Takin Care of Business: RSL Blasts Carolina to Reach Semis.

Alvaro Saborio played 90 minutes and scored for RSL (Deseret News)

The last two US Open Cup outings, though wins, have been a bit of an adventure for Real Salt Lake.  This was nowhere near the case last night as the Claret and Cobalt put the hurt on the NASL leading Carolina RailHawks to advance to the semifinals.  The full time result was 3-0, but in reality it wasn't that close, as RSL pretty much dominated a very lackluster Carolina side.

Speaking of lackluster, that's exactly the word that Jason Kreis used to describe the effort in the first thirty minutes from RSL.  Bunker?  Yeah the RailHawks did that.  They sat behind the ball and unlike the Charleston Battery, never really tried to press.  As for RSL's part, they worked the ball around quite a bit, patiently probing for an opening.  It was all a bit too patient though, as it lulled pretty much everyone watching to sleep.  However, given what had happened defensively in the last Open Cup match, I guess as a fan you can't really blame them for the conservative start.

So, who you gonna call when you need a bunker buster?  Your fullbacks of course.  In the 35th minute Tony Beltran drove a gorgeous shot on goal that slipped by the 'keeper and in to make it 1-0 for RSL.. Shortly before the end of the half Beltran launched another gorgeous strike that was destined for the top corner, but the 'keeper made a fantastic save to keep the scoreline at 1-0 going into the half.

Carolina didn't open up all that much to start the second half either, but again an RSL fullback made them pay.  In the 50th minute Chris Wingert hit a shot to the near post.  The Railhawk 'keeper got a hand to it, but couldn't keep it out and it was 2-0 to RSL.  Late on in the match the Claret and Cobalt switched formations into a rather interesting 4-5-1 look, with Olmes Garcia and Joao Plata on the wings and Sabo up top by himself.  This looked pretty good as Garcia found Sabo with a cross in the 86th minute that the Costa Rican promptly back headed into the net to make the final tally 3-0.

There was some hay made after the match about Carolina and the way they approached the game.  On Tuesday a RailHawks player commented that their league match on Saturday was more important than this match.  If you watch Kreis's postgame presser, you'll see that he bristles at this suggestion.  Now, this might very well be true, but in a quarterfinal match against one of the best clubs in the country, it reeks of excuse making, both before and after.  Play to win, or go home.  Put whatever eleven out on the pitch that you want, but show up.  The RailHawks didn't, and in my mind embarrassed the NASL with their poor showing.  I gained a lot of respect for the Charleston Battery when they came here to play, but the Railhawks were disappointing.  Oh well, that's on their manager.  We're moving on to host the Portland Timbers on August 7th, just two wins away from a trophy and CCL.

So here are the Puddle's Three Stars for the match:

THIRD STAR--Alvaro Saborio, F, RSL.
Sabo is back and he is fit.  Now, hopefully he doesn't get injured playing in the Gold Cup for Costa Rica.  He played 90 minutes for the second time in a week, and while he didn't have his best night, still scored a goal and provided that critical holdup play that let RSL have possession in the Railhawk's half.

SECOND STAR--Chris Wingert, FB, RSL.
The thing about Wingert is that the dude always shows up and gives 100% every match even when he's not playing particularly well.  He's part of the bedrock for this club.  Last night he scored a goal and provided better service than he has been to really contribute to the win.

FIRST STAR--Tony Beltran, FB, RSL.
It was honestly the best match I've seen from Tony in a long time, on both ends of the pitch.  Yeah the goal was good, but his service was also improved and he really helped quash any lame attempt by the Railhawks to get forward.  Now I just hope he can stay consistent and put up these performances in MLS.

RSL vs Carolina RailHawks: What I'll Be Watching

Real Salt Lake continues it's journey in the 2013 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup when they host NASL side Carolina RailHawks at Rio Tinto Stadium on Wednesday night.  The Claret and Cobalt will have their international players available for the match, but this will NOT be a walk in the park.  Carolina currently lead the NASL and have only lost once in league play.  RailHawks forward Brian Shriver has recently been named player of the week for the NASL and he leads the league in scoring with eight goals.

So with most of the players back in the fold, and with opposition stepped up a bit from the last Open Cup match, here are a few questions and issues that I'll be watching for at the RioT tomorrow night.

1. Rimando or Saunders?
Josh Saunders has been the man in net for RSL so far in the Open Cup run.  Will that continue, or will we see Nick Rimando in goal tomorrow with a place in the Open Cup semis on the line?  I personally think Josh has played rather well.  Certainly neither of the goals scored by the Battery were on him in the last match.  However, with injury issues on the back line, will Rimando get the call to help marshal the defense?

2. Will Aaron Maund get another run out at center back?
Jason Kreis did not argue with the assertion that Maund had a rough night against the Charleston Battery.  However, with Kwame Watson-Siriboe out for the season and Chris Schuler still out, will RSL give Maund another shot in this one?  After all, we have another league match at Toronto on Saturday and then a midweek clash with the surging Union a few days after.  We could see Maund start next to Borchers, resting Salcedo for Saturday.  It's not out of the realm that we could see Wingert at CB with Abdoulie Mansally or Lovell Palmer at FB.  If Maund does get the start, would it be better to have Rimando in goal to help provide the youngster with more confidence?

3. Who will Kreis field up top?
I doubt we'll see Sabo since he played 90 minutes on Saturday vs Seattle.  Ditto Robbie Findley, who played most of that match.  Olmes Garcia came on in the second half, but my money is on Joao Plata and Devon Sandoval, neither of whom played this weekend.  Devon has been a beast in Open Cup and truly deserves the start, in my opinion.  Plata always deserves the chance as well, he is a great catalyst.  It could be mighty interesting to see Garcia come on in the second half after the RailHawks have chased speedy little Plata around all match long.  I do think we'll see Sabo in the 18 though, at least as a security blanket if things don't go well.

4. Can RSL come out with MLS energy and put the RailHawks away?
To me, this question could be crucial to our success over the next week or so.  With a road trip to Canada ahead, the Claret and Cobalt do NOT want to be playing 120 minutes tomorrow night.  If the team starts with the right mentality, coming out as they would against LA Galaxy or the Sounders, RSL should be able to put Carolina away.  If they don't. the RailHawks are more than good enough to cause major problems and pull an upset.

So these are four questions that I think will greatly effect our chances of winning and advancing tomorrow night.  RSL really could not have hoped for a kinder draw so far, getting all lower league opposition and getting them all at home.  If the Claret and Cobalt win tomorrow night, they'll host the winner of Portland and Dallas in early August for the semi-finals.

Ancelotti Takes Over at Real Madrid

Carlo Ancelotti will be the new manager at Real Madrid.

It has finally been confirmed.  The eyebrow will coming to Madrid! I kid, I kid.  Real Madrid finally ended speculation as to their new manager today by announcing that Carlo Ancelotti will take over for the departed Jose Mourinho.  Real will make things official in it's royal box on Wednesday by formalizing the signing, then Ancelotti will have his first presser.

The Italian has been the front runner in media speculation ever since it was made known that Mourinho was out.  HoweverHe remained under contract with French Champions PSG, and it is not known at this point whether or not Madrid paid PSG to spring Ancelotti from his contract.  For their part, PSG have announced that former French International manager Laurent Blanc will take the helm for them next year.

Ancelotti's experience and record are second to very few, both in league play and in Europe.  He won the Champions League twice with AC Milan and won league titles with Milan, Chelsea, and PSG.  In 2010 he won the FA Cup/Premier League Double with the Blues.  He was also a winner of the Champions League with Milan as a player in 1989 and 1990.  He also played in the final with AS Roma in 1984.

Expectations will be high for Ancelotti.  Last year Madrid failed to capture either the Copa Del Rey or the La Liga title, and they once again came up short in their Champions League bid, which Mourinho had claimed was his priority.  Ancelotti will be immediately expect to rejoin the battle with Barca for the league title, oh and probably win the Champions League too. 

No pressure, Carlo!

Captain Kyle Takes Charge as RSL Stifles Sounders

RSL celebrates Kyle Beckerman's opening goal vs Seattle

The atmosphere was a little more rocking than usual at the RioT Saturday night, as it always is when the Seattle Sounders come to town.  RSL fans always get up for playing the Sounders, and well, we know what the traveling Sounders fans add to a match.  Both sides were in fine voice on Saturday, but in the end, all the moments on the pitch belonged to RSL.

One of the best parts about playing the Sounders is that you know that they're coming to play, not sit back like so many teams do when they come to the RioT.  This was the case Saturday night as well, as both teams took turns with some decent possession, but neither created a lot of chances.  It turned out to be worse for the Sounders though, as they weren't able to even muster a shot on goal in the first half.  As for RSL, they had a lot of their possession in the Sounders half, and were actually sending some pretty decent balls into the box, but the Sounders repelled all invaders, for most of the first half anyway.

It came crashing down on the Sounders late in the first half.  In the 40th minute Kyle Beckerman earned a free kick just outside the area, clearly right in the wheelhouse of Javier Morales.  Javi's free kick deflected off of the Sounders wall, but they weren't able to clear it.  The ball fell to Beckerman  on the end line near Gspurning's left hand post.  Beckerman unleashed a wicked volley back across his body and into the goal, sneaking it just underneath the crossbar to give RSL the 1-0 lead.  It was very impressive, and is up for MLS Goal of the Week.  Seattle stood dazed, but RSL was not able to capitalize again in the first half, and the teams went to the locker room with the Claret and Cobalt holding the 1-0 lead.  My favorite part of Kyle's goal was the fact that it happened right in front of me, quite literally.  It was awesome to watch and I couldn't believe that it went in.

The ecstasy hit a fever pitch for RSL fans just after halftime.  In the first 30 seconds of the half Robbie Findley smashed a drive on goal that Gspurning did well to parry.  The ball fell to Alvaro Saborio, who looked set to smash in a goal, but he flubbed his shot, instead the ball rolled off of his foot and over to Findley, who took advantage of his second chance and drove the ball home to make it 2-0, leaving Michael Gspurning to yell at his defenders because BOTH RSL strikers got free, basically unchallenged touches in the box.

It was downhill from there for the Sounders, as RSL dominated from that point on.  Gspurning made a couple of good good saves later in the match to keep it at 2-0.  Khari Stephenson and Beckerman absolutely shut down Mauro Rosales in MF for Seattle and Borchers and Carlos Salcedo stifled Eddie Johnson and Obafemi Martins in attack, though to be fair to them, they didn't really get much service.  Johnson and Brad Evans, who played for the US National Team at the RioT on Tuesday, looked particularly gassed late on as RSL cruised home for the 2-0 win.

Here are the Puddle's Three Stars for the match:

THIRD STAR:--Carlos Salcedo, CB, RSL:
Carlos was an absolute beast for RSL all night.  Center back looked to be a problem for RSL as Chris Schuler is still out with a foot injury and Kwame Watson-Siriboe tore his ACL in the reserve match against Phoenix.  The 19 year old looked totally comfortable next to Borchers and really didn't cause me a single worry all night.

SECOND STAR--Alvaro Saborio, F, RSL:
The Sabo haters were out in full force after the match because after all, how dare he play 90 minutes and not score a goal? You know what he did do?  He occupied the Seattle defense freeing up some runs for other guys.  His hold up play was absolutely  FANTASTIC leading RSL to maintain possession in Seattle's half and carve out some chances.  If he and the rest of the striker corps can stay healthy, well, things are going to be scary for RSL opponents.

FIRST STAR--Kyle Beckerman, MF, RSL:
There's no question here for me.  Not only did Kyle have the match winning goal, but he bossed the midfield all night with out Osvaldo Alonso in the middle for Seattle.  He completed 57/75 passes and had 7 interceptions, really limiting the effectiveness of Rosales in the MF for Seattle.

RSL next host the Carolina Railhawks in the US Open Cup Quarterfinals this Wednesday night before traveling to TFC on Saturday.  Seattle has a bye week this weekend, so they'll have a chance to regroup before hosting DC United.

USMNT in SLC: My Game, My Crowd, My View.

Clint Dempsey and company brought the USMNT show to Rio Tinto (ESPN)

A couple of months ago US Soccer announced that not only would Rio Tinto Stadium host the USMNT for the 2013 Gold Cup, but we were getting a World Cup Qualifier against Honduras as well.  I was pretty stoked, this was to be my first experience watching the National Team live, and I was not disappointed in the slightest. Being in the stands, singing the National Anthem, and cheering for your country is pretty much the best thing in sports, especially when there's something like a spot in the World Cup on the line.

In the end the match didn't have the memorable surroundings like the Colorado qualifier or the champagne type football that was played in Seattle, but it did have PLENTY of drama as the US left it late.  Honduras is certainly a tougher opponent than Panama, and they pushed the US to the limit.

In fact, there were large stretches of the match where Honduras possibly were the better team, despite the fact that they were missing several key players to suspension and injury.  Their cause wasn't aided by the fact that one of their forwards, New England's Jerry Bengston, got in an argument with the coach and left camp.  The Hondurans still had some good options, including Roger Espinoza, lately of Wigan Athletic fame.  He caused the US a good number of problems all night.

Honduras focused more on defense though, putting a lot of guys behind the ball and clearly playing for a scoreless draw.  I will say that when I returned home and watched the match on TV, they came across as a little more attack-oriented than they did in person from my limited vantage point in section 30, especially in the first half.

They almost got their wish too!  It took 73 minutes for the Yanks to break the deadlock.  Jozy Altidore took a great ball from Fabian Johnson in the box and slotted past the burgundy-clad Honduran 'keeper to score the game's only goal.  It was quite the accomplishment, as the 'keeper had absolutely stoned both Eddie Johnson and Clint Dempsey earlier in the match.

Honduras really came out of their shell after the goal, as they pretty much had to.  In fact they bossed the match for a lot of the last 15 minutes, but Tim Howard marshaled the US Defense to repel all invaders and rack up another three points on the road to Brazil 2014.  The win keeps the USA on top of the Hex with 13 points.  Considering 16 usually puts a team in the World Cup, they're in a great position to qualify after taking maximum points from this round of matches.

Now I'd like to say a few words about the crowd and the evolution of Salt Lake as a soccer city and a soccer crowd.  There's been some mudslinging in the media, most notably a comment from ESPN's Taylor Twellman during the broadcast of the match.  In the first half, Ian Darke observed, quite rightly, that the decibel level wasn't as loud as the match in Seattle, at which Twellman waxed offense.  When Darke pointed out that the crowd had considerably less to cheer about than the Seattle folks, Twellman commented that it really didn't matter, that the crowd has to be there for the team anyway.

I don't disagree with Taylor on that point.  I too have been somewhat frustrated with our crowd at various points in the last few years.  We have a tough time sustaining chants.  We also seem to lack communication between our supporters groups.  Barra Real, SCU, Section 35, and Section 26 all have made strides in trying to up the atmosphere, but sometimes they come in on top of each other and we end up with multiple chants at the same time, leaving the rest of the crowd perplexed as to what to do or who to follow.

When you stop and think about it, Salt Lake has had professional soccer for less than 10 years.  We've been in our own stadium for about five.  I would contend that the evolution of the area as a soccer city really didn't kick into gear until the team moved to Rio Tinto.  I attended a few games at Rice Eccles stadium back in the day, and let's face it, it was just BAD all around.  After that I moved to Florida, and I attended my first game at the Riot in September 2010.  We got tickets in the south end zone where I was fairly confident that I could stand and cheer.  Within ten minutes the people behind us had yelled at us to sit down.

We've come a long way since then.  Our season tickets aren't in a supporters section, so we still get people who don't stand.  However, the acceptance of chanting and supporters culture in general is on it's way up, which is a good sign.  Perhaps nowhere in MLS is the difference between a "supporters club" type fan and the soccer mom/Dippin' Dots crowd more apparent than in Salt Lake.  Generally I think RSL has done a pretty good job trying to strike a happy medium, but what people who aren't from here don't realize, with all due respect to Mr. Twellman and some of my twitter friends, is that it's a different crowd and demographic.  We get a ton of families who have come into fandom because their kids have played the game.  Turning these folks into standing/chanting supporters is an uphill battle, especially if they have young kids.

Also, the crowd is primarily a basketball/college football crowd.  Both of these sports carry an entirely different flow and culture than pro soccer.  It results in the crowd being more pensive and being more reluctant to chant in key moments.  To put it differently, they're often too busy watching the match to yell and chant.  It's not a bad thing, it's just different.  Sure, folks like me would like them to come around, but it's a process.  Also, don't forget that part of the reason the crowd here gets so nervous is because they're used to getting their hearts broken in the biggest of games: see Michael Jordan and Humberto Suazo.

The biggest improvement was that the whole crowd stood pretty much for the entire match for the USA.  I'm hoping that this can signal the next phase in the evolution of Salt Lake as a soccer town.  Let's face it, we're never gonna be Seattle in that regard.  In my opinion, Seattle really is soccer city, USA, though I'm sure some folks in Portland would disagree.  It's an example we should strive to emulate.  I'm encouraged by what I saw Tuesday night as someone who has observed soccer in SLC from the early days.  Let's build on it and see if we can make it better.  Thanks to US Soccer for giving us the chances!

Quakes Swipe Three Points From Colorado, With Controversy In Tow

The Quakes celebrate after Steven Lenhart opened the scoring on Saturday

The San Jose Earthquakes began a new era under new head coach Mark Watson Saturday night at Dick's Sporting Goods Park.  However, the new look seemed suspiciously like the old, with the match descending into the embellishment, rough tactics, and time wasting that have marked the Quakes' play over the past couple of seasons.

Not that the Colorado Rapids have ever shied away from physical play, and they certainly did their fair share of dishing out.  In the end, the Quakes managed to get into their heads though, coming away from Commerce City with a win that might start to get their season back on track.

Colorado, who had been unbeaten in their previous six league matches, came out the more positive side.  You have have to recognize that Oscar Pareja has really done a good job in transforming this club into a good footballing side.  Unfortunately, defense still seems to be a bit of a weak spot for Colorado, and this time even rookie GK sensation Clint Irwin couldn't help them out.  Steven Lenhart made a goal out of practically nothing in the 11th minute.  He ditched Drew Moor and got on the end of a ball from Alan Gordon out of the midfield.  Lenhart then put an amazing strike on target, just beating Irwin at the near post to make it 0-1 to the Quakes.  

Disaster seemed to strike the Rapids just 7 minutes later.  Both Hendry Thomas and Atiba Harris went in on for a tackle on Alan Gordon in the midfield.  Thomas got him, but Harris came in quite late, and Gordon went sprawling to the ground like he had been knifed it the chest.  Harris got a straight red for his troubles, and the Rapids found their uphill climb to be even tougher.  Now, I'm not defending the Harris tackle.  It was reckless and late.  He should have just left the job to Thomas.  it was really a bad decision on the part of the forward.  However I think Gordon sold it really well.  The referee initially was only going to issue a yellow card, but then decided to seek counsel from his fourth official, who had previously been swarmed by Quakes players.  The card changed color to red.  I think the yellow would have been the correct call.

The Quakes didn't seem like they wanted to take advantage though.  For the rest of the first half they largely played junk ball, dumping long balls up the pitch between futile Colorado attacks.  The red card seemed to galvanize the Rapids, but their youth seemed to show a bit as they often settled for distance strikes that didn't really test Jon Busch.

The second half was a different story though.  Still trailing 0-1, the Rapids subbed in Martin Rivero and immediately looked better on offense.  Another talking point rose up early on in the half when Quakes' coach Watson kicked the ball from the sideline at the Rapids' Hendry Thomas, which of course the Rapids midfielder took exception too.  The already fired up Thomas went to the sideline to confront Watson, but was intercepted by Chris Wondolowski, who was looking pretty frisky considering he'd been invisible for the entire match.  Both Thomas and Wondo picked up matching Yellow cards, but it didn't appear that the officials said anything to Watson.

Thomas got caught out a few minutes later, and one wonders if his mindset helped lead to the Quakes' second goal.  In the 52nd minute Rafael Baca hit Sam Cronin with a through ball that opened up the Rapids defense.  These are the kind of balls that Thomas usually eats for lunch.  In the end Cronin slotted past Irwin to make it 0-2.

The Rapids were not out though, and they applied plenty more pressure to the Quakes in the latter stages of the second half.  Jaime Castrillon came in and instantly upped the pressure, including a great header on goal that Busch somehow managed to save.  Nathan Sturgis got one back for the Rapids on in minute 67, as he turned in a great cross from Brian Mullan to make it 1-2.  However in the end it was all the Rapids could muster as Busch managed to repel the Colorado attack the rest of the way to seal the win and the three points for the Quakes.

It will be interesting to see if the Disciplinary Committee takes a further look at anything from this one.  I doubt Harris will get the red overturned, but I don't really see him getting any extra tacked on either.  Thomas might get a call for some of his rough play, but nothing suspension worthy.  I'd like to see a one match touch line ban for Watson for striking the ball at Thomas, but I don't see that coming about either.  The Rapids have a midweek match at home against Chicago, so if there is anything, look for it quickly.

Puddle's Goal of the Weekend: Luis Suarez vs Spain

A late wonder strike from Suarez couldn't help Uruguay against Spain

The 2013 Confederations Cup kicked off this last weekend, and there were a good few outstanding goals to go around.  Neymar hit a great strike against Japan, and Pirlo started things on Sunday with an outstanding free kick goal vs Mexico.  However, for me the goal of the tournament so far is this strike by Luis Suarez against Spain:


He's pretty good when he's not biting, diving, or cheating in some other fashion. Unfortunately for Uruguay, it wasn't enough as the defending World Champion Spain went on to win 2-1.

A Bridge Too Far: Battery Push RSL to the Brink

RSL's Joao Plata equalized with this PK in the second half.

The last time RSL took the pitch in the US Open Cup, it rained buckets as they defeated the Atlanta Silverbacks in extra time.  It rained goals last night at the RioT, though the downpour started considerably later than most of the home fans would have liked.  In the end the Claret and Cobalt came back and defeated a well organized Charleston Battery side 5-2, again in extra time, to survive and advance to the quarter finals of the Open Cup.

A lot of folks will complain about the "bunkering" strategy employed by the Battery through most of the match.  Indeed, they had 9-10 men sitting in and just outside the penalty area almost from the first minute of the match.  It was a classic defend and counter strategy.  I won't blame them.  The manager's job is to install the lineup and tactics that give his team the best chance to win.  The plain fact of the matter is that for 45 minutes, those tactics worked just fine for the Battery.

The Battery struck first in the 16th minute.  Defender John Wilson caught the RSL defense asleep at the switch and put a beautiful through ball into RSL's right flank on a counter attack.  Dane Kelly took the pass, and Josh Saunders played it well, keeping his angle and forcing Kelly to go to the far post.  Saunders' defensive help was nowhere to be found though as Kelly slapped the ball inside the far post to make it 0-1 to the visitors.  Jason Kries's head nearly exploded just two minutes later when the Battery again caught RSL's defense napping.  Quinton Griffith ripped a shot that bounced off the post, but the rebound easily fell to the Battery's Nicki Paterson, who tapped home with his right foot to make it 0-2.

After that RSL started to play a little bit better, but still had issues on the defensive side, especially against the counter attack.  The Battery nearly iced the match in first half stoppage time.  Somehow they ended up with a 2-1 break, the 1 RSL man being young Aaron Maund, who had been suffering through a rough night.  Maund acquitted himself well here though, doing his best to challenge both Battery players where he could.  In the end, he held it up long enough for Chris Wingert to catch up from behind and take the ball off of the Battery player, ending the the threat without a shot.  To me, that was the most important moment of the night.  If the Battery score there, they're up 0-3 going into the half and any momentum that RSL might have salvaged would have been totally shattered.

Coach Kreis started the second half with the same XI, which puzzled me somewhat.  I thought for sure we'd see Chris Wingert slide into the middle for Maund and Lovell Palmer pop in at fullback.  Instead Kreis showed some confidence in the youngster, which in the end wasn't a bad thing.  I don't know whether the players got the blowdryer treatment or the silent treatment in the locker room, but things were immediately better in the second half.  However the Claret and Cobalt still looked as though they were at a loss as to how to unlock the Battery bunker.

That changed in the 63rd minute when Joao Plata and Khari Stephenson checked into the match.  Plata checked in for Maund, and RSL went to three at the back with the extra forward.  Plata's speed quickly started to pull apart the Battery defense.  Three minutes later, the home crowd was feeling it as the "Believe" anthem made itself spontaneously heard throughout Rio Tinto Stadium.  RSL responded to it's fans' call as Tony Beltran served a ball into Devon Sandoval, who promptly slotted the ball into the net to make it 1-2 and totally bring the crowd to life.  This was the point when I really started to think to myself, "yeah, we can do this."

RSL applied nearly continuous pressure to the Battery goal and it all came good in the 79th minute when Joao Plata was taken down in the area to earn a PK.  He stood up to take the spot kick himself, drilling it into the top corner to equalize at 2-2 and grow his flourishing legend in the mind of RSL fans.  However, despite the pressure, RSL was not able to net a winner in regulation and the match headed into extra time.

RSL's advantage was obvious going into the extra session.  The Battery had a smaller roster, and they were playing their 3rd game in 7 days.  The altitude had also been sapping them throughout the latter stages of the second half, they looked gassed while the RSL boys looked relatively fresh.  In the 7th minute Plata crossed to Sandoval who easily rose over the Battery defense and headed in his second of the night to give RSL the lead for good.

Unfortunately for the Battery, wave after wave of Claret and Cobalt pressure proved too much as RSL decided to end any hopes they had of coming back and forcing PKs.   A few minutes later Khari blasted an absolute golazo from 35 yards to make it 4-2, and Javier Morales added yet another PK right at the end of the first 15 to make it 5-2.  The final 15 passed in an exhausted jumble and RSL easily cruised to the win from there.

The first half was absolute junk, and brought back nasty memories of last year's Open Cup defeat to the Minnesota Stars.  I'm not going to say that I was sure that RSL was going to come back, that would be a lie.  However, the team showed a ton of character in the second half, chipping away bit by bit and finally putting the match out of reach in extra time.  Still, one thinks that if that match would have been played in Charleston, well things might have been very different.

So here are the three stars from last night's match:

THIRD STAR--Odisnel Cooper, GK/Charleston Battery--
Don't let the fact that the Battery gave up five goals fool you.  One must remember that two of those were PKs against guys that Cooper had never seen before.  One of them, Morales, a master of putting the ball right where he wants to every time.  Cooper faced a ton of pressure with the Battery's bunker defense, and he made several key saves in both halves to keep the Battery in it and force extra time.

SECOND STAR--Joao Plata, F/RSL--
Plata's speed really changed the game in RSL's favor.  The already weary Battery defense had no answer for him.  Plata earned, then made the PK that equalized the match.  He followed that up with the assist on the game winner.  Both he and Khari Stephenson are really endearing themselves to the RSL faithful.

FIRST STAR--DEVON SANDOVAL, F/RSL--
Speaking of newcomers endearing themselves to the fans, how about this young man?  Just a few months into his pro career he has tied Jason Kries as RSL's all time leading scorer in the US Open Cup.  He is really taking advantage of the opportunities he's getting.  Garth Lagerway has said that the only thing consistent about young players is their inconsistency, yet Sandoval has been remarkably consistent throughout the early season.  He's humble, and he's HUNGRY.  Last night he scored the first of match for RSL and the eventual game winner to send the Claret and Cobalt to the next round.

The Charleston Battery deserve a lot of respect for playing hard and staying classy.  They did the best they could, but they were never going to be able to outlast RSL in that extra time.  It really was a bridge too far.  RSL will host the Carolina Railhawks, who beat Chivas USA last night, in the quarter final round of the US Open Cup.

Sevilla Handed Europa League Spot In Place of Malaga, For Now.

There was some interesting, and frustrating, news coming out of Spain today for fans of La Liga side Malaga.  The Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland has dismissed their appeal to set aside their ban from European Football and play in the Europa League next season.  Their spot will now go to Sevilla, provisionally.

Last December UEFA banned Malaga from European competitions for two years after they were found to be in violation of financial fair play rules.  That ban was later reduced to one year.  Malaga spent much of the 2012-2013 campaign fighting for the fourth and final Champion's League spot, but faded toward the end of the season.  In addition, the court upheld the fine of 300,000 euros leveled by UEFA, which Malaga will now have to pay.

Eighth place side Rayo Vallecano had hopes of being granted the Europa League spot should Malaga's ban be upheld.  However, UEFA have not granted them a license for European competitions.  This being the case, the spot will go to ninth place Sevilla.  Rayo is still hopeful of a decision from the same court in the favor, which would grant them that spot in Europe.

Gone Are the Tablecloths: New Manchester United Kits for '13-'14

Wayne Rooney in a promo photo for United's new kit. (Nike)

United fans and kit nerds rejoice!  The tablecloth/tea towel kits of yesteryear are now officially history!  Nike has unveiled the new kit for the Barclay's Premier League Champions, and the picnic checkerboard is nowhere to be found.  Of course, United won the title last year, so talk smack about the kit all you want, I guess.  They got the last laugh.  Here's the new offering:

I like it, personally.  It's more of a classy look.  I'm also a fan of collars on kits, though the collar on this one is of the small variety.  It also features the buttons in front, which I like as well.  Nike will also continue it's commitment to using environmentally friendly kits with this shirt, as it will again be made from recycled polyester and plastic bottle material.  According to Nike, the kit is also 23% lighter than previous editions.

So what do you guys think?  I like it.  Of course, they'll have the EPL champion patches on the sleeves. As I said, I like the more classic kit look with collar, so it's a plus for me.  If you really dig it, you can order up at World Soccer Shop.

Match Thoughts and Three Stars: RSL vs LA Galaxy

Expect to hear plenty more from RSL's Lucky #13 (Photo: Deseret News)

Last night was another wonderful night for football at the RioT.  The later start times are excellent, that extra 30 minutes makes a ton of difference.  The Galaxy and RSL took the pitch at 7:30 and put on a great show for the fans, with RSL's Olmes Garcia becoming the hero of the day with a late brace to propel the Claret and Cobalt to a 3-1 win over the defending champs.

I'll admit to being a little worried after the Galaxy were crushed 5-0 by the Revs last weekend.  I figured that Bruce Arena would have his troops marshaled for a fine performance against RSL, and for the most part it was true, at least in the first half.  Both teams took turns on possession in the opening half, and it felt like a couple of top class fighters probing for a weakness.  Those weaknesses started to appear in the 26th minute when Khari Stephenson cracked the left post with a free kick.  The ball bounced back across the face of goal but no one was there to turn it home.  The Galaxy hit the woodwork just 3 minutes later, when Jose Villarreal nailed the corner of the crossbar and the far post from outside the box.  The Galaxy nearly took the lead in minute 37 when Villarreal tried the other upper corner on a free kick, but Nick Rimando was as good as ever, jumping to his right to make the save.

However it was the last five minutes of the first half that proved to be the main battleground for both sides.  In the 44th  minute Robbie Findley dropped off to Stephenson just outside the top of the box.  Khari banged it low near post to slot past the Galaxy 'keeper to make it 1-0 to RSL.  The Galaxy then capitalized on a blunder from RSL in the first minute of stoppage time.  A ball in bounced off of Nat Borchers' face and fell perfectly to Landon Donovan, who expertly slotted past a helpless Nick Rimando to equalize at 1-1 going into the half.

Both sides tightened up in the second half, and clear cut scoring chances seemed few and far between.  However, I thought RSL could have utilized better service to break the Galaxy defense sooner than they did.  It seemed like neither fullback was on his game offensively last night, and Tony in particular hit a couple of crosses that were real stinkers.

The Claret and Cobalt came good in the end though, starting in the 83rd minute.  Kyle Beckerman and Javier Morales worked the ball around the LA box, then Javi sent a great ball into Olmes Garcia, who flashed a header to the back post to make it 2-1 to RSL.  Olmes then iced the match in stoppage time as RSL struck on a counter.   Devon Sandoval made a great run up the pitch with the ball before dropping off to Morales, who once again found Olmes streaking toward the goal.  Garcia then put it past the LA 'keeper cool as you like to the far post to make it 3-1 at full time.

After a bit of a rocky first half defensively, it turned out to be a banner night for the Claret and Cobalt.  Olmes Garcia continues to be a revelation, and Morales is really in form.  I'd also like to give a shout out to Devon Sandoval with his continued good work and Kwame Watson-Siriboe, who had another solid game at the back.  Now, the three stars:

3rd Star: Landon Donovan--LA Galaxy

I bet Landon feeds off the negative energy from the crowd.  His goal was from a lucky circumstance, but his finish was first class.  He remains one of the best in MLS.  Also, he was the only Galaxy player to look dangerous for 90 minutes.

2nd Star: Khari Stephenson--Real Salt Lake

Here's what I really like about Khari.  During the post match interviews last night Khari said if he had the space, he was going to to shoot, period.  I LOVE it.  To me, RSL has lacked this in recent years, wanting to do too much cutesy stuff sometimes.  Will Johnson had this type of attitude, but Khari seems to be a little more on target than our favorite Canadian.

1st Star: Olmes Garcia--Real Salt Lake

What else is there to say?  The kid was an absolute game changer last night and the Galaxy defense had no clue what to do with him.  He's almost like the best of Saborio and Findley rolled into one package, and that's quite the deal!

Roberto Martinez Signs On at Everton

Former Wigan boss Roberto Martinez will be the new manager at Everton (telegraph.co.uk)

Next season's EPL coaching picture is starting to be come clearer now as Everton have named Roberto Martinez as manager to replace David Moyes, who left the club to take over at Manchester United.  It will mean a return to the Premier League for Martinez, whose Wigan side fell to relegation in the last weeks of the season despite winning the FA Cup.

Martinez, known for employing an attractive style at Wigan, has big plans for Everton.  At his presser today he said he wants to get the Toffees into the Champions League.  That's not going to be an easy task, with the top 4 or 5 clubs in England having more resources on hand.  Martinez did caution that it was going to be a process and wouldn't happen overnight.  That's probably a good thing, as David Moyes himself only managed to position the Toffees in Europe's elite competition once.

It should be an interesting ride for Everton supporters.  On the bright side, Martinez has been through the battles in the Premier League, and won a lot of them.  He kept a vastly underfunded Wigan side afloat for years, before finally falling this year.  He's proved that he can cut it in the domestic cups, and you know Everton would be thrilled to gain one of those trophies as well.

The questions will linger over the summer though.  Moyes was almost a security blanket for them.  They were almost certain of a top 6-7 finish every year, and have been on top of Merseyside rivals Liverpool the last couple of years.  Now they're changing things up a little bit to try and make that next step, which will be difficult financially.  Can Martinez hold on to what the Toffees already have as well position them for a climb higher?  Only time will tell, and the answers will start to come in August.

And the First Team to Qualify For Brazil 2014 Is......

Red Bulls' Tim Cahill fights for the ball with two Japanese players (Fox Sports Australia)

Japan became the first nation to earn a qualifying spot for Brazil 2014 by earning a 1-1 draw with Australia at home.  The result clinches a top two spot in the Asian Confederation Qualifying table Group B and gives them an automatic entry to the tournament.  They sit 5 points up on second place Oman.

The Socceroos didn't make it easy on Japan though, They took the lead 1-0 in the 82nd minute of the match thanks to a goal from Tommy Oar.  However, Japan were handed an opportunity in the final minute when former Brisbane Roar man Matt McKay was whistled for a handball in the box, conceding a PK.  Keisuke Honda converted the penalty to give the Japanese the needed result to send them to Brazil.

Australia's hopes are still alive though.  They sit two points back of Oman for second place, and next play Jordan in Melbourne next week.    That is probably a must win match for them to at least hold on to third place.  If they finish third, they'll play a two-legged series with the third place team from Group A (currently Iran) for a chance to compete in an intercontinental playoff against a South American side for a spot in the tournament.  Uzbekistan and the Korean Republic are currently the top 2 in Group A.

So congratulations to Japan, who are really hitting their stride as a footballing nation.  So far they are joined by Brazil in the 2014 tournament, who automatically qualify as host nation.  Spots will continue to fill up over the next few weeks/months as qualifying heats up during the summer months.  It should be a lot of fun, and don't forget we have the Confederations Cup coming up as well!

Mourinho Returns to Chelsea as Rafa Heads to Napoli--I'll Take It!

"The Special One" has returned to manage to Chelsea for a second time.

Today it became official, something that Chelsea fans have been waiting to hear confirmed for weeks--Jose Mourinho will return to Stamford Bridge to manage the Blues on a four year contract.  Financial terms were not disclosed, and Mourinho will be introduced at a Stamford Bridge news conference next Monday.

Mourinho first managed Chelsea from 2004-2007.  He had won the Champions League with Porto prior to that, and brought Chelsea their first league title in 50 years at the end of his first season.  During his tenure he won every available domestic honor: The Premier League, the League Cup, the FA Cup, and the Community Shield.  He left after 2007 failing to achieve the Champions League success that Roman Abramovich so craved.  From there he went to Inter Milan, where he won the Serie A and the Champions League, before starting his stint at Real Madrid.

Expectations will be high for Mourinho again at Chelsea.  The fact that the Blues won the Champions League in 2012 has not reduced Roman's desire, as Roberto Di Matteo found out the hard way.  Morale will be high, especially with the fans, who were never on board with the Benitez appointment.  Still, Mourinho has spoken fondly of Chelsea and it's fans, and for the moment anyway, it seems like a match made in heaven, again.

Former Blues "interim manager" Rafa Benitez has taken leave of the club to go manage Napoli in Serie A.  Napoli's previous boss, Walter Mazzarri, left the club to take over  Inter Milan, leading Napoli's owner to compare him to a "cheating spouse."  Rafa will have some big shoes to fill there, but the "Days of Our Lives" type coaching carousel will continue.

In the end, what do we make out of Rafa's stint at Chelsea?  Certainly it could have been worse, as he won the Europa League and secured Chelsea's place in next year's Champions League.  He also accomplished this under a TON of adversity.  Still, in my mind, that was pretty much the bare minimum.  With Chelsea's payroll and talent, they should expect to be in the Champion's League.  What irks me the most was the loss of the Club World Cup.  It might be a bit before we get another crack at that. 

In the end however, I wish Rafa well.  I still disagree with his appointment, but he helped bring the club European silverware, not an easy task, even if it was the Europa League.  When you consider how many fixtures Chelsea took part in this last season, he deserves some credit, in my humble opinion.

Now it's time to look toward the future, which I think will be bright for the Blues.  United will have a new look next year with Moyes, and City look to be going with a manager untried in the Premier League.  Depending on what happens with Bale, Tottenham could be right back in the mix, and Arsenal aren't going to go away.  Still, I think Chelsea and Mourinho are well positioned to compete with these guys. No doubt the Blues will make other moves during the summer window as well.

I, for one, can't wait!  Welcome back Jose Mourinho!

Match Thoughts and Three Stars: RSL vs San Jose

RSL celebrates Ned Grabavoy's first half goal (Deseret News Photo)

I think it's fairly safe to say that last night was the closest we've seen to perfection from RSL this year, especially in the first half.  The Claret and Cobalt rode a wave of first half pressure to a comfortable 3-0 win over the struggling San Jose Earthquakes, with more than a little help from Nick Rimando in the second half.

From my view in section 30, the first few minutes looked a little rough, though I think sloppy would be a good word to describe both sides.  The Quakes seemed like they wanted to play, while RSL lobbed a few balls down the pitch to little effect.  However things quickly righted themselves, much of it coming about through the work of Robbie Findley. 

RSL drew first blood in minute 16 as Robbie torched Justin Morrow and launched a blistering shot on frame.  Quakes' keeper Jon Busch made the save, but gave up a fat rebound that fell right to Javier Morales.  Javi calmly knocked the ball in from just outside the six to give RSL the 1-0 lead, and good times had returned to Rio Tinto Stadium.

Robbie made himself useful again in the 33rd, finding Javi, who sent a low ball into the 18.  Joao Plata was there and looked to make a play on the ball, keeping Busch on his line.  However, at the last second Plata let it go and it slid to Ned Grabavoy, who smashed the ball into the upper corner to make it 2-0.  RSL made it 3-0 five minutes later as Robbie got onto the end of a ball exiting the box and drove an absolute missile inside the far post.  RSL easily held the lead going into the half time break from there on in.

Tired legs started to make themselves plain for RSL in the second half, keep in mind that several of these guys, including Kyle Beckerman and Morales, had seen substantial minutes in the extra time victory over Atlanta in the Open Cup on Tuesday.  The Quakes had inserted Steven Lenhart just prior to halftime, and were more on the attack in the second half.

That's when Nick Rimando took over the match for Real Salt Lake.  Let's put it this way, if Rimando isn't Rimando last night, the Quakes snatch at least a goal in the second half and might have made it interesting.  Then we'd have to be hearing all of that Goonie crap today.  Thankfully, Rimando was in top form.  He saved a blast from Chris Wondolowski late on, as well as a close range effort from Lenhart late to keep the clean sheet.  Still, there were really very few times where I thought, "Oh man, here it comes, San Jose is gonna get one back."  All in all the RSL defense did a pretty good job on Wondo and Lenhart, with Nat Borchers and Kwame Watson-Siriboe leading the charge.  Kwame did take a nice chunk out of Lenhart at one point, and RSL might have been lucky to avoid a PK call on it, but in the end they easily held on for the 3-0 win.

So all that being said, here's the Puddle's 3 Stars for RSL vs San Jose.

THIRD STAR--Javier Morales (RSL)
Javi had another outstanding game.  I think we're finally seeing him back to his best, post injuries.  MLS has him as MotM,  but to me, as good as Javi was, there were other guys who really were in the driver's seat.  Javi was still a major component though, as usual.

SECOND STAR--Nick Rimando (RSL)
I said earlier, Rimando kept the points for RSL.  Lesser 'keepers let some of those through, and it ends up being 3-2 or even 3-3.  Not Nick though, he earned his clean sheet in the second half last night.

FIRST STAR--Robbie Findley (RSL)
To me, there is no other choice here.  Robbie has taken a ton of flack over the last few weeks.  A lot of it has probably been deserved, but he was SPOT ON last night.  He was involved in all three RSL goals, one way or another.  Oh, and his finish to the far post--EXPERT.  If he can remain consistent at this level and stay injury free, RSL is going to be scary down the stretch.