Ellinger/Pastorino chat today

SoccerPrime · 10-27-2005, 06:27 AM

Ellinger and Pastorino to answer your questions in live chat on Thursday
Real Salt Lake General Manager Steve Pastorino and Head Coach John Ellinger will be performing a live chat on-line on Thursday, Oct. 27 at 3:00 p.m. MT. Fans interested in finding out the latest news on RSL can email their questions to sweeper [at] mlsnet.com and we'll hold them until Steve and Coach Ellinger get there.
http://real.saltlake.mlsnet.com/MLS/rsl/fans/chat/2005/10_27_05/

the Bardguy · 10-27-2005, 03:46 PM

The Real Salt Lake braintrust of general manager Steve Pastorino and head coach John Ellinger joined us on Thursday, October 27, to discuss the team's upcoming home game on Friday versus Chivas USA, their recent scouting trip and plans for the new stadium in Sandy. Read the transcript below.
RealSaltLake.com
Thanks for stopping by today, guys.

Steve Pastorino
No problem.

John Ellinger
Let's get to the questions.
Tim from Westport, Conn.
Congratulations on your new stadium announcement! What new innovative features (for players and fans) have you seen at other stadiums that you definitely want to be in Sandy? What other ideas do you have for the new stadium that you want considered but that may not be feasible?

Steve Pastorino
I will just say there are a lot of features that I've seen in stadiums around the world. A lot of them incorproate business and retail in a stadium complex. That can include stores, restaurants, conference centers ... this project in Sandy could be a little different in scope from the most recent soccer projects in MLS. We're still really early in the process so we've made no firm decisions yet.

John Ellinger
Grass.
Shane from Orem, Utah
First, I would like to know Nick Besagno's condition after playing in a very physical U-17 World Cup. Second, one could not help but notice how Italy and Holland physically punished the United States during the U-17s. What other skills, techniques, or tactics did you notice the United States lacked and what can we do as youth coaches to help improve the style of play on this level?

John Ellinger
Right now we're training and he's back to 100%. He had a pretty sever ankle sprain during the Italy game but now he's 100% and training full time. You know, when you're playing in the World Championships, you get a variety of teams. Based just on group play, the U.S. had to play against a European team and there's no love lost between Europeans and Americans in world soccer. They've played a team from Asia and Africa and then another European team, I think what you find is that there's a variety of tactics based on your opponent. The coaches need to prepare for each game, as they did. It's very unfortunate that Eric Lehigh was unable to play because he's probably the No. 1 defender in that group ... and that Nik couldn't play. Those were two very good players that could have helped the U.S.
Eric from Salt Lake City
Steve and Coach E.: thanks for a wonderful season!! Even though the results were poor, it was still one heckuva ride, and one of the most memorable 8 months I can ever recall! Steve, regarding the proposed stadium and the negative political atmosphere surrounding it: What's the possibility of limiting the scope of the stadium plans, at first, and then making enhancements as time progresses to enable a lower up-front cost (read easier to finance privately and publicly)?

Steve Pastorino
I'd answer that by saying, first of all, don't believe everything you read in the papers. We're making a lot of progress, quietly, to move this proposal forward and make it live up to the vision that our ownership group has for us. I think it's fair to say that any "negative perceptions" are being fueled by the media and not representative of what's actually happening.
Juliana from Orem, Utah
Question for Coach Ellinger: Congratulations on putting together a team of first-class individuals that Utah has been able to embrace in the community. Some say you choose your starting eleven based on who your "favorites" are, rather than who is performing the best. I have also heard rumors that the reserve team has at times regularly beaten the starting team in practices because of this. How do you respond to these critics? Also, is your amount of practice time (1-2 hours a day?) considered standard for first-rate teams? Good luck next year. We can't wait to see how the team grows and improves over the winter.

John Ellinger
First of all, my favorites for each game were the ones who were playing the best at the time and they are the ones who started. With callups and injuries and things we had to deal with, the ones who started were the best at the time. I know most of the guys on the team very well. I've been around long enough, with coaching with U.S. Soccer and as an assistant coach in MLS, I'm a fan of the league and I know the players very well. I think the people that have those questions haven't actually travelled the world and seen what training sessions are like in other countries. In England, they play every Saturday and often Wednesdays, and they find a rhythym of training that can be as little as 30 minutes the day before a game. You can't bring them in and work them for three hours and expect them to play at a high level. Any physiologist will tell you you have to have a rhythym of training. Some of the most respected coaches in the world will say that if you can't get it done in 90 minutes, which is how long a game is, then you shouldn't be doing it anyway.
Jeff from Salt Lake City
What is the general thinking on bringing quality international players to the team that don't necessarily get called up to their respective national teams on a regular basis? In other words, does it make sense to recruit/find players from South America or Europe that are of a high quality, but not in the "elite" class in terms of being generally considered for their national teams?

Steve Pastorino
That's been a catch-22 for MLS teams for all ten years of our existence. The instinct is to get the best possible players and take the callups as a cost of doing business. That being said in our recent trip to Europe, John and I were considering players in both camps: guys who are not in national team pools and those who are. We'll evaluate them as a case by case basis.
Neal from Spring Hill, Fla.
Hello Steve and John, first off congrats on a great start as a new team to the league. Of course you know Freddy Adu is unhappy with his playing time, are you going to give it a go and bring him to Real? Even though I am a United fan, I pay to see this kid play.

Steve Pastorino
Freddy's under contract to D.C. United and there's been no overtures from them that they're looking to move him within the league or otherwise. As good as Freddy is or will be, we're all hoping that we can find other players who can be as impactful to a winning organization and we're leaving no stone unturned to find them. We were recently in Europe scouting players in England and Germany with Hannover 96 as our host, the club Clint Mathis used to play for.

the Bardguy · 10-27-2005, 03:47 PM

Allen from Savage, Minn.
RSL had a pretty poor season on the pitch. What are the goals and expectations for 2006 to correct this?

Steve Pastorino
The first goal is to be a competitive team and secure a spot in the 2006 MLS Cup Playoffs. We're looking to upgrade in any area possible and we're well aware that there have been several examples of MLS teams having remarkably quick turnarounds: Kansas City, New England and MetroStars to name a few.

John Ellinger
Obviously, we want to improve the product on the field by being more competitive and winning more games. For a specific goal, we're anticipating playing our first game on the road so our goal is to get our first road win which should be the first game of the 2006 season. That's the immediate situation.
Sean from Salt Lake City
A lot of speculation on the internet is about the status of Clint Mathis. He is one of the higher paid players in the league and despite his obvious talent and ability, he didn't perform up to expectations. Will he be back next year? If so, can we expect to see a more in shape, aggressive Clint that we know and love?

John Ellinger
We're continuing to train right now. Clint stepped it up in the latter part of the season and there were some facotrs that definitely had an impact on Clint's performance so hopefully that's been worked through. I'm sure Clint is going to be back with us next year and Clint is starting his preparations to do exactly that: get fitter which in turn leads up to the Clint we all know and love. Again, Clint is one of those individuals that possesses the talent to make major impacts in a game so we are just hoping that he's healthy and ready to go next season.
John from California
How do you keep from committing acts of violence against people who complain about the stadium site in Sandy? You're a better man than I am.

Steve Pastorino
I have spent lots of time with people who have strong opinions both for and against Sandy. Quite frankly, a lot of the people who are upset about Sandy end up with a changed opinion once they listen to all the rationale that went into the decision-making process and understand what a great facility it's going to be. It's my job to listen to people who are both complimentary and critical of what we do and I quite enjoy it, actually.
B.J. in Provo
Are you really going to change the name to Real Sandy, or will Sandy allow you to leave it as Real Salt Lake?

John Ellinger
Real Salt Lake.
Will from Salt Lake City
Are you planning on creating a more recognizable association between Real Salt Lake and Real Madrid? If so, where do you want to go with it?

Steve Pastorino
The answer is yes and there have been many levels of discussion with them already involving on-and-off-the-field topics. As one of the greatest clubs in the world, they have a lot on their plate right now. I suspect you will see more signs of our two clubs working together in the future.
Diego from Costa Rica
It´s tru that costa rican defender Daniel Torres is training with the team and what possibilities (does) he have of staying in the team for next season?

Steve Pastorino
Daniel Torres has been the cream of the crop of about seven players who are on trial with us this week. He just completed a successful season in the Norwegian first division and has indicated he wants to play closer to home. We'll probably make an evaluation very quickly on Daniel. We're looking forward to seeing several of our trialists on the field in a scrimmage this Friday that will give us a better view of their abilities under game conditions. As you may know, we're playing Chivas USA at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Gates open early for the scrimmage at 5:00 p.m. if you want to see these trialists in action.

John Ellinger
As part of our agreement with Hannover 96, Jamie Watson, Jay Nolly and Kennu Cutler are going to leave on Nov. 2 to train with the first team for two weeks which should be a great experience for them.
RealSaltLake.com
Thanks for the time, any final thoughts?

Steve Pastorino
I'd just like to say congratulations to Brian Kamler, whose off the field contributions this season led to his winning the MLS Humanatarian of the Year award. From my standpoint, it's been a pleasure interacting with our fans at the stadium, online, in person and in the community and that's an aspect of the job I really enjoy and something I will continue to make a priority. John and I are committed to responding to the fans dedication by putting a team on the field that will compete for and make a run at MLS Cup 2006.

John Ellinger
I just want our fans to know by far, even before I came to Salt lake City, I have been to many games throughout the league and without a doubt our fans, and their support for RSL is second to none. I speak for all of our coaching staff, and the team side, we totally appreciate the support our fans have given us and it's just been a wonderful experience. I think every player and staff member would say the same thing. We never dreamed it would be anything like this.

Deuce · 10-27-2005, 03:54 PM

Thanks BG
🕺

Aero · 10-27-2005, 03:55 PM

Interesting read. Thanks Bardguy!

fuegote · 10-27-2005, 03:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John Ellinger

I just want our fans to know by far, even before I came to Salt lake City, I have been to many games throughout the league and without a doubt our fans, and their support for RSL is second to none. I speak for all of our coaching staff, and the team side, we totally appreciate the support our fans have given us and it's just been a wonderful experience. I think every player and staff member would say the same thing. We never dreamed it would be anything like this.

Way nice...thanks John

montgjules · 10-27-2005, 03:59 PM

I'm not sure if I should have asked the question I asked, but it was interesting to hear the response.

The most interesting thing for most people will be the response regarding Cletus.

Dadof3 · 10-27-2005, 05:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by montgjules

The most interesting thing for most people will be the response regarding Cletus.

Yea...there went my season tics. 😇 My wife couldn't stand to go to the games because of all his standing around and yelling at everyone, so she made me a deal that we could renew for next year if, and only if, Cletus was gone. I am officially beyond bummed. (And baffled that Ellinger would tie the future of this franchise to the player we saw this year.)

Scilaci · 10-27-2005, 08:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dadof3

Yea...there went my season tics. 😇 My wife couldn't stand to go to the games because of all his standing around and yelling at everyone, so she made me a deal that we could renew for next year if, and only if, Cletus was gone. I am officially beyond bummed. (And baffled that Ellinger would tie the future of this franchise to the player we saw this year.)

That is tough. Maybe if he plays up to expectations, or even significantly improves, your wife may change her mind. Who knows.

On another note:
I think it is cool that we can see the trials at 5:00. That would be fun to do our own scouting of the potential players.

Section 37 · 10-28-2005, 04:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dadof3

Yea...there went my season tics. 😇 My wife couldn't stand to go to the games because of all his standing around and yelling at everyone, so she made me a deal that we could renew for next year if, and only if, Cletus was gone. I am officially beyond bummed. (And baffled that Ellinger would tie the future of this franchise to the player we saw this year.)

You should renegotiate.

Make a deal that if he hasn't shaped after a certain number of games, you sell your tickets. After all, if Mathis has changed his tune, maybe he'll become everyone's favorite player. I know a few people who would love nothing more than to dust off their Mathis jerseys.