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Real Salt Lake looks to make standings push

Anonymous | 10:22 a.m. June 22, 2009

We started off decent (even if we didn't win on the road), slumped for a bit and now seem to have regained our form. Hard to believe the season is half over. Let's hope there are no more slumps and we make a push for the MLS cup. GO RSL!

todd from santa ana | 12:01 p.m. June 22, 2009

Real has 16 points. 3 have 19 they are ranked 6, 7 and 8 and 8 make the playoffs. This means 3 points out of a playoff berth..

MJB | 12:33 p.m. June 22, 2009

the biggest liability we have right now is the play of Olave. If he doesn't get red carded, then we could have won two of the games we didn't. he needs to get his head into all the matches and not make the mistakes that penalize the whole team and gets us into a big diadvantage.

Comments continue below

Chadders | 1:58 p.m. June 22, 2009

I have to disagree MJB. The thing no one apparently wants to discuss is how Borchers let in the goal because he was out of position. The sad thing is this was far and away the best game I've ever seen Rimando play. If he always played like that I would love the guy. I have to give it to him, he was a monster on Saturday. Back to Borchers why do all the fans give him a pass? How many times does he have to let in a point lossing goal before the fans get it? Obviously the red card hurt us, but let's not beat Olave up for it. The ref clearly had some sort of vendetta against RSL. Chang had just thrown Olave to the ground and he was just telling him he won't accept that. The real blame for the lost 2 points is the ref and Borchers. Oh well hopefully we regroup. Toronto isn't that good we should roll them at home.

Re Chadders | 4:19 p.m. June 22, 2009

So you are saying that Olave doing his silly jump in front of Ching is justified because Ching 'threw him down'?
To be a great player you need a lot more composure than that. I blame Olave for 'being out or position' on the last goal. He was on the bench.

Findley! | 4:55 p.m. June 22, 2009

Can anybody tell me where Findley is? The leading scorer on the team?

Findley | 7:39 p.m. June 22, 2009

Findley has been injured the past few weeks.

decisions decisions | 7:47 p.m. June 22, 2009

I think the only one who was making the bad decisions on sat. was the ref.. Olave thought it was rsl ball and tried to get the ball and the ref pulled out a second yellow! Not olave's fault that mls refs are a disaster..

Kicker | 1:39 a.m. June 23, 2009

As much as I love Olave, I have to say that the card was justified. Who cares if he thought it was RSL ball? If it was, the ref would stop play and give it back to us. No need for commotion. And I understand that Ching had just thrown him down. To go and start a little skirmish without a yellow already is one thing, but you just have to be more careful when you've already got one. I'll agree that MLS refs are very sub par, but it was a stupid decision from Olave. Also, Beltran should have been there to cover the cross, and Kyle, Russell, and Borchers all let Ching past. It was a complete defensive breakdown, not one players fault.

Re: Chadders | 8:13 a.m. June 23, 2009

Conversely, why give Olave a free pass? It was the second time in the season he has done something that stupid, getting red cards, potentially costing us three points on the road, and being absent the subsequent match.

If Olave doesn't make that dumb move, the defense isn't on its heels for 30+ minutes, the attack has more opportunity to get forward and relieve pressure on the defense, defenders aren't as fatigued, and the tandem of Olave/Borchers continues to shut it down.

RSL and Outlaws supporter | 8:27 a.m. June 23, 2009

Come see RSL up close and personal tonite 5:30 pm at St. Joseph's HS. They will be playing the Ogden Outlaws. Should be a lot of fun. It sure was last year.

Chadders | 10:06 a.m. June 23, 2009

I give Olave more of a free pass because while he has "cost us 3 points" in 2 games, he has saved our butts in most of our games. It's the same reason most fans are giving Findley a pass, "he leads the team in goals" even though Findley's lazy play was hurting the team. Does that make sense? Ok if you just look at the facts yeah Olave has left the team shorthanded a couple of times, but both times the red was harsh. Do you not disagree with that?

JVC-RSL | 10:13 a.m. June 23, 2009

In my opinion, the fault was clearly the refs. Olave didn't even touch Ching. He thought the ball had gone off on Ching, so he went over to grab it for a throw in. (This usually happens two or three times in a game, in which case the ref blows his whistle and let's both players know which team can take the throw in.) Not a big deal. The ref interprets Olave's actions as an attempt to deliberately handle the ball, and with no discussion pulls out a second yellow for Olave. Ejecting a player in that instance is unacceptable. It ruins the game. Either the ref was out to get RSL, or he is a complete moron.

Also, how the sideline ref failed to see Mullen's obvious hand ball trap 5 feet in front of him is beyond me. The ball came acoss his chest and was ultimately settled by Mullen's outstretched arm. Two game changing calls that were obviously wrong and biased towards the home side. MLS officiating is the worst in the world.

denz | 11:37 a.m. June 23, 2009

Olave should have been red carded for kicking Kamara after they both slid out of bounds in the 10th minute. Olave has played out of control for most of the season, he is a great talent but has to get back to being in total control during matches.

Borchers gets a pass on the Ching goal? No, but it was Beckerman who was covering him as he came through the midfield and he just stopped, Russell was looking right at Ching and made no movement towards him, Borchers is the least quilty, but should have made a play on the ball as it wasn't out of his reach as it went over him.

Olave got the second yellow card because he left the field of play and prevented the restart of the match. He deserved the card.

Findley is a pure striker, one who sits high and waits for his chances to pounce, he is a cat. Yura on the other hand is a player who fights for everything, and has a high work rate, he is a dog. Two very different types of players.

Team Egypt | 11:46 a.m. June 23, 2009

Just another reason Soccer is not a sport. Nice....

Olave | 3:06 p.m. June 23, 2009

I agree the dispute with Ching was bone-headed. It happens. I just hope that this is another lesson learned so that Olave will continue to progress and become a more dominant and consistent player.

Chadders | 3:23 p.m. June 23, 2009

Thanks for the information denz, I've not heard it explained that way. I wish Findley took less "cat" naps but I guess I should cut the guy some slack. The only problem with Olave being in total control, and being more dominant is we would lose him to Europe. I honestly believe as he is right now he could start on a lot of European teams. The dude's scored 2 goals as a CB!! And in Europe the refs don't look for chances to give out cards, so he wouldn't get carded so fast. Olave is kinda like Puyol on Barca. He does such a good job that when he makes tiny mistakes people are overly critical of him. I don't think any one of us has all the answers I just want to see the team get better. We should have been in the final last year. I hope we can make it this year. Go RSL!

Re: Chadders | 5:34 p.m. June 23, 2009

Isn't the right side (where Ching ran unmarked) where Olave should have been, had he not been red carded?

Chadders | 10:06 a.m. June 24, 2009

Borchers and Olave switch sides most of the time. Borchers should have stopped the goal, he just watched Ching go by him and a CB should be smart enough to mark the man closest to him on a cross or go for the ball himself. Borchers failed on both accounts and he wasn't even aware that Ching was the only guy in the box. The last poster is right Olave would have never let that goal in because he would have headed the ball away, it's too bad the ref decided to give him the 2nd yellow without even trying to find out what was going on.

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