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.”

Latest post on Nick Rimando’s blog has an interview with teammate Javier Morales, make sure and check it out.

Gotta laugh at this one, Wingert’s blog has a bizarre contest about Mustache’s and Mohawks.  You could win tickets or an autographed Wingert jersey.  I’m a little disappointed that he didn’t add Mullets or Dreads in recognition of teammates Javier Morales and Kyle Beckerman.

Although on his official website, which is separate from his blog, Kyle Beckerman has his online store up for his KB5 clothing.  Some cool stuff there.  Check it out!

• Pablo Campos: has been slightly banged up, and has been in and out of action.

• Luis Gil: seems to hold his own on the field, and has confidence in his abilities.  Amazing for a 16 yr old.

• Nelson Gonzalez: has really shown that he belongs on the field during the entire preseason.  Has been quite aggressive.  Is especially comfortable when playing with Javier Morales and Fabian Espindola.  Has seen action at left back, left mid, and up top.  Expect Kreis to find a way to get him on the field during the upcoming season.

• Jean Alexandre: another player that seems to be getting comfortable with his game, and has shown that he belongs this preseason.  Last year, he showed some uncertainty in his limited minutes.  Don’t expect that this season.  Could push to be in the 18 on a consistent basis.

• Raphael Cox: more confirmation that the team likes what they see in him, but numbers may be an issue.  It’s likely that if he sticks it will be at left back – more of a need on the backline than in the midfield, plus it more suits his game of making runs up the flank and getting off crosses.

• Rauwshan McKenzie: has seen some time at right back, but primarily plays at center back.

• Chris Schuler: physically dominant with his size, and has done well at center back.  Numbers say that 2 out of him, McKenzie and Horst are likely to make the team.

• Ned Grabavoy: has reportedly been the standout for the preseason to-date.  Takes a very professional approach to practice and it shows.

On a couple of other notes, we will be resurrecting “Postcards from Camp” – look for the next update in the next few days.  In addition, we will also bring back to life the Questions from Camp segment.  I still have some holdover questions from a couple of weeks ago, but please submit any questions that you have in the comments section.

Finally, we understand that there is a 4th keeper in camp.  My understanding is that it’s Utah’s own Michael Chesler, who is currently playing at High Point University which is up the road from camp in the northern part of the Carolinas.

Carolina Challenge Cup schedule reminder (trying to confirm online broadcasts):

• Saturday, Mar. 13 - RSL v. D.C. United – 3:00 p.m. MT
• Wednesday, Mar. 17 - RSL v. Charleston Battery (USSF Div. 2) – 3:00 p.m. MT
• Saturday, Mar. 20 - RSL v. Toronto FC – 3:00 p.m. MT


UPDATE: TFC games are confirmed for online broadcast.  Still trying to confirm if the Battery will be able to broadcast the others.

QUARTERFINALS

First Leg
Tue. March 09 Columbus vs. Toluca 8 pm FSC, E LN, E Carib, E An
Wed. March 10 Marathon vs. Pumas 8 pm E LN
Comunicaciones vs. Pachuca 10 pm E LN, E An
Thu. March 11 Arabe Unido vs. Cruz Azul 8 pm E LN, E An

Second Leg
Tue March 16 Pachuca vs. Comunicaciones 10 pm E LN, E An
Wed March 17 Toluca vs. Columbus 8 pm FSC, E Dos (Mx)E Dos (Ven), E2 Carib,E An
Cruz Azul vs. Arabe Unido 10 pm E Dos (Mx), E Dos (Ven),
Thu March 18 Pumas vs. Marathon 10 pm E LN

All times US Eastern
Subject to change

FSC Fox Soccer Channel (USA)
TF TeleFutura (USA)
Gala Galavision (USA)
E An ESPN Mas Andina (Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile)
E Carib ESPN Caribbean
E2 Carib ESPN 2 Caribbean
E Dos (Mx) ESPN Dos Mexico
E Dos (Ven) ESPN Dos Venezuela
E LN ESPN Latin North

Yura Movsisyan looked good in his debut with Randers in SAS Ligaen action.  He had a quiet first half, but did get a classic Movsisyan chance in the opening 45.  He received a ball over the top and managed to get in front of the defense.  As he closed into the box he was on the right edge, with the defender recovered and in front of him.  He faked the move toward the endline and cut the ball back inside onto his left foot.  However, by the time he managed to get a shot off, the keeper was right in front of him and his left-footed effort was easily blocked.

The second half saw several good chances by Movsisyan.  In fact, he managed to put the ball in the back of the net but was whistled for offside.  The nullified scoring chance came off of a cross.  He was onside for the original ball, but it glanced off of the head of a teammate making him offside on the play.  He got a foot on the ball at the edge of the 6 and easily knocked it in before the flag came up.

Overall my first impression of 2nd tier Danish soccer is that it is, well,… second tier.  A lot of panic clearances.  Poor midfield play with aimless long balls, and poorly weighted passes.  And ill-advised long strikes that found the upper-deck.  However, Randers started to put something together late in the second half.  If I hadn’t known better I would have assumed that it was their opponent that sat in relegation position.

Movsisyan seemed to be a focus of the broadcast.  Although, I couldn’t understand anything they said, they mentioned his name quite frequently and showed several highlights of his both during and after the match.  Overall a decent debut by Yura.

Photo: Richard Sylvestersen

Yura Movsisyan saw his first real action with Randers earlier this week, during a tune-up match prior to the restart of the Danish SAS Ligaen.  The match was played against Viborg, former club of Robbie Russell.  Viborg came out the victor by a 1-0 margin.

Yura had a good chance in the first few minutes of the match after a Viborg error in their own end.  Unfortunately he carried the ball past several defenders, but ended up running into the Viborg keeper.

Randers re-starts their league action tomorrow (Sunday) morning against Esbjerg at 6am Mountain Time. You may be able to find a stream at Rojadirecta.com or other sites pointing to online soccer streams.  If you do manage to find it, please leave a comment with the link for any other crazies up at 6am who may be interested in the match.

EDIT: Thanks to a post by Between the 18’s, this link is listed as showing the Randers match (just about 5 hours from now).

1st half XI v. College of Charleston (4-4-2): GK-Nick Rimando (Kyle Reynish 30-ish); DF-Chris Wingert, DF-Chris Schuler, DF-Nat Borchers, DF-Tony Beltran; MF-Collen Warner (R), MF-Jean Alexandre (deep), MF-Will Johnson (L), MF-Andy Williams (Att.); FW-Tino Nunez, FW-Luis Gil

0-0 at the half v. Coll. of Charl … 2nd half XI (4-4-2): GK-Reynish (Tim Melia 60-ish); DF-Robbie Russell, DF-David Horst, Df-Rauwshan McKenzie, DF-Raphael Cox; MF-Ned Grabavoy (R), MF-Jean Alexandre (deep), MF-Nelson Gonzalez (L), MF-Javier Morales (att.); FW-Pablo Campos, FW-Fabian Espindola

RSL Goal! Argentines link up in area, Gonzalez feeding Morales for the finish. RSL 1-0 (50′)

1-1 in 59th minute, as CofC midfielder chips Reynish from 40 yards out.

Apparently they were just waiting until the 2nd half! Pablo Campos lashes one inside left post from 25′ out. RSL 2-1 (67′)

And that’ll do it from Mt. Pleasant … @RealSaltLake defeats Coll. of Charleston 2-1 on goals from Morales and Campos.

Real Salt Lake will face DC United, Charleston Battery and Toronto FC within the next 2 weeks as they try to repeat their Carolina Cup Championship from a year ago.  Here is the schedule:

Saturday, Mar. 13 – RSL v. D.C. United – 3:00 p.m. MT
Wednesday, Mar. 17 – RSL v. Charleston Battery (USSF Div. 2) – 3:00 p.m. MT
Saturday, Mar. 20 – RSL v. Toronto FC – 3:00 p.m. MT

YashinQuesada.com:  “They have the first option, the first team to realize and ask for the incorporation of Saborio was Realt Salt Lake, the second option would have the Chivas USA (…) The coach and the owner want to Saborio are determined so to do what is necessary to keep the player even offer a change of players to have the first option on Saborio”

The problem with this situation is that Chivas really has a depleted roster that they’ve been trying to bolster, and what Real Salt Lake needs most is a proven forward.  Looking at the roster of Chivas they have Justin Braun, Chukwudi Chijindu, Maicon Santos,  Jorge Flores, Maykel Galindo, Eduardo Lillingston, and Ante Razov all listed as forwards.  Galindo was nice for one season, but hasn’t shown the same stuff since returning from injury. Is Razov really still playing?  Justin Braun has decent attributes, but not a bona fide starter in my book.  (Of course there’s also that Artur Aghasyan kid).  Would RSL be interested in any of these players in order to forego the chance to sign Saborio?

The only way I see RSL doing a deal here is if they have a backup plan striker that is of a similar level.  Saborio is perhaps too high level of a player to consider selling off the MLS discovery rights for a song and a dance (such as a 3rd round Superdraft pick and a bag of magic beans).  Saborio could come in and become one of the top forwards in the league – he has the background, skill and ability to do so.  He could also come in and never adjust to the league like so many foreign strikers have done in recent years.  These kind of deals are hard to get to come to fruition.

You may have seen our previous post on the roster numbers.  I think there is a theoretical mix of numbers at each position that does exist, but other practical matters come into play as the roster is constructed which may alter this theoretical ideal mix.  It’s also likely that a premium will be placed on flexibility.  Here are the current 26 players in camp.  As a reminder, under the now-expired CBA each team was able to have a roster of up to 20 senior roster players and 4 developmental players.

Goalkeepers: The only question here is who the 3rd keeper will be.  Tim Melia has carried that title for much of the preseason.  Will he have additional competition for this spot?

Defenders: It’s not clear here, but I would assume that either 1 or 2 spots are up for grab with Horst, Schuler and McKenzie all vying for spots.  My first instinct is that there is both a central defender spot, and a left back position available.  As mentioned in the prior post, it’s also possible that Raphael Cox may have a shot at grabbing one of these spots.

Midfielders: This is an interesting position for Real Salt Lake.  It’s one with a lot of veteran experience: Williams, Beckerman, Grabavoy, and Morales.  It’s also one with a lot of youth potential: Warner, Gil, Alexandre, Cox, Gonzalez and Nimo.  The only problem here is that you are almost bound to lose a good player to attrition (unless you send one out on loan).  I still believe that Cox is likely the one on the outside, but that’s not an indication that the team doesn’t believe in him.

Forwards: Prior to the release of Abe Thompson, Tino Nunez looked like a longshot at this spot.  Now his position is looking more solid.  It’s hard to imagine RSL not bringing in a player at the forward spot, but the team may elect to keep a 5th forward.  If they do, this would most likely affect the number of defenders that are kept.

Overall Spots: The team is currently carrying 26 players in preseason (including Findley who is with the NT).  So with 24 available roster spots, it would look like 2 players would need to be cut.  However, I’m guessing that room will also need to be made for an additional forward.  This means 3 players may not make it into the season with this team.  The first two will likely include 1 defender, and 1 midfielder, with Horst, McKenzie, Schuler and Cox being most directly in the firing line.  The 3rd cut could come from another defender or could be a forward which would indicate that Nunez is at risk.

Developmental Spots: As Generation Adidas players, Luis Gil and Alex Nimo are automatics for these developmental roles.  In order to maximize the roster, 2 of the remaining players will need to be able to fill a developmental role.  I’m sure that the 3rd keeper (Tim Melia or otherwise) will fill one of these spots.  This is another area where Raphael Cox has some value, but if guys like Rauwshan McKenzie or Chris Schuler stick, they could fill this role as well.

Roster Cuts: Although not confirmed, it’s been speculated that teams have been given a couple of weeks past the normal cut-down date of March 1st to make their full complement of cuts.