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RSL Releases Nunez, Loans Nimo to Portland, CBA status

Mar 11

Posted by kirsoccer in Alex Nimo, Collective Bargaining Agreement, Tino Nunez | 9 Comments

Real Salt Lake today announced the departure of Tino Nunez as he was waived by the club.  The move leaves the club with just three natural forwards in the mix.

In addition, the team announced another season-long loan for Alex Nimo to the Portland Timbers.  These two moves will free up two roster spots which theoretically could put the team in line with the 24-man roster.  However, with the much discussed possible addition of Costa Rican forward Alvaro Saborio, they would likely still need to make an additional move to become roster compliant.  If you followed our last post on this topic, you’d know that our bet would be one out of the trio of David Horst, Rauwshan McKenzie, and Chris Schuler or Raphael Cox.

No new news on the Saborio front but we’ll let you know as soon as we hear something.

On the CBA front, a more serious threat of strike potential according to the Soccer Insider.  However, this was tempered by news later in the day from the site of the negotiations that “the meetings were productive.”

Training Camp Updates

Feb 26

Posted by kirsoccer in Javier Morales, Nat Borchers, Rachid El Khalifi, Robbie Russell, Tino Nunez, Tony Beltran | 2 Comments

Here is an update from training camp. I wanted to especially focus on how the roster looks to be sitting with the impending contract/budget compliance date coming up for the league on Monday. I will also post something later on that analyzes how I think the roster will look come March 28th.

GENERAL

The team is looking good. It appears that at this point the focus has been on the same diamond 4-4-2 formation that we saw last season. The returning players appear to be very comfortable in these roles. There is more of a focus on wing-backs with Beltran, Joy and Wingert filling in out wide. Speaking of Beltran – one observation is that he is vastly improved. Look for him to be a contributor this season.

ROOKIES

Cox – I heard some comparisons to Tony Beltran from a season ago. A quick player that can play left-back or left-wing. Has a good soccer knowledge, and a high confidence level. Seems to be adjusting well to the pro level, although there is definitely still a learning curve. He’s more of an attacking player than Beltran, but look for him to make the roster.

Alexandre – No updates on him, but since he is already signed by the league, he’s a lock to make the roster.


TRIALISTS

Escalada - As reported earlier, his fitness is improving. The team reportedly likes his finishing ability (despite the missed PK). Look for him to move on in the game of Real Salt Lake Survivor and stick with the team through the Charleston Tournament.

St. Preux – Again a marginal, developmental player. I’m guessing it’s a long-shot that he’ll make the team, especially if the team is high on Escalada. If he makes the Charleston roster it will be a minor surprise.

Salazar – Appears to be an average player, but he is a left-sided guy. As of now, Will is likely the starter at this position, and the team would ideally like to see him playing on the right. The team would also like to add a true wide player to go along with Will’s tremendous enjoy and Javi’s technical ability. If Salazar makes the team, it’s likely just to add depth and it may be a temporary move which brings us to…

El Khalifi – As reported yesterday, the team is still active in negotiations with him. I assumed that there was a big rush to get him in for the last few weeks of pre-season. I’m sure they’d like to do this, but also don’t write-off the possibility of him joining at a later stage (either prior to the April 15th window close or even during the summer window). I think the bringing in of a left-sided midfielder in Salazar is an indication that the team is looking for an insurance policy at this position.

Clark - No update on this player (as keepers tend to be off in their own little world during practice), but I think we’ll know all we need to know by next Wednesday. I would be surprised to see the team take 4 keepers to Charleston.

INJURIES

Morales- has a minor injury, and is being held out largely for precautionary measures. Unknown at this point if he will play in the exhibition tomorrow.

Nunez - recovering from surgery.

Borchers/Russell – Both appear to be back at around 90%, and are participating fully in practice.

A Real World Review: Monday June 30, 2008

Jun 30

Posted by kirsoccer in Andy Williams, Chris Wingert, Fabian Espindola, Houston Dynamo, Jamison Olave, Jason Kreis, Javier Morales, Kyle Beckerman, Nat Borchers, Nick Rimando, Real Salt Lake, Robbie Findley, Tino Nunez, Tony Beltran | 1 Comment

A Real World Review
A Review of Week 15 for RSL
By Paul Bernhardt (aka, BalanceUT)
Key Developments: RSL continues to struggle on the road with the loss in KC. Fortunately, the performance of other Western Conference teams allowed RSL to maintain their 2nd place position in the conference. Now at the halfway point of the season, the team at 19 points means they are just shy of the points typically needed to make the playoffs.

What’s Right in the Real World: Defense. Even though giving up a goal due to an error in judgment Saturday night in KC, the 2008 edition of RSL has the overall best defense in franchise history. The center tandem of Olave and Borchers may be the best pair in the league. Wingert has shaken off some early season jitters to play solidly. Beltran is clearly a rookie, but has high skills and sufficient speed for recovery such that he does not cause the high level of worry of previous outside backs. Compared to previous seasons, this past couple of months is the first time that we could count on seeing the same four consistently in the back and know that they will serve the needs of the upcoming match.

The midfield is also right in the Real World. While it was not terribly obvious in KC, Morales, Williams, Kovalenko and Beckerman fundamentally do what is asked. What makes RSL’s midfield not look to be high quality, particularly at home and at KC is narrow pitches. A narrow pitch crowds players such that the space for passing is restricted, leading to less of an apparent flow. The proof for me, however, is in the fact that KC looked essentially as restricted. That means our crew was doing as much to them as they were to us. Play that is essentially a draw when on the road is what you need for your team and the midfield provided that.

What’s Wrong in the Real World? Still, finishing. While not the horror of missed opportunities that we saw hosting San Jose last week, RSL blew some clear chances, any one of which could have made KC work for a draw or even resulted in stealing 3 points. Notably, Dr. “Goals” did not produce again. This has been blamed on lack of service from the midfield. But, I think that is misplaced blame. I believe that Deuchar is not getting open in positions where the midfielders want to give him the ball. He is fighting constantly in the box and often losing that battle. That continued in the KC game. Deuchar would get the ball either too far out from the goal and alone with no options but to try to work the ball with his feet, a disastrous choice. He is called for fouls all the time while fouls against him seem never called. Findley seemed to be still suffering from the effects of his mild concussion from the week before. The lack of production of Deuchar and Findley, appropriately, lead to their being substituted off in favor of Movsisyan and Nunez, who did no better. Part of that is Movsisyan’s inability to keep his head up and pass to others. When, oh when, will Espindola return? And, when he does, will he be the same player he was so many months ago?

A certain amount of the problem for RSL in KC was due to the coin flip. When the coin flip allowed KC to put the sun in Rimando’s eyes, RSL had to play a very defensive first half. Many times all 11 were in RSL’s end of the field. Kreis likes to have RSL come out attacking, but it was clearly not an option in the match. When KC came out the second half very aggressive, RSL did not adjust well and it was a dicey start to the half.

In the end, what scuttled RSL’s road point was a careless foul by Cutler. Sometimes it seems that Cutler’s role is ill-defined. Defensive, yet carries himself to the attack very easily. This sounds like Beckerman, but Cutler does not have Beckerman’s talent level. So, Cutler, in trying to recover going back, fouled and that set up the opportunity for KC.

Leading to the last thing wrong in the Real World: Best seen in the contrast to KC’s scoring opportunity, RSL needs to be much more dangerous on set pieces. Usually Morales is quite good, certainly better than Williams ever was in previous seasons (and I am a pretty big Williams fan). But, against KC, he was off the mark. RSL needed to convert one of its several set pieces (and nearly did, but close does not count).

A Brief Look at the Week Ahead: Back in the friendly confinement of Rice Eccles, RSL will need to take advantage of the home field against a resurgent Houston Dynamo. Houston started the season terribly shaky, particularly compared to expectations. But they have recovered substantially and is a good road team, having the highest number of road draws of any MLS team. RSL and Houston are tied for 2nd in the West. This is the opportunity for RSL to make a statement that they intend to contend for a playoff spot. History says that RSL should be content with a draw against the two-time defending MLS Champions. But, given that RSL’s form at home, a defense that is very good and Houston’s problems with finishing, this game is RSL’s to take. I predict RSL 1-0 Houston.

Final Thoughts: RSL is really in pretty good shape, particularly compared to previous seasons. Kreis has completed what he initiated last season, shoring up the defense. The first step to winning in soccer is to stop losing, to stop giving up easy goals. RSL’s defense is clearly solid, and Olave is spectacular. This allows the rest of the team to go forward. I think RSL has all the pieces to be a playoff team, but Deuchar is the key. If he can ever get a proper feel for the MLS game, he will become quite dangerous. He still seems to be knocked around in the box with impunity, yet when he returns the favor he is called on the fouls. Unfair or not, he has to figure out what to do to become effective in MLS. When he does, and he shows he can convert the chances, the team will find it easier to get the ball to him, opening up options for other players. RSL can become a team that opponents dread coming to town and fear to visit, because all the rest of the team is sufficient. RSL can be playoff bound with only a little improvement in offense.

Match pics, quotes and tidbits

Jun 21

Posted by kirsoccer in New England Revolution, Real Salt Lake, Tino Nunez | No Comments

IT’S TINO TIME!

(More pics at the end)

Real Salt Lake flex home muscles -> MLSnet/John Coon

Tino Nunez helped Real Salt Lake finally grind the rust off of their offense Saturday night to extend the club’s unbeaten streak to a team-record five games.

Nunez’s first MLS goal lifts Real Salt Lake -> USA Today

Rookie Tino Nunez scored his first MLS goal and Real Salt Lake remained unbeaten at home with a 2-1 victory over the New England Revolution on Saturday night.
Nunez, who entered the game in the 41st minute after Robbie Findley was injured, scored the winning goal in the 60th minute for RSL (5-5-4). Javier Morales’ shot deflected off a Revolution defender right into the path of Nunez, who one-touched the ball past goalkeeper Matt Reis.

REAL SALT LAKE DEFEATS RED-HOT REVOLUTION 2-1

(courtesy RSL Communications)

With Win, RSL Leaps to Second Place in Western Conference while Extending Undefeated Streak to Five Games
RSL FW Tino Nunez’s First MLS Goal at Hour Mark Propels Salt Lake to Victory

SALT LAKE CITY (Saturday, June 21, 2008) – Real Salt Lake FW Tino Nuñez picked the perfect time to notch his first professional goal, as his tally at the hour mark would stand as the game-winner in a 2-1 RSL victory over the New England Revolution tonight in front of 11,965 fans at Rice-Eccles Stadium. The Revolution would get on the board first thanks to an opportunistic finish from FW Adam Cristman eight minutes in, but RSL would counter quickly with a goal of its own just three minutes later, when RSL MF Javier Morales’ corner kick was deflected into goal by Revs DF Jay Heaps. With the win, Real Salt Lake (5-5-4, 19 pts.) matched the longest undefeated streak in franchise history at five games (3-0-2) while at the same time ending a seven-game undefeated streak for the Eastern Conference-leading Revolution (8-4-3, 26 pts.).

For the full MLSnet.com recap of tonight’s match, click on the link below:
http://web.mlsnet.com/news/mls_news.jsp?ymd=20080621&content_id=167572&vkey=news_mls&fext=.jsp

RSL MATCH NOTES

Tonight’s result moved Real Salt Lake to the .500 mark, making this the latest point in any season that the club has had at least a .500 record. The three-point result also tied RSL’s all-time record in League play at Rice-Eccles Stadium (19-19-17) and kept Salt Lake as one of only two undefeated teams (with Toronto FC) at home in MLS this season (4-0-4).
Thanks to a wild 3-3 draw between Columbus and Los Angeles, Salt Lake now sits in second-place in the Western Conference, just two points clear of the leading Galaxy (6-4-3, 21 pts.). Tonight’s win marks the latest point in club history that the side has been in second place in the Western Conference standings.
RSL GK Nick Rimando saw his goalless streak come to end at 283 minutes after Revs FW Adam Cristman scored just eight minutes into the affair. Rimando was able to eclipse his own club record in the category (278 minutes), but fell just short of collecting the League’s longest streak of the 2008 season (Hartman – KC, 286) and about a half hour shy of breaking his own personal best (309 minutes in 2003 with D.C. United).
RSL FW Robbie Findley left the match after suffering a mild concussion in a collision for a loose ball late in the first half. It was Tino Nunez, the scorer of the eventual game-winner for RSL, that replaced Findley in the 41st minute.

New England Revolution (8-4-3) vs. Real Salt Lake (5-5-4) June 21, 2008 — Rice-Eccles Stadium

Scoring Summary:
NE — Adam Cristman 4 (unassisted) 8
RSL — Own Goal (Jay Heaps) 11
RSL — Tino Nunez 1 (unassisted) 60
New England Revolution — Matt Reis, Chris Albright, Jay Heaps, Michael Parkhurst, Amaechi Igwe (Wells Thompson 62), Steve Ralston, Jeff Larentowicz, Pat Phelan, Sainey Nyassi (Chris Tierney 77), Kheli Dube, Adam Cristman.
Substitutes Not Used: Sam Brill, Argenis Fernandez, Chase Hilgenbrinck, Brad Knighton, Brandon Manzonelli
Real Salt Lake — Nick Rimando, Chris Wingert, Nat Borchers, Jamison Olave, Tony Beltran, Kyle Beckerman, Dema Kovalenko, Javier Morales, Andy Williams (Matias Cordoba 84), Robbie Findley (Tino Nunez 41), Kenny Deuchar (Kenny Cutler 71).
Substitutes Not Used: Ian Joy, Matias Mantilla, Alex Nimo, Kyle Reynish
Real Salt Lake——————————— New England Revolution
total shots:
19 (Andy Williams 5)—————————14 (Sainey Nyassi 4)
shots on goal:
7 (Kyle Beckerman 2, Javier Morales 2)———6 (Adam Cristman 3)
fouls:
14 (Tino Nunez 3)——————————12 (Adam Cristman 3)
offsides:
4 (Andy Williams 2)—————————–2 (Adam Cristman 1, Kheli Dube 1)
corner kicks:
4 (Javier Morales 4)—————————–7 (Steve Ralston 7)
saves:
4 (Nick Rimando 4)——————————6 (Matt Reis 6)
Misconduct Summary: NE — Jay Heaps (caution; Tackle from Behind) 20
NE — Steve Ralston (caution; Reckless Foul) 66
RSL — Kyle Beckerman (caution; Reckless Foul) 76
referee: Kevin Stott
Referee’s Assistants: Paul Scott; Peter Manikowski
4th official: Feliciano Palomino
time of game: 1:52
attendance: 11,965
weather: Clear -and- 97 degrees
All statistics contained in this boxscore are unofficial

REAL SALT LAKE HEAD COACH JASON KREIS

On the victory:

“A huge win. What’s most pleasing about the win tonight is the way we handled ourselves when we had the one-goal lead. It shows that we’re learning and improving. We finished that game off the way a good team does.”

On equalizing quickly after New England’s 8th minute goal:

“That was hugely important that we had a quick turnaround there, because if it had dragged on a lot longer until halftime it would have been a difficult thing to come back from mentally for the guys. It’s the first time that we’ve scored off a corner kick or free kick in awhile, and I think we need to be more dangerous on those so it was very good to see that happen tonight.”

On the performance of FW Tino Nuñez:

I’m very, very happy for Tino. I thought his performance was fantastic again. He’s just a guy that gets in there and works really hard and takes a lot of pride in the way he holds the ball up for the rest of the team. He did that well tonight and it was nice to see him rewarded with a goal.”

On the improvement of his RSL squad:

“I believed for a long time, and I think everybody in that locker room believed and has believed for a long time, and I think we’re beginning to see the fruit from all of our work and talk. I think tonight we saw an improved team in a couple of areas.”

REAL SALT LAKE FW TINO NUNEZ

On taking advantage of his recent playing time:

“Everyday I just come into training and work on every aspect of my game and try to be ready to take any opportunity that’s given to me, and that’s my main focus right now. Any little chance I get, I just try and make the best of it. It’s going well so far.”

On having to enter the match after FW Robbie Findley’s injury:

“I didn’t get a proper warm up, so you’re kind of warming up as you get going. But you just have to be ready any time you get called.”

On his reaction after his first MLS goal:

“My eyes just opened up really big; I didn’t know what to do. I’ll think about it more next time.”

REAL SALT LAKE FW KENNY DEUCHAR

On his performance tonight:

“I’m getting on the end of things, and that’s the most important for me. I thought it was going in and when it hits the post, you hope it bounces into the goal rather than come back out, and that’s unfortunate. If I keep getting possessions and the ball keeps coming in, then that’s good, and if we win the games, then it’s fine. But it’s when you start losing games to goals, that comes back to haunt you. If I keep getting in the possessions, then the goals will come.”

On teammate Tino Nuñez:

“I’m really pleased for Tino coming in and getting the winning goal. He deserves it; he’s worked hard in training and he’s done well when he’s been called upon so far. And that’s something, for a young lad to come in and score a winner, especially against a team with the best record in the league.”

REAL SALT LAKE MF DEMA KOVALENKO

On RSL’s performance:

“We had to get the win. [New England] is a very good team, but we are a very good team at home. Teams come here and don’t want to be here, so we just have to come out and play our game. Like Jason [Kreis] has said, ‘We don’t adjust to anyone, they adjust to us.’ So we came out and the first half was okay, we made a couple of mistakes. The second half was a lot better and it showed. We played some defense. Tino [Nunez] comes in and gives us a lift, and the winning goal. That’s why we said it’s important that everybody has to be ready. All the guys played well, we fought, and the most important thing is we got three points.”

On his injury:

“I tried to just push the ball and the guy came in and just hit me with the knee, right in the muscle. I had this injury before and couldn’t play for three weeks, but I hope it’s not the same, and I know it’s going to be sore tomorrow. I want to be there, I want to help the guys win, and that’s what we did. It’s hard to get me off the field; I was going to be there.”

NEW ENGLAND HEAD COACH STEVE NICOL

Overall thoughts on the game:

“You just have to win the battles and win the second balls and hopefully you get a bounce here and there. You know it was tough playing Wednesday night and then traveling 12 hours to get here. That’s not easy to do, particularly when you have the altitude and it’s a lot warmer than we are used to. We won’t be sad to see the back of this place.”

On whether travel had an impact:

“Yeah, absolutely. Mentally, we were behind them, but as usual we fought and stuck at it, but unfortunately we came up short. We just didn’t have enough in the tank.”

On FW Adam Cristman’s early goal:

“It was a great opportunistic goal from him. Again, it goes by this field, but all credit to him getting in and timing his run well.”

NEW ENGLAND FW ADAM CRISTMAN

On the influence of the artificial turf at Rice-Eccles:

“It is a tough surface to play on, and it is a tough trip to fly out here and play in the dry heat. It is definitely different, but no excuse, we weren’t sharp tonight.”

On what kept the Revolution offense from clicking:

“Throw all those factors (heat, surface, travel) together, and it is our third game in a week, and the end result sometimes is maybe a lackluster performance.”

NEW ENGLAND MF STEVE RALSTON

On New England’s performance:

“It wasn’t a good performance. I don’t know if it was the tough game on Wednesday or the travel, but we have to give them credit. They made it difficult to play. The field doesn’t really allow for a whole lot of good passing, and we were second tonight to everything, but we got out played tonight. There are no excuses there.”

On Adam Cristman’s goal:

“It was a great effort. A lot of guys would have given up on it. He is always working and he stuck his head in there. He could have gotten whacked, but he ended up scoring a nice goal. It was good because we were getting hammered pretty good. I don’t think we had had many touches in their half, and we got that goal, and it took a little pressure off us in that moment.”














Reserve Match Review: Sunday May 4, 2008

May 5

Posted by kirsoccer in David Horst, Los Angeles Galaxy, Robbie Findley, Tino Nunez | No Comments

Reserve Match Review: RSL 5:LAG 2
Sunday May 4, 2008
(Review compliments of Derek Hoopes)

The wife and I made it up to Park City this past Sunday for our first visit to Quinn’s Junction Sports Complex and we absolutely enjoyed the experience. The setting was awesome with the surrounding mountains, the field (even though it was turf) was great, and the play was entertaining. If you are a Real Salt Lake soccer fan, you have to try it out soon. I highly recommend attending at least one of these games this year. We set up our folding chairs right next to the touch-line, so we were pretty much right on top of the action. It is completely different to watch a game this close to the field. The pace of the players seems much faster up close. And you can’t beat the price…it’s FREE! Also, if you have kids that are looking for autographs or the chance to meet some of the players, there is no better place to make that happen.

Though I was unable to concentrate on as many details of the game as I would have liked, I still came away with a few impressions and they are as follows:

Yura Movsisyan: We missed the very beginning of the game, so we did not see his quick goal in the first minute of play. Maybe that would have altered my opinion of his performance, but probably not. It was mostly the same Yura we have been watching so far this year. His touches were not always good; he played with the ball too long at times and consequently lost it to the other team. To me, he seems to be the hungriest player on RSL, and wants to score a goal so bad he nearly wets himself every time he gets the ball. While I think that it’s a good thing to have such a high level of desire, I think that right now it hampers his success on the field. He pushes too hard to make things happen. I think that once he learns to play smarter and more patiently and uses that desire to push at the right time…look out! He has a ton of potential. Just remember, he is still very young.

Matias Cordoba: I thought he had an average game. Sometimes he looked great. At other times he looked a little lost. I think the communication barrier is still playing a big role in his ability to acclimate with the team. There is no doubt that he has above average skill technically. And his creativity could be a huge asset for RSL in future league games, so I really expect to see him play more and more with the first team as the season progresses.

David Horst: I stand by my earlier observations. He is a CB stud in the making. I really enjoyed the opposing players that just sort of bounced off of him as he fought for a ball (he is so friggin big). He misjudged a few balls but his speed enabled him to get right back into position.

Nick Besagno: He looked steady and solid. I wish he would stay healthy long enough to enable RSL to determine his worth. If he can’t, how long will RSL have to keep him around?

Robby Findley: He had another one-on-one that he failed to convert, though I think the pass was weighted a little heavy and thus made it a pretty easy save for LA’s keeper.

Tino Nunez: I was very impressed with Tino’s play. He did a much better job holding the ball while playing with his back to the goal than he did at the Lobo’s game earlier in the year. I thought his first touch was good and his distribution was fairly solid as well. He created some problems for LA’s back line. If he keeps progressing he just might find himself a career in MLS.

Brennan Tenelle: Brennan was another rookie that impressed me. He was fast, aggressive on defense, and even created a stir or two up front on the offensive end. My first impressions of this kid had me placing him near or at the bottom of RSL’s roster. But, he is starting to move up on my board.

Kevin Reiman: Probably my favorite player to watch this match. He showed good ability on the ball, quickness, creative footwork, and his communication with his teammates was solid as well. The goal he scored from the left side, hitting it just inside the far post, was a thing of beauty. I can’t wait to see this kid play more.

Overall, I thought the Reserves played a good match. I think the depth of this team should equate to a lot of wins in the Reserve Division. If you have a wife or mother that’s an RSL fan, maybe a trip to Park City this upcoming weekend would make for a nice Mother’s Day.

Open Cup Match Review

Apr 30

Posted by kirsoccer in Andy Williams, Chris Wingert, Jamison Olave, Kyle Beckerman, Open Cup, Robbie Findley, San Jose Earthquake, Tino Nunez, Tony Beltran | 1 Comment

RSL 4: San Jose 0

I usually don’t like to write match reviews, but because of the weather, the weeknight, and the fact that it was an Open Cup match against an expansion team I figure there might be fewer reviews floating out there in cyberspace. Here are some of my thoughts:

  • Goals by Beckerman (2), Movisyan, and Williams. Beckerman’s first goal was opportunistic as it came off of a header from Mantilla. His second goal was a fantastic long-range shot well-placed in the lower left corner of the goal away from the keeper. Movsisyan’s goal was off of a spectacular pass from Cordoba who passed up an open shot himself. Williams goal was off of a well placed pass from Nunez.
  • Man of the Match: clearly Captain Kyle. Two goals, captain of the team, and great play all through the first half.
  • Other standouts: Seitz, Cordoba. Seitz wasn’t challenged a ton, but he was up to the occasion every time. He also was very vocal in organizing the defense and was pretty solid with his distributions. Cordoba had a great game in the center of the midfield. He beat his man on several occassions, made good passes (particularly the play on Yura’s goal), and had some well placed corner kicks into the box. In addition, he had two wonderful takeaways: the first setting up Yura’s goal, the second later in the first half in which he had a clear path to the goal, and was tackled wildly from behind about 23 yards out (thanks football lines). Mysteriously there wasn’t even a foul called, when one could argue that this could have been a red (although he was a bit far out maybe to be an imminent scoring threat).
  • Other solid contributors: Beltran, Olave, Mantilla, Wingert. All quite solid.
  • Poorest performers: Findley, Movsisyan. Movsisyan had numerous chances, and continued his tendancy to play with the ball too much. The goal he scored was an easy shot set up completely by Cordoba. He should have done much more and had several wasted opportunities. Findley hustled, but did not make any serious opportunities develop from this hustle. His first touch continued to fail him. I noticed that his touch was typically well intentioned with him trying to put the ball in the right spots but his first touch is almost always too heavy.
  • San Jose was forced to use a couple of subs early in the first half as two players (one was Cochrane I believe, not sure who the other was) heads collided. One of them was bleeding quite badly.

Before we get too excited about this win, it was only an Open Cup game against an expansion team. However, this team has played very well at home this season. This match was the second home game in a row with a 4-0 result, and the second home game in which Beckerman came up with a brace.

(click to enlarge)









PRACTICE AT XANGO FIELD: MARCH 18, 2008

Mar 18

Posted by kirsoccer in Alex Nimo, Bill Manning, David Horst, Javier Morales, Practice Updates, Tino Nunez, Tony Beltran | 3 Comments

Practice today was a little more fun. Tuesday was mostly fitness. Today was just a full field scrimmage for 90 minutes. Here are a couple of noteworthies:

Same crew as Tuesday with the addition of Dema, and a keeper named Brandon who I believe is from BYU.

They worked more on offense, and spent some time practicing set pieces. For one team it was Andy and Cordoba taking the kicks. For the other team it was Morales and Alex Nimo. During the scrimmage, Horst had a sweet header for a goal.

I was impressed with: Beltran, Reiman, Nunez and Yura. (partly because they were on my side of the field)

Other news: it’s up-in-the-air questionable if Deuchar’s work permit will come through in time to get him here for opening day.

Also, Manning hiring came as a result of SCP using a professional executive search firm. This does not appear to be a case of cronyism.

A few pics below (more at http://s245.photobucket.com/albums/gg45/realslfan/RSL_practice_0318/)