Real Salt Lake wins the MLS Cup in the seventh round of penalty kicks! Once again, Nick Rimando proved the value of a goalkeeper with catlike reflexes in carrying his team through the penalty kick round. Rimando was awarded Most Valuable Player (MVP) for his efforts during a hard fought match with the LA Galaxy.

Not many soccer pundits gave RSL a chance against the experienced Galaxy squad, and the ESPN announcers, Julie Foudy excepted, seemed unable to breath during their commentary without first praising David Beckham and Landon Donovan, but as Jason Kreis, coach of RSL commented post-game, “We believed in ourselves as much as people outside the locker room didn’t believe in us.” RSL, down after the first half of play due to a solid goal by the Galaxy’s Mike Magee, fought back with an equalizer from RSL’s Robbie Findley.

When regular time and the added thirty minutes of overtime expired, it was all down to the Galaxy’s backup keeper, Josh Saunders, and RSL’s Nick Rimando, who had faced PKs against Chicago Fire just a week ago. The LA Galaxy’s starting keeper, Donovan Ricketts, had gone out with a hand injury in the second period. Saunders played well in goal, but Rimando was better, and in the end, Rimando’s goalkeeping during the PK period was the difference.

RSL deserved the win. The team had a rough campaign this year, but they learned to be tough and to never give up.

Well done RSL! Well done!

Now as we have seen before, anything can happen in the playoffs – remember the multiple crossbar shots that Real used against the Red Bulls to NOT get into the finals last year – I still have occasional nightmares about that little incident, by the way. But this year, yes, this year… Things will be different! If momentum has anything to do with success heading into the playoffs then Real is sitting pretty well after last night’s game. Most people (by people I mean sports commentators) had pretty much written RSL off, but that’s why the games actually get played, right?

While the powers that be at MLS have not definitively decreed what the playoff schedule will be as of this writing, it looks like Real will face the defending champion Columbus Crew at home in Rio Tinto next weekend. Until then, I will be wandering around Utah with a big smile on my face. If you see me feel free and stop to say hello. What do I look like? Well, for those that haven’t met me, check out my post game snap…

Seriously, I know that every frustrated fan on every team that is just missing the playoffs is probably thinking the same thing about their team, but just one more win and RSL would be in the post-season race. Now, the race for playoffs is out of RSL’s hands. Even if they win at home against the Colorado Rapids this coming Saturday, other teams need to lose for RSL to make the playoffs. I hate that. But, it is what it is. Early in the season RSL could not get a win on the road. Then, once that monkey was off the team’s back, they continued to have difficulty getting goals at critical times and had defensive lapses that would leave Rimando one-on-one against an opposing striker.

Overall, RSL’s play was pretty good, but the team as a whole did not play consistently at the level they showed the early promise of reaching. Regardless of what happens next Saturday in Rio Tinto, Kreis will have to rebuild in the off-season. With Movsisyan and likely a few other key players leaving, the team will have opportunities to grab some players that can play with the resolve and intensity that RSL showed from time to time during the season. As I said before, I’m not giving up yet, and I hope RSL isn’t giving up either.

Yes We Can!!! Real Salt Lake was at the base of Mount Timpanogos last night and things looked bleak, but now RSL is half way up the mountain. When the game began last night in Rio Tinto, RSL was four points out of a potential playoff spot with three games left. After Andy’s winning goal, and then the cracking insurance goal by Fabian Espindola, RSL is now one point out of the playoffs with two games left. While a win last night keeps them in the hunt, what gives me even more hope is the fact that the team controlled the midfield and no one got red carded or seriously injured. Coach Kreis wanted controlled intensity and that is what he got for the most part.

There is a fine line to be walked between intensity and desperation, and while RSL seemed almost desperate at the start of they game, the team eventually settled down and methodically kept coming at the Red Bulls. Again, it comes back to control of the midfield and building offensive thrusts into the heart of the opponents defense. You control, build an attack, and move the ball from side to side for a shot. RSL had intensity from the start of the game, but intensity and aggressiveness doesn’t get you good shots and goals.

By the second half the Red Bulls seemed worn down and lost their defensive shape, and that was when RSL was able to capitalize. Some of the professional commentators were questioning Coach Kreis’s decision to leave Findley on the bench until the second half, but now Kreis looks like a genius. He let the Red Bulls wear themselves down some and then brought in Robbie Findley and Andy Williams and lo and behold, Findley comes down the right side and crosses a ball in that Williams picks up off a slight deflection for the game winner. Genius.

Now, on to Toronto FC. RSL can still make their own destiny with another win. I’d rather that they not wait until the final game of the season against the Rapids. Road games have been hard for RSL this year, but a win or tie in Toronto would make the mountain significantly smaller. In Utah, we know all about mountains.

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Now I may be going out on a limb, but after the past couple games, I’m a bit testy. I mean, if you think back to the way RSL started the season (except playing away of course), I was pretty darn optimistic. Then, the road monkey got on RSL’s back and spent a large part of the season there. Finally, the monkey got dislodged, and then the referees seemed to have gotten a special thrill from seeing how RSL could play a man or two down. Hell, even a head-coach down. In fact, one of the trainers, a ticket taker, and the dude selling churros got red-carded one game. Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating about the churro guy, but it damned well seemed like he was next the way things were going. Still, week after week RSL managed to hang in there. And now, with just four games left, RSL can still make the playoffs if they can string two wins together. Last week Seattle and Chivas helped us out with a draw, and San Jose tried their best to keep Colorado from pulling away. In fact, San Jose was robbed twice. Well, once for sure. I have to say that I did not actually see the end of the game Wednesday night in Denver, but I will assume it was a bad call on principle. The principle being that from what I have seen lately, these PKs in overtime are generally bad calls.

With all that has gone before this season, RSL can still take the proverbial “steer” by the horns and get to the post-season by their own efforts if they get two wins (that’s my prediction). San Jose at least kept Colorado in striking distance, and now it is up tp RSL to do its part. Earlier in the season I would have looked at a Dallas game as a probable win, but Dallas has gotten plugged into some happy-juice lately. They kicked the poop out of the team from Hollywood High… sorry, I mean The Galaxy. And Dallas has shown they can score. RSL has a good defense and Rimando has been in top form lately. Movsisyan is loosening up, and hopefully Morales and Mathis will be ready to play. So, Saturday night is the night. RSL wins and they have a good shot at making the playoffs on their own merit. RSL loses, and they have a tough mountain to climb.

But sometimes, you have to face reality. Real looked awful out of the blocks in Houston. It was as if RSL was still working at fifty percent effort at the start of the game while the Houston Dynamo was playing at high tempo. The Dynamo scored the fastest goal of their franchise’s history when Brian Ching punched in a ball off a set play in the second minute of the game. As if that wasn’t bad enough, less that three minutes later, Geoff Cameron put a second ball in the back of the net. Really? Two to nil just five minutes into the match? Did RSL think the game wasn’t going to be challenging enough so they’d better spot Houston two points out of the gate?

Both scores were off set plays. I was watching the game and scratching my head. What the heck was going on with the defense? The back line left Nick Rimando hanging. Twice. But take heart, RSL didn’t fold up like Galaxy did in Dallas last week. Minute twenty-seven and Captain Kyle Beckerman comes through with a drive through the middle of the Houston back line and guides a precise shot under the arms of Pat Onstad. In big games someone has to step up, and Beckerman once again showed why he wears the Captain’s armband. But just when things are looking up, Jamison Olave receives a straight red for an over-aggressive tackle in minute thirty-one and the team is a man down.

RSL showed some heart though, and Yura Movsisyan managed a goal to level that game, and I was starting to think that getting out with a draw would be just fine, when Brad Davis, who had been involved in the previous Dynamo scores, got his own goal at the eighty-first minute.

Did Olave’s tackle deserve a straight red and an ejection? No, I don’ think so, but that was the same kind of tackle that got Beckham ejected in LA a few weeks back. Some MLS referees would have given a yellow and a stern warning, but Olave wasn’t lucky enough to have one of those referees and the team suffered for most of the game. By the last fifteen minutes, it was clear that RSL was out of gas.

One other oblique point I feel the need to make. I am really tired of referees affecting the outcome of games. I happened to be at the San Jose Earthquakes – Colorado Rapids game on Friday night in San Jose. San Jose dominated the match. I mean, they played well and had Colorado’s number all night. I was fine with this, because no points for Colorado is a good thing for RSL, right? And right up until 2:56 minutes into a 3:00 minute period of added time, I was thinking the referees had done a good job. You know, kept the match under control and made limited calls. But then, during a melee in the box during a corner kick the referee calls a penalty.

Really? My problem with this was that it was plain and simple a bad call at the worst possible moment. All night long there had been pushing and shoving in the box. This is soccer, after all, and the referee had not made similar calls. It was not the time to suddenly “grow a pair”. The game was stolen from The Quakes by the referee. There is no other way to say it. When I got home I watched and re-watched the highlight of that final play over and over. Contact? Yes. But it looked like two aggressive players to me, and the referee had not called similar fouls all night. Why then? It made no sense to me and the other 12,000 fans Friday night, and it makes no sense today. So here is my charge to referees everywhere… STOP INFLUENCING THE OUTCOME OF GAMES!!! LET THE PLAY ON THE FIELD DECIDE WHO WINS AND LOSES GAMES!!!

The Wizards have had a rough time lately and have not been able to put the ball in the back of the net. But if there has been one thing that has been a hallmark of this season in the MLS it is parity. You have an off day, and teams you think you should beat bite you in the behind. There are no easy games in the MLS this year – none. Hershel, who blogs about the Wizards for TheOffside predicts a 1-1 draw in today’s game. While that might not be an awful result, RSL has to come into this game looking for a win. Getting solidly into the playoffs is the goal for RSL and winning on the road is a requirement. RSL has had a tough time on the road this year, but the team showed some heart this week. Let’s see if that carries on. And as Hershel was brave enough to make a game prediction, so will I: RSL 2, Wizards 0. Sorry, man, Rimando has been on a roll.

Last week against the Sounders, Findley managed a goal which was the difference in the game. But this week, RSL has to bring a little better play to get past Houston. Let’s face it, the West is a tight conference, and from the unexpected success of Seattle, to the resurgence of the LA Galaxy, no team is looking at easy passage into post-season.

RSL has made some great strides this year, maturing as a football club. Our little boys have grown up! And as Will Johnson commented a couple of weeks back, “This is a Jason Kreis football team.” True Dat, Will (my California-street-speak showing). So what does a Jason Kreis football team play like? Well, it comes out hard and focused and doesn’t throw in the towel if it gets behind. In fact, it doesn’t throw in the towel ever. Not ever. RSL has become a tough-as-nails Jason Kreis team. Down but never out.

The win over Seattle at Rio Tinto last week was a good start at the run towards the playoffs, but with the Galaxy, Chivas, Rapids, Sounders and Dynamo ahead of RSL every game counts – every point counts. RSL wants to have control of its own destiny this year. How does the team do that? By getting full-points whenever possible. The Houston Dynamo is a tough team, but RSL has proven that at home in Rio Tinto, they can play with anybody. At home in Rio Tinto, even against the conference leader, RSL can seize control of their own playoff aspiration and make it happen.

There were good things that happened in the game, and the late entry of Andy Williams was appreciated by the Chicago crowd, but Williams late entry couldn’t put Real over the top. Chicago is a good team, and Real still struggles on the road. Tonight, even with Chicago holding some players back to keep them fresh for the Super Liga final next Wednesday, they still pulled off a win. Now, entering August and the downhill sprint to the playoffs, every point is crucial. Real, has a full week to regroup before their next match at home against Seattle. The playoffs are still within reach, but Houston, Seattle, Galaxy, Chivas, and Colorado have designs on playoff spots as well. Every match from here on out will be big.

I’d agree that the play wasn’t bad, and Colorado is a tough team, even without two of their stars who were on duty with the US National Team. In fact, it looked like RSL had the win until Omar Cummings hammered a fantastic shot from the top of the penalty over the head of RSL goalkeeper Nick Rimando.

One bright spot was Yura Movsisyan, who has struggled to make goals this season. Movsisyan scored in the 79th minute, and that is a decidedly good thing. The match may have gone RSL’s was after the Movsisyan goal, but when Robbie Russell was sent off with his second yellow card in the 82nd minute the defense faltered. It not only left RSL a man down the rest of the way, but forced them to change their formation that had worked so well in containing the Rapids attack up to that point. (RSL played a 4-3-3 for the first time this season and the Rapids had difficulty handling it.)

After Russell’s sending off, Colorado scored five minutes later and closed the game with a tie they probably felt fortunate to get away with. This week, RSL heads out on the road to play the LA Galaxy at The Home Depot Center Saturday night. Not sure if Kreis will use this new formation against LA, or will go back to his old one with the return of Beckerman and Morales, but it may be worth a try. RSL has the elements of a great team, but they need some little tweak to get them over the edge. Maybe it’s a new formation, or perhaps they need a shot of Xango before the games.