4/02 News

[AreliusII]

Season begins today for RSL

Salt Lake's pro team kicks off inaugural campaign in N.J.

By James Edward
Deseret Morning News

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The time has come to simply play soccer.



Jason Kreis and Real Salt Lake open the season today against the MetroStars.

Scott G. Winterton, Deseret Morning News
In the nine months since Major League Soccer awarded Salt Lake City an expansion franchise, fans have waited patiently while a general manager and coach were hired, the team name and logo were unveiled, and then one-by-one a collection of standout players were acquired.


Beginning today, Real Salt Lake is no longer just a logo or a collection of players from other teams. Nope, after RSL faces the MetroStars today, the team will officially be listed in the MLS standings with either a win, loss or tie. It doesn't get any more official than that.


"This game is pretty huge for us," said RSL midfielder Andy Williams. "Everybody is looking at us as an expansion team, but I don't think anybody on this team thinks that way. We have a lot of experience."


Salt Lake kicks off its inaugural season today at 5 p.m. (MDT) against the MetroStars of New York. The game will be televised tape-delayed at 7 p.m. on Ch. 5. Every home and road game will be broadcast in English on AM-1280 and in Spanish on AM-1600.


While the fans' anticipation has reached a fever pitch the past couple of months, the players have been laboring away since Feb. 1. In fact, it's been exactly two months and one day since Real Salt Lake's players and coaches gathered in Bradenton, Fla., for training camp.


After spending three weeks in Florida, the team trained for two weeks in rainy Portugal, followed by two more weeks in southern California. During that stretch, RSL posted a 5-3-4 record in exhibition games.


"It's been a really long preseason," said defender Matt Behncke. "It's been a lot of good stuff, but at the same time it starts to wear down on you. We're just really looking forward to the first game."


Ironically, it's the MetroStars who resemble an expansion team on opening day. Even though coach Bob Bradley is optimistic about his team's chances this year, the Metros are very much in a rebuilding mode this year, and injuries have decimated their roster even more. Virtually every publication's MLS preseason predictions have the MetroStars finishing last in the Eastern Conference.


"I think with our experience, it will be a good advantage, unlike New York who basically has a whole new crowd," said Williams, who played half a season with the MetroStars in 2002. "Hopefully, we'll be gelling before them."


In anticipation of its season-opener, Salt Lake enjoyed one of its best practice weeks of the year this past week. The extra focus was the result of a humbling 4-1 preseason-finale loss to Kansas City nine days ago. In that game, RSL took a 1-0 lead in the 59th minute, but walked off the field 30 minutes later shell-shocked after giving up four goals.


Salt Lake's projected starting 11 tonight is as fellows: D.J. Countess (goalie), Rusty Pierce (right defender), Eddie Pope, Nelson Akwari (central defenders), Matt Behncke (left defender), Brian Dunseth (holding midfielder), Marlon Rojas (left mid), Dipsy Selolwane (right mid), Williams (attacking mid), Jason Kreis, Clint Mathis (striker).


Of the 11 starters, 10 have at least three years MLS experience. Only Rojas is lacking MLS experience, but his experience with the Trinidad & Tobago National Team more than makes up for it.


"We have a lot of good professionals on this team, so we look to go out and get a result in every single game," said Behncke.


A tie on the road is always considered a good result, but given both squads' current situation, RSL fully expects to open the season with a win.


"Our mind-set is we can win," said RSL coach John Ellinger. "If everybody plays well, we're capable of coming away with a win."



ENDLINES: In addition to the 11 starters, the remainder of the travel roster includes: Brian Dunseth, Jamie Watson, Jordan Cila, Chris Brown, Leighton O'Brien, Luke Kreamalmayer and Jay Nolly. Teams usually only travel with five reserve players, but RSL decided to take seven as a precautionary measure with national team commitments.

[AreliusII]

Pope, Mathis to face old team

By Michael Black
Deseret Morning News

When Real Salt Lake kicks off its inaugural season against the New York/New Jersey MetroStars, it will be a homecoming of sorts for several players. Nelson Akwari, Andy Williams, Eddie Pope and Clint Mathis have all worn the jersey of their opponent. For Pope and Mathis, their last Major League Soccer team was the MetroStars, but to these professionals, going back to play their old team is just another day at the office.



Real Salt Lake's Clint Mathis controls the ball during practice in the University of Utah's Indoor practice facility.

Scott G. Winterton, Deseret Morning News
"It's going to be fun, but it's not a big deal to me," said Mathis. "Some people might make a bigger deal out of it. I just want to kick off the franchise with a win. It wouldn't matter who we were playing. It doesn't make the game any different."


Pope, who played for NY/NJ the last two years said, "It's just another game, nothing special."


For Mathis, the game will mark not only his return to New York, but to MLS. He played just over three years for the MetroStars, and the team had an astounding 22-0-4 record whenever Mathis scored a goal. With his success, he was recruited and signed to play for Hannover 96 in the German Bundesliga. After struggling with coaches and management during his stint in Germany, he is happy to return.


"I took a year off and it's good to be back, especially in a new city and with a new team," he said.


With that new club, there are differences not only in personnel, but in styles as well.


"People are different anywhere you go," said Pope. "But it seems like this is a really good group. The whole organization seems to be well organized and well run. It is surprising how good things are going considering this is a new franchise."


Mathis noted a major contrast in the coaching: "It's a different attitude with John (Ellinger). It's great. He keeps the mood kind of light as far as putting pressure on you, but he lets us have fun while still maintaining the work ethic necessary for us to be successful."


While there are adjustments to the soccer and personnel, those are minor compared to the shift from a booming metropolis and a city of over seven million people to Salt Lake City and a population around 2 million for the whole state. Those changes however, can also have a positive influence.


"I like it here already," said Pope. "It's a beautiful place. A place that is good for families. People are really friendly and helpful and that makes a big difference. When your home life is good, everything else seems to go well. I've come into a good situation." Pope smirked and added, "Besides, the traffic is much better."


The players may be returning to their old stomping grounds, but it does not seem like there will be too much sentiment weighing on their shoulders.


"I had a great time for 3 1/2 years there , but it's all new and exciting for all of us," added Mathis. "Every organization has a different feel to it from the coaches to the players all the way down to the front office, but this is a great new experience for us. It may be new, but we all realize that we are going to New York to get three points not just for a good show."

[AreliusII]

Things you need to know

MLS consists of two conferences, Eastern and Western, and the top four teams from each conference make the playoffs. The 2005 season runs from April 2 to Oct. 15, followed by two rounds of playoffs, and then the MLS Cup in Dallas on Nov. 13.


The schedule is broken down into 16 home games and 16 road games. All Real Salt Lake home games will be played at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Its home opener is April 16.


Teams are awarded three points for a victory and one for a tie. There is no overtime.


Each team is allowed to carry 28 players on its roster, five more than last year. This consists of 18 senior roster players and 10 developmental players — all eligible to play in any game. The league increased that number so teams would have enough players to field a developmental team and play a 10-game schedule sporadically throughout the season.


Teams are allowed three subs during the course of the game, but a player is not allowed to re-enter the game after exiting.


During the course of a game, the referee can show players either a yellow or red card for dangerous play or dissent. A yellow card is the equivalent of a technical foul in basketball. After two yellow cards, the player receives a red card and is ejected from the game. If the incident warrants it, the ref can show a player a red card without a yellow first. When a player receives a red card, his team then plays with 10 men instead of 11.


A penalty point system will be used to weigh the tactical significance of various yellow cards. Players accumulating 21 penalty points are suspended one game and fined.


The official game time for all MLS games will be managed on the field by the referee. If necessary the referee may also allot extra time (a.k.a. stoppage time) at the end of each period


Unlike most sports, in soccer the clock counts up from zero. The stadium clock will display the time from 0:00 to 45:00 and from 45:00 to 90:00 (plus stoppage time where applicable in each half).


The basic formation in professional soccer is 4-4-2 (four defenders, four midfielders and two forwards). Based on a team's strengths or weaknesses, a coach may decide to use a 3-5-2 or a 4-3-3 formation.

[AreliusII]

RSL: Mathis, MetroStars have history
RSL star had rocky relationship with his former MLS team
By Michael C. Lewis
The Salt Lake Tribune





Real Salt Lake striker Clint Mathis spent 3 1/2 years with the MetroStars, Real's first regular-season MLS opponent. (Associated Press file photo)

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Only tonight will Real Salt Lake begin to forge its much-anticipated sporting history with the MetroStars and Major League Soccer.
Clint Mathis, however, already has one.
So while RSL will be making its landmark debut not even nine months after being created as an MLS expansion team, the 28-year-old striker - one of the game's great talents, and a presumed star and leader of the new club - will be returning to face the MetroStars (5:30 p.m. MST) for the first time since leaving two years ago after 3 1/2 tumultuous seasons at Giants Stadium.
"Somebody asked, 'Was there any bad blood or anything?' '' Mathis said. "Definitely not. I had a great 3 1/2 years here. It's not like I'm coming into this game looking at it as a huge rivalry, or anything like that. I'm looking at it more as a new franchise's first game of the season to start off being back in the country playing for MLS."
Five of his teammates also are MetroStars alumni.
Others - namely six-time All-Star defender Eddie Pope and forward Jason Kreis, the all-time leading scorer in MLS - figure to be just as important in determining whether Real Salt Lake can live up to its own preseason expectation of contending for a championship. But none of them

Clint Mathis

have enjoyed (or endured) a big-city experience like Mathis.
"I had a great time," he insisted. "In the media, a lot of things were said that were ups and downs, but for me, it didn't bother me."
Ups and downs.
That's a good way to put it.
Once the golden boy of American soccer, Mathis scored a record five goals in game for the MetroStars nearly five years ago, but also acknowledged playing without much enthusiasm after the team prevented a prestigious move to Europe. He removed his jersey to reveal an "I Love NY" shirt after scoring his first goal for the team, but later almost climbed into the stands while confronting critical fans.
His team was 22-0-4 when he scored a goal, but he failed to score in his final eight games. And his ejection for kicking a D.C. United player during a crucial game late in the season two years ago helped cost the Metros a playoff berth and led former coach Octavio Zambrano to proclaim - out loud and in public - that Mathis needed to see a psychologist.
"People say that I have something to prove," Mathis said. "I don't think I have anything to prove. If anything, I want to prove something to myself. But other than that, I don't have anything to prove. I just need to go out there and play. If I play OK or if I score three or four goals or if I don't score, as long as we come away with a win, that's all that matters."
So, will they?
Coach John Ellinger and some of the players have acknowledged the importance of getting off to a fast start to capitalize on the excitement they have created since owner Dave Checketts delivered them to Utah last summer.
But with the MetroStars having retooled their lineup after leading the league in scoring last season but going 11-12-7 amid a defensive disaster - they added veteran defender Jeff Agoos after trading Pope - the RSL side doesn't know what it will find on the field tonight.
"It's hard to say what to expect," Mathis said.
Except for rain, anyway.
Weather forecasts call for heavy rain all day, and that could have an effect on whether RSL can come together as quickly in a game situation as it believes it did during preseason training in Portugal.
"We certainly expect to play well," Pope said. "We'll be working out a lot of kinks. All of us haven't been together as a unit for an extended period of time. That might show a little bit. If it doesn't, that's icing on the cake, for sure. But we expect, at a minimum, to play as hard as


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we can play."
That's what Mathis believes, too.
He said he's excited for another chance in the MLS, after playing last season for Hannover 96 in Germany and returning for the opportunity to play under Ellinger, a good friend whom he has known for years.
And speaking of personal histories, Mathis said he knows just how those old Metros fans are going to treat him when he takes the field tonight for the historic game with his new franchise.
"Definitely a little bit of both, I'm sure," he said.
mcl [at] sltrib.com


Old Stars
Real Salt Lake players who were with the MetroStars:
No. Player Pos.
2 Nelson Akwari D
1 D.J. Countess GK
5 Brian Kamler MF
10 Clint Mathis F
23 Eddie Pope D
7 Andy Williams MF



Real Salt Lake at MetroStars

* At Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, N.J.
* Kickoff: 5 p.m. MST
* TV: Ch. 5 (tape delay at 7 p.m.)
* Radio: 1280 AM (English); 1600 AM (Spanish)
* Records: RSL 0-0; MetroStars 0-0
* Series: First meeting

About RSL: Playing the first game in their history, they have a potentially explosive attack with veteran F Clint Mathis and F Jason Kreis - the all-time leading scorer in MLS, with 91 goals. . . . MF Dipsey Selolwane and MF Marlon Rojas both have joined the team after playing for their national teams - Botswana and Trinidad and Tobago, respectively - in World Cup qualifying last week. Both will start . . . They went 5-3-4 in the preseason, but lost or tied their last five games. . . . Starting GK D.J. Countess was the defensive player of the year for FC Dallas last season, even though the club was just 5-15-4 in the games he started.
About the MetroStars: Led by MF Amado Guevara, they finished third in the Eastern Conference last season at 11-12-7. . . . Guevara led the league in scoring with 10 goals and 10 assists for 30 points, and the MetroStars ranked first in MLS by scoring 47 goals but last by allowing 49. . . . Veteran MF Youri Djorkaeff joined the team from Blackburn of the English Premier League, but the 1998 World Cup champion from France is out with a hamstring injury. . . . Veteran D Jeff Agoos was added in a trade from the San Jose Earthquakes, and has played 219 regular-season games and won two MLS Cup championships.


Opener
RSL at the MetroStars
5:00 p.m., (Ch. 5, 7 p.m.)

He said it
New York Times columnist George Vecsey on Clint Mathis:
"Just like John Starks, Clint Mathis is not always mature. It is part of his charm. He is back in the MLS because he could not hide his opinion of Ewald Lienen, his coach at Hannover 96 in the German Bundesliga."

[AreliusII]

Utah's New Soccer Team Prepares to Kick-off
Apr. 1, 2005
John Daley Reporting

Soccer fans here in Utah are fired up and ready for the kick-off of the first game for the state's new major league soccer team tomorrow.

Real Salt Lake plays the first game of its first season tomorrow in New York, and we had no problem finding young players who are excited about this; in fact I think we heard the word "awesome" uttered more than once.

Soccer is nothing new here in Utah, in fact this state has cultivated a huge base of players, more players per capita here than any other state. But the new Major League Soccer team, Real Salt Lake, kicks the sport to whole new level here in the inter-mountain West, as members of this young team are happy to explain.




Ally Stainbrook, Soccer Player and Fan: “It’ll be a really cool experience. It’s gonna be fun. It’s pretty awesome, yeah.”

Erin Swenson, Soccer Player and Fan: “I think it’ll be totally awesome. I think Utah soccer will be much better. The youth will get much better from having MLS players come.”

Courtney Johnson, Soccer Player and Fan: “We’re gonna be cheerleaders. We’re all gonna sit in the front row. It’s gonna be awesome.”

The team already is among the league leaders in season ticket sales and is counting on a strong youth and Hispanic support.

Alex Gardner, Rowland Hall Soccer Player: “I really excited. I can’t wait. I can’t stand it, I just can’t wait to watch it on TV. I wish they were playing here so that I could go tomorrow.”

Chris Agnello was the head coach of the pro soccer team--the Blitzz, and now an assistant with Real. He hopes Real builds on what's come before.

Chris Agnello, Real Salt Lake Asst. Coach: “We developed a nice little fan base. Nothing to this level, but certainly enough to tease the public. So maybe we were the appetizer.”

If all goes well the club hopes there'll be plenty to celebrate as only soccer fans can. The game against the Metro Stars at Giants Stadium will air on KSL 5 at 5:00.