Real Salt Lake players Nick Rimando (blue) jersey and Kyle Beckerman (holding trophy) celebrate their MLS Eastern Conference Championship 0-0 (5-4) in a shootout over the Chicago Fire after their soccer game on Saturday, Nov. 14, 2009, in Bridgeview, Ill. Now RSL are standing up to questions about their losing record in 2009. (AP Photo/Jim Prisching)
We are just a few days away from MLS Cup 2009 at Qwest Field in Seattle. The Los Angeles Galaxy and Real Salt Lake are doing the traditional press rounds as they also prepare for the big match. Seems everyone has a little chip on their shoulder about something...
Martin Rogers, Yahoo: RSL takes on the Los Angeles Galaxy in the MLS title game on Sunday, and if victorious, it will become the first club in modern times in any major sport to win a championship after finishing the regular season with a losing record.“It sounds like we had better not even go,” barked head coach Jason Kreis during an interview on Tuesday. “I mean, we don’t have a chance, do we?”
Phil Collin, Daily Bulletin: Sunny. Dry. Warm. No, the Galaxy weren't in Seattle yet as they opened training leading up to Sunday's MLS Cup against Real Salt Lake. But the conditions in the Pacific Northwest were on the minds of the Galaxy on Tuesday. The early forecast calls for the mid-40s and showers. "Surprise, surprise," Galaxy midfielder Chris Klein said. "The weather you can't control. It would be a good, fun, rain-soaked celebration, I guess." More disappointing to the players is the FieldTurf surface, which has its own way of altering the game. It's not the first choice of the players on either team, who play in stadiums with natural grass."It makes it different, for sure," Galaxy coach Bruce Arena said. "No one's explained the rationale behind it, but it is what it is. We do play on the stuff in the league. We can't say we haven't been on it."
Michael Lewis, Salt Lake Tribune: Coach Jason Kreis did not seem thrilled with a conference call question Tuesday about the possibility that Real Salt Lake will become the first team in modern American professional sports to win a championship with a losing regular-season record. "Wow, it sounds like we better not even go," he answered, sarcastically. "I mean, we don't have a chance, do we?" RSL is once again viewed as the underdog against the high-profile Los Angeles Galaxy at the MLS Cup in Seattle on Sunday. Oddsmakers have made RSL a +295 underdog to win at Sportsbook.com. But Kreis said it would be unfair to regard RSL too unfavorably, because its 11-12-7 regular-season record was just barely under break-even. "I have a lot of belief in this team not based on results," he said, "not based on the fact that we were the eighth-place finisher in the league this year. I have a lot of faith in this team because I know what they're capable of, and at the moment, they're playing close to their capability and close to their potential."
Jack Bell, New York Times: “Sitting where I sit, obviously, it’s hard to say you prefer one team over another and keep my job as commissioner,” Don Garber said Monday during a conference call, which served as his annual state of the league address. “When you look at what other leagues are able to achieve when the most popular teams in the largest markets play for championships, you have to be envious of teams like the Yankees, the Red Sox and the Cowboys.” Garber continued by mentioning one of Beckham’s teammates, the American star Landon Donovan, who is also a designated player. “Of course it’s good to have David and Landon in the championship game,” Garber said. “That being said, I don’t think it says anything about the designated players. In our view, it’s a successful initiative.”
Los Angeles Galaxy's David Beckham warms up during before the start of their MLS Western Conference Championship soccer match against the Houston Dynamo, Friday, Nov. 13, 2009, in Carson, Calif. (AP Photo/Gus Ruelas)
Goal.com: Prior to the Major League Soccer playoff conference finals, Goal.com asked readers which team would win the cup. A staggering amount picked the Los Angeles Galaxy.Both losing teams of the conference finals picked up 5.5%. The Chicago Fire and the Houston Dynamo pushed matters into extra time, but eventually lost out, the Fire in penalty kicks.
FootieBusiness.com: "Mixed, but most want to still go. Some are selling their seats to LA and Utah fans who want the best views. Some are giving them away, even. Still, it is likely that the lower bowl won’t have too many empty spots. A Chicago-LA match-up would have increased the ticket demand and the rate of those that showed up. There will still be a “March to the Match,” it is still the last ticket in our season package…so unless the weather is an absolute downpour, Seattle should represent. Are Seattle fans “excited” about the match? I have yet to hear from anyone that is."
Larry Morgan, MLSNet.com: Los Angeles Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena was well aware he was taking a gamble, but he figured the odds were in his favor. His new-look defense, completely revamped from a year ago when it allowed a league-high 62 goals, was going to hinge on an unusual partnership in central defense Arena later called the "the perfect combination." It initially might have raised eyebrows around MLS, but it spurred the Galaxy all the way to Sunday's MLS Cup Final in Seattle against Real Salt Lake. At one center back position was Gregg Berhalter, a 36-year-old fresh off a 14-year career in Europe and a former veteran of the U.S. national team who was new to MLS. The other position was manned by 21-year-old Omar Gonzalez, the club's first-round draft choice out of the University of Maryland and another newcomer to the league.
Ridge Mahoney, Soccer America: This season will end with a quick turnaround for Andy Williams; the day after Real Salt Lake plays Los Angeles in MLS Cup 2009, RSL will conduct interviews and advise players as to their contract status for next year.
He and backup keeper Chris Seitz are the only survivors from the dismal five-win expansion season of 2005, and the steady progress to respectability that may have started when RSL hired forward Jason Kreis to replace John Ellinger as head coach early in the 2007 season. "I think it does mean more to guys like Andy, because we've been through all the bad times," said Kreis, who despite retiring as the league's all-time leading scorer with 108 regular-season goals never played in a league championship game. "The saying goes that you have to go through difficult times to appreciate the good ones, and so if that is the case, both Andy and I are very, very appreciative of these last two years, for sure."
Kyle McCarthy, MLSnet.com: "It's an extremely exciting time for Real Salt Lake," Kreis said. "It's a benchmark for the club. We've somewhat turned the club around and we've made ourselves competitive. We're very very proud of all of the work we've put in and all of the work the team has put in. We're excited about our opportunity this weekend and we see it as exactly that: an opportunity." RSL goalkeeper Nick Rimando played a large part in ensuring his side would reach MLS Cup after stopping three Chicago penalty kicks, including two stops on two shots in the sudden-death stage, to send the Claret-and-Cobalt past the Fire after a 0-0 draw through extra time on Saturday night. Rimando said his side has accumulated significant momentum over the past few weeks and should benefit from its recent uptick in form on Sunday night. "We're very excited to get to Seattle," Rimando said on the conference call. "It's been our goal since the beginning of the season. I think right now the guys are ready. We've got our rhythm going and we're confident, especially after winning in Columbus and Chicago. We're excited to get there and play a good match against the Galaxy.
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