's still not a starter, not by a long shot. Yet we started him this game when we had better options on the bench. Completely baffled.
I think we need to get a nice, large tifo going that says PUT JAIME IN THE MIDDLE. Nothing like subtlety to get someone's attention. I vote @SALTLAKEJAKE put that in 37 so that Cassar can't miss it. It might work as well as the "Make Garth an offer he can't refuse" one last year.
I just figured with his hamstring injury (another one, shocking eh?!) He'd be out another week or two given our team history. I hate to relegate Luke to the bench, but it's impossible to justify not starting Allen.
Oh, and the baffling Saucedo situation continued in this game to nobody's surprise. Love that he came on... didn't love that he was the time wasting sub
Twitter chatter indicated that Olmes was kept as a sub to have speed to bring on late in the game. It kind of worked, but Sandoval/Jaime didn't. We've seen Jaime produce in the middle (you're right Lizzie). Did you all notice how many times those two kind of ran into each other, either both going for the ball or neither going for the ball? It happened at least three times I noticed. That's what happens. Dear Jeff, please don't pull a Klinsmann and place guys out of position every game. Start Jaime in the middle, the end. Despite some of our giveaways and bad defensive choices not one dude had a bad night. Mansally had key plays, Gil hustled repeatedly, like...I came into work and spoke to a couple of RSL fans today - and we all said "this looks like a different team" And to 15's point - this is Javi's team. He should probably be the Captain. He is in spirit - with no disrespect towards KB. God bless ya Sabo, but something was off.
My gut feeling is that Kyle and Nick are the face and brains of the team, Javi is the heart. Javi is the guy that pumps the life through this team while Nick and Kyle are the ones that keep its head on straight.
Or he could play the right players/formation, and win the game before you need a 'speed sub'. It'd be one thing if Allen were healthy and you have Olmes sub in, but when your 4 forwards are Plata/Jaime/Olmes/Sandoval, logic should dictate you run your best 3, and use different subs if needed.
should but we just saw Cassar pick the 4th best option to start at the ST position while relegating our best option to the wing where he has struggled...