Meaningless mid-season friendlies do nothing for us as a soccer team. No self-respecting team in the EPL, NFL, or NBA would play another club in a meaningless mid-season game, particularly with a game that counts at the weekend. Last night was more about marketing than soccer, but I'm tired of being told MLS will fold like the NASL, or that RSL will move to St. Louis, if we don't play these silly matches. For soccer to take hold in the U.S., it needs to matter to competitive sports fans, not keep trying to pull out cheap new marketing tricks to get one-time attendees into seats.

A friendly is not so much about marketing as it is building a team. Friendlies are good for the RSL. Every time you touch the pitch with a champion you learn something new, you become a better player. This game also expanded the target market and so it generates greater income for the team. This is of great importance since the RSL are actually winning games. RSL need people to come to their games. And as far as the tax payer issue, it is too late to say what if, we have it so let's make the most of it.

I recall somebody just the other day, asking to bring on the big boys from the UK...

And then this? A simple loss to Mexico?

Hilarious!

Re: Full90 - Get used to these silly matches. That is the name of the game in football. Teams from all over the world have to balance friendlies, exhibition, various cups, and league play, not to mention working around the international schedule and team mates that play with the national team being gone... It's not marketing. It's football!

Re: Funny - Nothing funny about losing to the current Mexican champion. Especially when we field a squad that doesn't even somewhat resemble our first team, and they field their starting eleven. These Mexican teams take any competition with the US very seriously. I wish we would do the same.

Re: J Quinn - I'm not sure losing in a 4-1 blowout is going to make many RSL fans of the Santos fans there last night. Hope so, but I doubt it.

Re: Full90 - I agree that last night's game was mostly meaningless. I look forward to RSL one day playing in the Superliga. We witnessed the skill of the Mexican league last night, and I'd bet RSL would get up for the Superliga.

Went to the game last night, although RSL didnt field a our 'first' team I kind of like getting a chance to see some world class quality players perform even if it is a meaningless match. How often are we going to get a chance to see Oswaldo Sanchez the Mexican National Team goalie in action or Benitez of Ecuador who had 2 assists in only 45 minutes. Santos had some world class finishing in the 3 goals that they scored (the other was an own goal) and basically what I took out of that games is that RSL could use one of Santos' forwards right now.

Santos really put on a show last night. Yeah, the 4-1 loss is dissapointing, but it was an entertaining game. I think I was able to alter my expectations when I saw the starting line up, and let myself relax and have fun.

Rich, you are an idiot.

I went to the game last night with great expectations. Santos Laguna has been my team since growing up in Mexico and Real Salt Lake has been my team here in the US. Santos came to win and they showed it. Even without participation of three of their best players (Luduena, Vuoso, and Jimenez) they dominated the game and showed why they are the champions of the Mexican League. Aside from Morales and Kovalenko, Real Salt Lake had no heart and showed no effort.
One more thing, Real needs real fans. In my opinion most, not all of them, Real fans lack the heart to be real soccer fans. Why is it that Santos had more fans on their side last night than Salt Lake?? It was an away game right on the home field. Pitiful!
Until Real fans understand what it means to be a real soccer fan we will continue to struggle, specially against international competition.
Real Salt Lake is going in the right direction and we need to support them. Come to the games and show your support!

I was at Rice Eccles stadium last nigh hoping to have fun and watch some goals and enjoy the game mostly because they were playing against a non so usual rival, the true is that most RSL games are pretty boring and painful to watch and I'll have to agree with 'OgdenFan' RSL fans are souless, whoever was at the stadium last night can tell that RSL is missing a lot not only from their players, fans and organization, Santos came here to win and they did it easily, after RSL scored their only goal Santos took control again. Some people might not know this but Santos was a team that in their own league was doing so poorly that it was about to be lowered to the mexican 1a league (1 level down below their main league) just about a year or so ago and they turned their team around, Santos is not an easy team to beat and they play much better at their own stadium, funny thing is RSL does not know the feeling of having their own venue (yet) but wait for September, things can change for RSL, good things.

It is kinda hard to be a "REAL" fan when the team you are cheering for cant score any goals! How is a 0 to 0 tie any fun to watch, or when a good team from Mexico comes in and shows us how weak of a team we really have! Sorry about you wanting a good team here in Salt Lake, but until they find someone who can score, there will be no "REAL" fans here in Utah, also soccer is a girls game, I think my girlfriend can play forward about as good as the ones we have now! She can atleast score in her indoor games! HAHAHA. Soccer is never gonna make it in salt lake on the USA! SORRY!

So, when are they going to fix that ridiculous wavy roof on the new REAL stadium?

I'm getting tired of Coach K's postgame comments every time we lose or come away with a tie in a game we dominate. Here is the latest garbage that has spewed forth from his mouth... �Our guys really since Friday of last week were already focused on this Saturday night�s game (against Columbus).� �That is how we had to play this game; we had to focus on this game as a training exercise.� I'm sorry Coach K but you need a lesson from Herm Edwards in that "YOU PLAY TO WIN"..."HELLO". Training is for training...matches are for winning. That's the whole purpose and I'm tired of his antics. Compare Coach K with Jerry Sloan. No comparison obviously but you don't hear Jerry pinning losses on anyone other than his team and himself. I'm sure he wants to criticize the refs all the time but Jerry understands accountability and teaching your team to be accountable for losing and not to lay the blame elsewhere. Time for RSL to say goodbye to Coach K.