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Real Salt Lake announces 11 protected players

Nazdar | 1:42 p.m. Nov. 24, 2008

Who says the off season is boring? I am not surprised by who is on the list. It is a nice problem to have so many good players that you can't protect them all. Maybe Seattle will take Horst. Thanks for posting this so quickly.

francesco | 1:46 p.m. Nov. 24, 2008

i like the players that are protected but certainly there is a risk that rimando could be picked up as a very dependable back up to keller in seattle. also a vet like andy williams could be a good addition for seattle but hopefully the fact that he is older will keep seattle from taking him. i wouldn't be surprised to see the sounders take deuchar making him a good striking partner up top with freddie lundjberg.

francesco | 1:51 p.m. Nov. 24, 2008

what about ian joy? he would be one of the unprotected players as well.

Comments continue below

Mathis Hater | 2:07 p.m. Nov. 24, 2008

Seattle doesn't need Rimando, they already signed a goaltender so he's safe. I don't think they would want Williams because of his family situation and national team responsibilities. So I think they should get Mathis. They need veteran (ha ha) leadership (ha ha). RSL, just do anything to get Mathis out of here and give his minutes to Espindola or Russell...please!

Anonymous | 2:19 p.m. Nov. 24, 2008

My only knock on protecting sturgis is the kid seems to be made of glass. When he is healthy, he is outstanding

Thank goodness | 2:29 p.m. Nov. 24, 2008

We didnt put mathis on the protected players list.. Whew i was thinking they would. Well thanks for all the great years you have given us andy! And its about time cutler got released.

jdog | 2:43 p.m. Nov. 24, 2008

francesco, Seattle can't afford a backup GK that makes what Rimando makes. He costs about twice what a backup GK should cost. So if Seattle takes Rimando, it won't be with the intent of keeping him.

But Hater, they may still take Rimando to use as trade bait.

But I agree - I'm pleasantly surprised that RSL didn't protect Mathis.

Rob | 2:52 p.m. Nov. 24, 2008

Agreed williams is gone. I bet deuchar will get picked up as well. No rimando on the protected players list? Wow thats surprising!

Someone is wrong | 3:05 p.m. Nov. 24, 2008

The official team blog has rimando protected and sturgis left off the protected list. Which is correct? The team blog also reported that joy, tennelle, reiman, reynish, and nunez were also unprotected.

I wonder | 3:05 p.m. Nov. 24, 2008

why we left Deuchar unprotected? Why not Wingert? He wasn't that good. Oh well I'm praying Seattle takes Dema for us. Please Seattle, do us a solid and take Dema. I wouldn't be upset if they took Rimando. I doubt we would trade for him. I think next year they'll finally go to Seitz.

Thanks for putting this story up | 3:08 p.m. Nov. 24, 2008

I've been wondering about this since our loss. I'm excited the only person I wonder why we didn't protect is Dr Goals? Oh well

Anonymous | 3:30 p.m. Nov. 24, 2008

It is simple Dr. Goals never played and Wingert did!!!

Anonymous | 3:37 p.m. Nov. 24, 2008

RSL did a great job selecting. Every possible person Seattle could take will either not have been a starter or there is a great back up to take his place. Rimando leaves Sietz is there. Mathis, well should I even put that one down. Andy Williams not even a starter but Sturgis could fill in nicely for him to come off of the bench. Dr Goals with Espindola back wouldn't play much anyway. On and on down the list. I would really like to see Williams and Rimando stick around but if they take one of those guys we'll just have to do with out.

RSL | 3:41 p.m. Nov. 24, 2008

I would have liked to see Rimando protected. He has played really well for Real and I think deserves to stay (even though Seitz is the future).

Poqui | 3:58 p.m. Nov. 24, 2008

Rimando is now protected. Mr. Glass Hamstrings is no longer protected. I like that better.

Guhh | 4:05 p.m. Nov. 24, 2008

I like Rimando but as long as he's here Seitz will continue to sit. I thought we were going for a long term plan and long term Rimando isn't the answer. He is like when NFL teams have Jeff Garcia or Kurt Warner as their starter. Yeah they do a good job but at what cost. Seitz will be a lot better

RSL ULty fan | 4:15 p.m. Nov. 24, 2008

Good choices on the protected list. I really like Dr. Goal, but he fits in another sytem where they will utilize his ability to win in the air. Dr. Goal did more than any realizes though. As for Mathis, I think he worked very hard and did make a difference on the pitch. I would, however, take Espindola over Mathis. Can't wait for next season. I hope Any Williams comes back.

as;lds | 4:34 p.m. Nov. 24, 2008

aren't you scared of losing williams!?
i love him. i have much much respect for him.

Enrique | 5:28 p.m. Nov. 24, 2008

I'm nervous about losing Sturgis. I know he's fragile, but when healthy he's a steady starter. I would have rather left Rimando unprotected, giving Seitz a chance to step in. I'd also hate to see Williams go. Hopefully they take Dr. No Goals.

if.... | 6:02 p.m. Nov. 24, 2008

seattle has any brains they take andy. I'm super bummed Kreis thinks better of wingert than williams. Hopefully they pick up Mathis or Kovalenko cause I'm pretty sure they can only take one player from each team. If seattle takes anyone from our team over williams they are up in the night...

If they do take him, I'm going to be really dissappointed, he was one of the funnest players on the team to watch, Javi is going to miss having his creativity and ball skills on the field to partner with.

wanaku | 6:17 p.m. Nov. 24, 2008

espindola and deuchar were by far the best forward combination, when both were healthy. deuchar brings a dimension to the team that rsl has never had. unfortunately, the team doesn't have a player who is able to consistently put a cross on target, so his goal scoring has been limited. hopefully he sticks with the team and they can figure out how to use him (a top line with deuchar, espindola, and movsisyan would be interesting to see).

Anonymous | 6:39 p.m. Nov. 24, 2008

I'm also glad they didn't protect Matthis, but doubt Seattle will take him because he's pretty useless. They would take Deuchar before Matthis. Agreed, please please take Dema. He plays wing and can't cross the ball, go figure. He's truly a defensive mid, and so is Beckerman, so why have him around. Thank goodness they protected Espindola, they need at least one forward who can finish almost anything. Lastly, I hope like hell we keep Williams, he's the most unhearalded player on the team. Morales and co are usually the beneficiaries off something Williams set up. Why he only played 20 minutes in the conference championship game is beyond me. Williams 20 minutes, Matthis 90 minutes = RSL loss.

RSL'S biggest fan | 6:44 p.m. Nov. 24, 2008

why did you put Andy Williams on the unprtected list im mean he is a good player and a good guy but without him our team wouldnt do that good without him and ian joy he is a good player also and they both are good influences to children and our team will be nowhere without those two.........

RSL'S biggest fan | 6:46 p.m. Nov. 24, 2008

im very nervous about losing williams and ian joy

Full90 | 6:59 p.m. Nov. 24, 2008

Is there any way the DesNews could do a series of articles on Mathis' massive contribution to the team, perhaps even pegging him as the reason for our late run into the playoffs, in order to talk his value up? Then each of us could drop 10 posts detailing Mathis' phenomenal work rate, bone-crunching tackling, ability to win balls in the air, etc. Let's just make a deal between us to give Mathis, say, 10 goals and 8 assists last year for RSL. Then we hope Drew Carrey doesn't really check the MLS Web site and just beleives the buzz.

At the same time, let's keep repeating the message about how Sturgis is crocked and useless at age 21, and how his first touch has gone to seed.

This is how markets get moved.

Rimando? | 8:02 p.m. Nov. 24, 2008

What list were you guys reading? Rimando is protected and of course your going to protect wingert who was a steady defender and attacker out of the back which is extremely rare in the MLS but a absolute must on the international scene. Williams is great but it was obvious he was not Jason's favorite player.

mister sandwich | 8:40 p.m. Nov. 24, 2008

even though williams is the sentimental favorite, this is an on the field decision for moving forward and I think its a good one. andy is getting older and they HAD to pick 3 internationals to leave unprotected and to let morales, olave, espindola, johnson or movsisyan go unprotected would be nuts.

i feel they they needed to leave rimando unprotected. seattle has casey keller and they wouldnt have touched him. this would have allowed us maybe to protect andy or someone else. seitz is the future if we can keep him away from england.

all in all i think this was a decent list.....

Big Rock | 10:17 p.m. Nov. 24, 2008

Many of you sound like you don't quite understand the rules here. We didn't just waive these guys, Seattle can possibly take one - only one. They might not take any. The rest are still on the team, so we can't lose Williams and Joy (RSL Biggest Fan). Also, if a player is selected, he still might get traded to another team or even back to us (remember Jason Kreis a few years back?). A deal may already be struck with that in mind.

Duechars gone | 11:52 p.m. Nov. 24, 2008

Duechars will be gone. People love big target forwards. If nothing else they will take him to trade. I imagine the Seattle phone is already ringing with someone scheming for Duechars. Don't worry Williams is going nowhere. I love the guy, but teams don't trade for a guy like Williams. They want youth, potential goal scorers, and physically imposing players.

Deuchar, not Deuchars | 1:10 a.m. Nov. 25, 2008

Why do people always put an -s at the end of Deuchar's name? It drives me crazy.

Anywho, I think RSL made the right decisions. I'm with those that think it would be best for the team if Seattle took Kovalenko. Even though he is a tough player and someone you hate to see go, it will be nice to get rid of his contract.

mathis haters? | 5:47 a.m. Nov. 25, 2008

i have to wonder if any one in this forum actually plays or understands the game. mathis is a complete soccer player. he has his share of attitude and disciplinary problems but he is a true skill player that real needs to keep. how many times do you see real salt lake players fumbling passes, losing their dribble, unable to give a decent trop, or even trap the ball for that matter. it is laughable at times to see the lack of skill at this level. mathis doesn't score but that is not why he is there. he organizes the attack and sees the entire field. he is a difference maker. if he were in better shape and didn't have the disciplinary problems he would probably have been one of the premiere american soccer players to play the game. that being said he still has a lot of potential and value. i can think of a number of players we could stand to lose. mathis is not one of them.

Anonymous | 7:29 a.m. Nov. 25, 2008

The reason everyone hates Mathis is because when Real started he was supposed to be the savior of the team. The team wasn't good and Mathis was and is still blamed. People can't see what he brings to the game because they don't understand it enough. Why else would Kreis put him out there? Do you think he doesn't care enough about his job that he will put someone out there because they are friends even if that player is terrible? Gimme a break.

If Seattle takes | 11:47 a.m. Nov. 25, 2008

either of the following players I will hate them forever:
Mathis (probably my favorite American soccer player of all time)
Deuchar (he will be crazy good next year)

and I'll be upset if they take Andy Williams but I'll get over it. Unless we trade a draft pick to get him back. Then I'll hate them forever. The crazy thing is I hate more soccer teams than I do NBA teams and there are a lot less MLS teams. I'm really hoping they take Dema. Please Seattle.

mathis | 11:55 a.m. Nov. 25, 2008

i hope mathis can help us out next year, i really do. he probably doesnt deserve all the criticism he gets, he does have skill, but as a striker, you have to score goals. I dont think its unfair to expect that. all of you out there saying 'well you just dont understand the game' would you please explain to me how it is acceptable for a striker not to score goals?

Joy, not Dchr or Andy, will go | 11:56 a.m. Nov. 25, 2008

The fix is in for Nate Jaqua in Seattle, and they won't need the poor man's Jaqua.

Plus, Seattle will also have Ljungberg, Nyassi (NE player's brother) and their USL MVP Sebastien le Toux in attack in addition to Jaqua. That's a lot of attack and no defense.

And since there aren't that many Ds in the draft who can give you good minutes, many of the predictions I've seen have them taking Joy, and I'm inclined to agree.

Mathis | 1:08 p.m. Nov. 25, 2008

Mathis was listed as a forward, not a striker. He plays forward of the mids, but behind the striker, Yura. It is essentially a 4-4-1-1, with mathis diagonal of Javi and Yura.

At least that is what I saw.

Re:Mathis | 3:59 p.m. Nov. 25, 2008

Great observation. It seems like most people that are on here a lot think all teams play a 4-4-2 all the time. Really Javi is more of a striker than Mathis even though Mathis is a forward and Morales is a Midfielder. Think of Mathis as more of a CAM, he is a playmaker and distributor than a "striker". I've already posted in other comments how much of an effect Mathis has had on our scoring. Just from what I remember we only had like 2 games with more than 1 goal and a negative GDF and after we had Mathis we had like 4 or 5 games with more than 2 goals and a positive GDF. But he didn't score the goals or get the assists? Yeah but our TEAM started scoring more. Sometimes stats don't tell the whole story.

Correction | 4:00 p.m. Nov. 25, 2008

only 2 games that we score more than 2 goals before we had Mathis

Man U strikers | 6:04 p.m. Nov. 25, 2008

Man U, Chelsea or Liverpool would get rid of any striker who played 12 games with no goals and no assists. Perhaps they don't understand soccer either?

Forwards score, set up scores, or they are gone. And! They are expected to have all the "intangibles" Mathis has also. It's not either or. A defensive mid can have just "intangibles". Perhaps that's where Mathis should be playing as a backup for Beckerman.

Rio Tinto Guy re: Mathis haters? | 2:28 a.m. Nov. 26, 2008

I saw 4 of the last 6 RSL games, wasn't able to catch much of the season before then. In the games that I saw, the play seemed to be flowing through Morales, not Mathis. Morales' vision leading to penetrating passes in the final third was amazing. His creativity is what will take RSL to the next level next year.

JOY IS GONE | 8:50 a.m. Nov. 26, 2008

I think it is great that we saved Nick Rimando. KC is going to lose there keeper because LA needs a keeper so Seattle will take Hartman and trade him to LA. Dema or Joy is gone I think

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Real Salt Lake announces 11 protected players

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Reader comments Real Salt Lake announces 11 protected players

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Real Salt Lake announces 11 protected players