RSL vs. Fire Game Thread [R]

[Rover]

If anyone still wonders if Eddie Pope is important to RSL, this game should clear thing up.

That was painful, and all three goals would have been doubtful had Pope been running the back four.

With Rusty and Dunseth having subpar games, we didn't have chance.

Is Mathis going to score this year--please?

Yet another tape to erase.

Once again, though, our cellar-dwelling brethren all lost or tied so we lose little or no ground.

Somehow that doesn't help my mood this time.

Bring on FCD.

Kreis for MOTM--he never gives up.

[Rover]

I should add the the crowd again looked great on TV, although it was obviously tough to keep up the enthusiasm.

The field didn't look so great--hopefully a week of work will get things in shape for the big game(s) next weekend.

And the attendance of 17,861 puts our average at 18,121. That's third in the league, still behind LA and Chicago but way ahead of everyone else.

Hey, I'm looking for any positives I can find.

[Aerick]

Just got home from the game. 😠

I'm not sure how it looked on TV, but there seemed to be little or no effort exerted by many of the players (notable exceptions: Kreis, Pierce, and subs). It seems, and correct me if I'm wrong because I'm still a child when it comes to the soccer experience of some on this forum, that the midfield is key. It doesn't matter if the defense busts their butts, and/or if the offense busts their butts, if a lackadaisical (spelling?) midfield exists, the best you can have is a 0-0 draw.

One bright spot - the local radio show on 1280 The Zone extended their post-game show until 10:45 and accepted phone calls about the game. Apparently, the lines were packed. I was lucky enough to be the second guy on, but I think the last guy was the best: "I got a fever, and the only prescription is more cowbell!" :D I love it!!

[Stucki]

Originally Posted by Rover

I should add the the crowd again looked great on TV, although it was obviously tough to keep up the enthusiasm.

The field didn't look so great--hopefully a week of work will get things in shape for the big game(s) next weekend.

And the attendance of 17,861 puts our average at 18,121. That's third in the league, still behind LA and Chicago but way ahead of everyone else.

Hey, I'm looking for any positives I can find.

When you factor in international games, we should end up next weekend second in attendance.

[Czar Jake]

I also made it on-air in the post-game show. I really liked the show, they did a good job. I think people are making Williams the scapegoat here. Sure he hasn't been great, but to pin that horrible game all on him isn't right.

I liked Steve Pastorino's comment: "We are the best team in the league at giving up three goals."

Rough game, but good job to everyone who kept the cheers going - I love the "Salt Lake 'til I die" chant.

[Stucki]

Originally Posted by Aerick

Just got home from the game. 😠

I'm not sure how it looked on TV, but there seemed to be little or no effort exerted by many of the players (notable exceptions: Kreis, Pierce, and subs). It seems, and correct me if I'm wrong because I'm still a child when it comes to the soccer experience of some on this forum, that the midfield is key. It doesn't matter if the defense busts their butts, and/or if the offense busts their butts, if a lackadaisical (spelling?) midfield exists, the best you can have is a 0-0 draw.

One bright spot - the local radio show on 1280 The Zone extended their post-game show until 10:45 and accepted phone calls about the game. Apparently, the lines were packed. I was lucky enough to be the second guy on, but I think the last guy was the best: "I got a fever, and the only prescription is more cowbell!" :D I love it!!

We look like a bunch of guys that were thrown together for a pick up game. We don't make the right supporting run to get people easy shots. We don't have anybody close enough to the ball to take advantage of poor clearances or rebounds from the keeper.

We keep getting the ball advanced up the wing with nobody in position to cross the ball to.

How can we expect Jason Kreis to win balls with his head? I think that he is the wrong player to play up front in a lone striker formation. He is probably better as a withdrawn forward. We still had opportunities, and couldn't score. We had two free kicks just outside of the box and couldn't score, and Thornton only had to make a save on one of them.

So much for an undefeated home record.

[Aerick]

Originally Posted by mrstucki

So much for an undefeated home record.

That's the worse part right there. That kills me!

[Stucki]

I missed who got the yellow card at the end of the game. Who was that?

I also don't like the wider field for what it does to our view of the game. I found myself having to watch the scoreboard because I couldn't see.

I will be fine with a wide field in a stadium built for it.

[the Bardguy]

Originally Posted by Aerick

One bright spot - the local radio show on 1280 The Zone extended their post-game show until 10:45 and accepted phone calls about the game. Apparently, the lines were packed. I was lucky enough to be the second guy on, but I think the last guy was the best: "I got a fever, and the only prescription is more cowbell!" :D I love it!!

That would have been fuegote. 😎

[Jose Luis Luviano]

Dante looked good. But would he look that good for 90 minutes?

Dipsy tried hard, but I remember that he received one pass in the penalty area, and promptly lost the ball.

I have to imagine that I'm the only one up for trying to swing a deal for Ante Razov.

The highlights of the game were:

-The return of Forest Fan to the Rice Eccles Terraces. What's the Over/Under on the first visiting player to say "Shut up, you stupid Brit."?

-Chicago not wearing their Uruguay shirts. Why does that color look cool on Lazio and Uruguay, but stupid on the Fire? A question for the philosophers........