Player Report Card (courtesy of the Chrony)

[clarette]

http://www.dailyutahchronicle.com/media/paper244/news/2005/10/21/Sports/Miserable.Season.Ends.With.Pitiful.Grades.Report.Card.Time.For.Rsl-1029647.shtml

If Brian Shaw graded our defense that harshly, I can't wait to see what he has to say about the midfield...

[prk166]

gracias!

Not a suprise on the Countess comments. I'm much more interested in letting Countess go than Mathis. This one summed up why.

[Dadof3]

I think he was a bit generous to Eddie ("B") rather than a ("C")...

The rest seemed about right...except he forgot our newest defender...Brown - give him another "C"...

One thing he was not very specific about was WHY he graded DJ so harshly. One of the reasons that DJ faced so many shots was because he refused to control his area. An easy way to think of goalies is what type of a football player they would make. DJ would be the small wide-out...nice athleticism and quickness, but do not ask him to go across the middle...all you'll get is allegator arms. Nolley is that big tight-end who wants to catch the ball in the middle...just try to stop him. Psycho Reis is the insane strong-safety who just wants to hit anyone who comes near him. You really need a keeper to be like Nolley in the area with DJ's quickness.

And don't get me started on the fact that DJ is a self-absorbed pretty boy who's distribution is pathetic...(but his goal kicks do allow the fans to get up...get a hot-dog...with condiments...and a drink:wine: ...and be back in their seat before he has actually played the ball)

[prk166]

I like that analogy. And great way to find a good use for the wine glass smiley! 🙂

[Scholesy]

Regardless of my opinion on his comments, just tell me why I should care what he thinks anyway ... since when have we called goalkeepers netminders? yes he obviously knows soccer well ... oh maybe he does, I just wasn't in the mood to hear critisism today I think. There seems to have been so much of that lately, me included, I just feel like supporting RSL today ... even the ones I don't think did their best.

[luvmyboys]

Originally Posted by Dadof3

And don't get me started on the fact that DJ is a self-absorbed pretty boy who

Wow, you must know DJ pretty well to make these kinds of judgements on his character.........

either that, or you know nothing about him.

[Super Phil]

Well I read the first part...until it asked me to subscribe. Just make the entire article available! I don't want to subscribe!

I don't agree with their grade on Countess. How much can you possibly expect from a goalkeeper who is continually hung out to dry by a phantom defense? Sure he made mistakes here and there, but I think he did about as well as you could expect considering the extremely weak defense in front of him.

And why are they calling Nolly a promising 'young' keeper? Isn't he the same age as DJ? Didn't he give up 6 goals to an A-League team? So why is he different than DJ? Did he make mistakes in giving up those 6 goals? Was it all the fault of the defense? You can't have it both ways.

[HibaIssa]

Originally Posted by Super Phil

Well I read the first part...until it asked me to subscribe. Just make the entire article available! I don't want to subscribe!

Here's the complete article for those of you not registered:

In a season that saw more downs than ups, particularly in the latter portion of its inaugural campaign, Real Salt Lake entered the Utah sports scene with a vigor unseen since the Utah Jazz moved here from New Orleans. Unfortunately, RSL had about as much impact on the pitch as the Jazz did on the court in their first season.

So we'll give RSL a break and expect more from the Major League Soccer team next year.

GOALKEEPER

D.J. Countess-The future looked terribly bright for this phenom who has played some serious ball with the U.S. Under-17 national team and will likely don the red, white and blue again before it's all over. Countess played brilliantly in RSL's season-opening scoreless draw at New York/New Jersey. RSL thought it had a superstar on its hands, but after the stellar opener, it never knew what it was going to get from Countess. Whether he sported a Mohawk, a gelled fake-Mohawk or just a shaved head, Countess was unable to avoid injuries and questionable decisions.

In his defense, he did end tied for second in MLS with 112 saves, just three behind New England netminder Matt Reis. On the year, Countess had a 4-19-4 record, almost identical to his 2003 effort on the then-Dallas Burn, when he went 5-15-4. Grade: D+

Jay Nolly-Though Nolly entered the season on the RSL developmental roster, a shortage of goalies, D.J. Countess' health and the team's bad fortune propelled him into action for five games this season. His record was 1-3-1, not bad for a player who gave RSL arguably its biggest victory of the year, a 2-1 defeat of the L.A. Galaxy at home. Solid effort from a young keeper. Grade: C+

Summary: Real Salt Lake watched Noah Palmer, its supplemental draft choice and No. 3 keeper, go down with an injury early in the campaign. Eventually Chad Sackett, a former goalkeeper with the United Soccer League Division 2 (then called the Pro Soccer League) national champion Utah Blitzz, was signed for the remainder of the season as the third-string keeper, though his main obligation to the team was in the front office. He did appear in a few reserve-team matches, however.

DEFENSE

Nelson Akwari-He filled in wherever and whenever it was necessary, though his play wasn't always stellar. But give him credit, he never questioned any assignment he was given and played in every defensive position this season, starting in several different spots, usually for injured players or for those called up. He is a highly sought player, a league veteran and a former U.S. national team member in two age groups. Grade: C

Paul Broome-The mid-season acquisition from the L.A. Galaxy has a bit of a temper, which can be a good thing or a bad thing when at wing defense. In just 14 games, Broome received four yellow cards. When on the pitch, he played aggressive soccer a la Rusty Pierce and made few bad decisions. Grade: B

Gustavo Cabrera-The Guatemalan probably had more impact on his national team, a shame for RSL but also a reality for a lot of players this season. In four games, Cabrera displayed good technical ability, nice speed down the flanks, and he should be a central figure in RSL's plans next season based on what he did for the team. Grade: C+

Brian Dunseth-Dunseth made a big splash in the first game then disappeared into the Wasatch Mountains for about two months. Only she in the red shirt that reads "Dunny Is My Hunny," knows of his whereabouts. Or maybe she doesn't. He may have suffocated.

Anyway, Dunseth appeared in 24 games, playing more than 2,500 minutes, but was invisible for the latter portion of the season, except for when he made a glaring mistake. Grade: C

Rusty Pierce-The fiery MLS veteran was crafty when he played and provided those punches, uh, kicks to opponents' kneecaps, shins and other extremities that RSL sorely needed in every game, particularly in the early matches. As usual though, Pierce's time was beset by injuries and more painful reminders that MLS is fast becoming a kid's game. Grade: C+

Eddie Pope-Quiet, and out of town with the national team-that sums up this season with Pope who, like other RSL players, dealt blow after blow to the team when called to play for his country. The central defender did play 20 games this year in MLS and logged more than 1,700 minutes. However, you wonder how many games RSL would have won had Pope been available and healthy. Grade: B

Evan Whitfield-Perhaps the biggest disappointment on the field this season, besides Clint Mathis, was Whitfield, a proven MLS veteran who has championships with the Chicago Fire and San Jose Earthquakes. But his play never materialized in an RSL uniform. Whether or not it was because of injuries or just not fitting into RSL's style of play is another question for debate. At the beginning of the season, he was supposed to be a key player in the team's success. Grade: D-

SUMMARY: Although Real Salt Lake's backline resembled a New Orleans levee at times, not knowing if it would leak or just break altogether, its 65 goals allowed weren't the worst in MLS. Chivas USA let in 67 on the year. Obviously, there are some big problems that need fixing, particularly the lack of communication between backline players at crucial moments and the overabundance of one vs. ones that opposing attackers had with RSL goalkeepers. Injuries and cards were also in large supply, contributing to constant lineup shuffling.

Next: Part Two (The RSL offense)

[Jim Umber]

Originally Posted by Super Phil

Well I read the first part...until it asked me to subscribe. Just make the entire article available! I don't want to subscribe!

I don't agree with their grade on Countess. How much can you possibly expect from a goalkeeper who is continually hung out to dry by a phantom defense? Sure he made mistakes here and there, but I think he did about as well as you could expect considering the extremely weak defense in front of him.

And why are they calling Nolly a promising 'young' keeper? Isn't he the same age as DJ? Didn't he give up 6 goals to an A-League team? So why is he different than DJ? Did he make mistakes in giving up those 6 goals? Was it all the fault of the defense? You can't have it both ways.

I agree. DJ was pretty amazing most of the time. Also, is it possible that his inability to leave his line results from the fact that the porous defense has let him be ganged up on so many times?

I would bet that with the defense working well, as they have in the last few games, he would feel more comfortable doing that.

[ReAl's Gal]

I love *sarcasm* the fact that my breast size is relevant to his critique of Dunseth's playing. Asshat...