The Fire begin their "Season saving" home(ish) stand. I was in Salt Lake City once and there is no reason to ever go back there. Not terrible, but awfully boring. I did enjoy the movie SLC Punk back in the day (although the scene where they have to drive to another state Wyoming? to get beer is no longer the case). There is nothing there, just very wide streets and churches and that's about it. The actual "city" of Salt Lake City only has 204,000 people (122nd largest city in the US), smaller than Des Moines and just 30,000 people more than Aurora, IL. The urban area is a bit over 1,000,000 (42nd in the nation, smaller than Milwaukee or Providence, RI), Its two tallest building are 28 and 26 floors, respectively. Neither is over 430 feet in height and neither would make the top 100 tallest list in Chicago. Even the Wrigley Building is taller. It had a pretty large "red light district," but it closed in 1911. The most "iconic" foods of Salt Lake City are some casserole called "funeral potatoes" (which is just a cheesy potato casserole topped with corn flakes) and "pastrami burgers" (which is just a burger with some pastrami on it). Boring ass foods for a boring ass city. Salt Lake City is a nothing place with nothing going for it. Also, the Great Salt Lake itself stinks. It is a often a weird color, due to the brine shrimp and bacteria. It has no animal life (other than brine shrimp and flies). Frankly, it's not that "Great." It was originally part of "Lake Bonneville" which almost as large as Lake Michigan, but that was 13,000 years ago. It's a smelly pisshole now, but people really do float all over it. A victim of climate change, it is shrinking rapidly. It averages a paltry 16 feet deep and miniscule 33 feet at its deepest. In 1987, it was 3,300 square miles. Now, it is under 1,000 square miles. It may "dry up" by 2028. The Big Fire news this week is the Fire have created a partnership with the Shedd Aquarium. Partnership Includes Shedd Takeover of a Fire Game on Earth Day Weekend CHICAGO (April 19, 2024) – Chicago Fire FC and Shedd Aquarium today announced a new partnership to cross-promote the unique entertainment, cultural, and educational experiences available in one visit to Museum Campus. Together, the Fire and Shedd will collaborate to create unique programming and storytelling at both the aquarium and Soldier Field, including a Shedd takeover of the Chicago Fire match on Saturday, April 20 versus Real Salt Lake – just days ahead of Earth Day. https://www.chicagofirefc.com/news/chicago-fire-fc-announces-new-partnership-with-shedd-aquarium I am happy with any local partnership for the Fire but what is a "Shedd takeover of the Chicago Fire match"? Meet our new Right Back: Beluga (can't be worse than Gasper has been, who had been a "fish out of water" prior to his injury. Why not a whale out of water? Probably less cruel than keeping the Beluga in a big tank) I haven't been to the Shedd Aquarium in over 10 years. Apparently it is undergoing a half billion dollar renovation. Good for them. Well, anyway, on to the game RSL are currently fourth in the West, with 12 points from 8 matches, 11 goals scored, 8 conceded. The have one win and two draws away from "Sandy" Utah. The Fire, of course, are in 11th in the East, with 9 points from 8 matches, 11 goals scored, 14 goals conceded. All time the Fire have 8 wins, 9 draws and 7 losses against the most boring team in MLS. This is the first time they have met since 2021 and the Fire are unbeaten against them since 2018. This is only the third time that RSL has played in Chicago at Soldier Field, 2005 and 2021 were the previous visits. RSL are coached by Pablo Mastroeni. Yawn. They are led by some guy named Cristian "Chico" Arango, their Designated Player (and record signing), who has bounced around between MLS, Mexico and Colombia the past several years. He has 6 goals on the season after a decent season last year. Next is another Colombian player, Andres Gomez, who has a couple of goals and a few assists. Other than that, they have boatload of HGP. This should be a super easy win for the Fire as they are a far superior team in every position than RSL. RSL have nothing to offer. They are every bit as boring as their stupid city. The Fire will win 4-1. (Actually, I have no idea, as I have paid zero attention to them in years, the precise amount of attention I should pay to those losers. Frankly, even trying to find something interesting to write about them has been a chore. They are just non-entities in the soccer world).
While hitching to SF in the 80's I had two rather non-stereotypical rides across and out of SLC, on a Sunday morning. One was from a high/hungover dude picking up and delivering medical biosamples from the lock boxes at medical offices around town in a red Mitsubishi, about the size of a washing machine, with numerous, empty half quart beer cans strune about the floor of the passenger seat and a guy who ended up being persistent enough about pulling his crank out of his shorts and playing with it that I directed him to let me out quite literally in the middle of nowhere. Needless to say, no good Mormons gave me a ride. The land around SLC is beautiful, in its starkness. The city itself, not so much. The team named for an absolutely un-American concept of royalty is to be crushed.
About the most exciting thing I can say about Salt Lake City is that I have a parking pass available for tonight’s game if anyone wants it. I have no idea how to transfer it but figuring that out is more exciting than spending any amount of time in SLC. Free of charge as long as you’re not an RSL fan (lol - kidding, I know they don’t have any fans). I feel like the Royals (lol - I’m not referring to these losers as ‘Reál’) are going to be folded/relocated in a matter of years. Between the new hockey team, the Jazz, and them, there’s only so much disposable income available to a standard family of four (one husband, two wives, one kid) to spend. With the population of SLC being somewhere in the thousands, they’ll probably ask for stadium money, get told to pound sand, and end up in ********ing Rochester or somewhere, and still be in a more exciting place. They’ll be really screwed if the Oakland A’s end up blowing their move to Vegas (very likely tbh) and end up moving to SLC instead because that village has been horny for baseball for decades- makes sense when you consider how boring baseball is comparatively (I say that as a lifelong baseball fan). Anyway, I’ll be at the game, unfortunately, cheering for us, still - what’s the definition of insanity? We win this one easily 3-0, with goals by Shaq (pk), Guti, and Cuypers and all get real excited until next week when Klopas makes no adjustments and we get our brains bashed in. ¡Vamos Chicago!
It's a nice day outside I kinda want to go downtown for the day. Do they run extra metra electric trains on gameday?
I doubt it - last I checked the CTA doesn’t even run the Soldier Field Express buses from Ogilvie/Union I doubt a standard Fire game would prompt Metra to run extra service.
Went to a micro-brew pub in Salt Lake City a few years back. Couldn't figure out why all of the beer that I tasted sucked. Then someone told me they were all reduced alcohol which explained a lot. I think some of the ski areas close by are fun. At least they now have a hockey team. Polygamy night really draws in the fans. Sorry, that sums up my experience with the city.
Well, I guess MHs is ok…only change to the lineup is Pineda for Salquist…kinda surprised it’s not Teran.
Getting tired of them playing Souquet to start. I would rather play three man back, Dean or even Teran at RB over Souquet.
MHS is out — will be curious to see who plays RW and I disagree re: Souquet — he’s better than Dean, it’s just that the salary discrepancy (which makes Dean a plus value and Arnaud negative) seem to have distorted how people rate them head-to-head
Another game with one of our best players, who has generated close to if not most of our offense, and who is healthy, on the bench. WTF Klopas.
Fire twitter saying Guti is hurt oh no ❗️LINEUP UPDATE ❗️Due to an injury sustained during warmups, Federico Navarro will replace Brian Gutiérrez in the starting lineup. pic.twitter.com/5IENZ7HTUQ— Chicago Fire FC (@ChicagoFire) April 21, 2024
They couldn't bother to change the graphic? Even on the website, they still have the same line-up listed.