Real Salt Lake get back into action tonight against the upstart Portland Timbers in Portland after their gut wrenching defeat at the hands of Monterrey of Mexico in the CONCACAF Champion’s League Final earlier this week.
Here are some talking points for the match tonight:
1. The team’s response tonight could be very telling for what to look for the rest of the season, or at least for the next month or two of league play. RSL made it very clear that winning the CCL final was their top priority this season and less than two months into the season their top priority is done with. I don’t see Jason Kreis allowing the team to have too much of a let down, but you just never know.
2. Expect to see some lineup changes for tonight. James Edwards has a story in the Deseret News talking about some of the choices Kreiss has for tonight. Jamison Olave, Robbie Russel, and Fabian Espindola did not make the trip to Portland, so we will see some newer faces in the lineup. Twitter pal @RSL Donk has a proposed lineup that I like: Paulo Jr. and Arturo Alvarez up top, Andy Williams, Ned Grabavoy, Collen Warner, and Kyle Beckerman in the mid-field, and Chris Wingert, Chris Schuler, Rauwshan McKenzie, and Tony Beltran in the back.
3. Expect the match to be high scoring. Portland gives up a lot of goals and have scored a lot of goals at home. It should be a fun, high-speed match. Also, I am looking forward to once again seeing some of the best atmospheres in MLS tonight. What the Portland faithful have brought to the table in their first year in the league is very, very impressive.
Speaking of good atmosphere, I have to conclude with a few parting thoughts about the CONCACAF Champion’s League Final on Wednesday night:
1. That match was a coming of age for Real Salt Lake and their fans. The atmosphere inside Rio Tinto was something to behold. I know that Seattle, Vancouver, Portland, and even DC United have great crowds, but for one night in SLC fans of The Royals stood on top of the soccer world.
There was an “incident” earlier this year against Columbus that many thought was the sign of maturity for the fan base (see video here). That “incident” was that the crowd all started singing together for what many believe was the first time ever. What happened on Wednesday night was about five times more exciting and intense. The entire crowd of 20,000+ stood for the ENTIRE match…Okay, we sat at half time, but that was it! The singing, chanting, yelling, booing and cheering was a few notches above anything ever seen at an RSL match. In the end, fans will crave the atmosphere that was present on Wednesday night in Sandy, Utah. I personally cannot wait to experience something similar to that again. Click here and here (credit to @rslsoapbox for this video) for a glimpse of the atmosphere in Rio Tinto on Wednesday night.
2- RSL proved what soccer fans around the world have known for years: In-season tournaments are a lot of fun. Having such an intense match like the CCL final so early in the season is a much welcome change of pace. It gave meaning to the early season. American sports fans are simply not used to having separate tournaments apart from the regular season and playoffs and therefore have never really given a log of importance to them. I personally hope that RSL now goes all out for the US Open Cup in addition to their quest for the Supporter’s Shield and an MLS Cup. Most of all I want to see them in the CONCACAF Champion’s League again next year.
3- The organization really wanted that match and were gutted by the loss as much as the fans. Take a listen to these interviews: Nick Rimando, Team Owner Dave Checketts. The organization and team really went all out for the CCL trophy. Hopefully (and all signs point to “yes”) it is a sign of commitment to get RSL some more hardware soon.
(image courtesy of Getty Images)
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