BFF’s

Last night was the last RSL home game, and as such, was also the Fan Appreciation Night. The first 5000 fans got a Kyle Beckerman bobble head. We got there pretty early, I wanted to get a bobble head. They gave another bobble head away, Nick Rimando, and even though we got there 15 minutes after the gates opened, we missed out. It was only by a tiny miracle that we got one at all. So for this one, we showed up with 10 minutes before the gates opened. There were a lot of people there, so many that I didn’t think we’d have gotten one, but after waiting in the chilly air, the gates opened, and we made our way in. Lucky for me, I got one!

I was pretty happy about that. The game was freezing, and with many layers, and blankets, it was still cold. The game ended in a 0-0 tie, but thank goodness, we’ve made it into the playoffs. So there will be one more game, as luck would have it. So, after the game, home I came, and introduced the two new friends to each other.

I think they’re going to be best friends.

A Slight Delay

I forgot, the other day, to blog about the RSL game that we went to on Saturday night. It was, as usual, a good time, but an interesting game to go to. It was a chilly time, which is weird for August, but to be honest, it was a nice break from the scorching temperatures we usually have, and I just sit in the stands, sweating, drinking copious amounts of water, but not getting any cooler. So it was nice, for a bit. As we were walking into the game, it was sprinkling ever so slightly. The game started, and it was still sprinkling. We got 3 minutes and 15 seconds into the game, and all of a sudden, the referee blew the whistle, and stopped the game. Due to the proximity of the lightning, they stopped the game for the safety of the players. They made an announcement, saying that the players would be leaving the field, and for our safety, we should leave our seats, and go stand up in the concession areas. I’m a rebel, so we hung out in our seats, waiting for the players to return. I took a picture of the sky after they left, the sky looked so dark and foreboding.

80 MINUTES LATER the players returned to the field. We sat there, playing games, chatting, and I live-tweeted the event, so that those at home knew what was going on, the inside scoop. Then, through the storm clouds, and the lightning, and all that, a rainbow emerged, and we thought the game might start soon.

Finally, about 15 minutes after the rainbow was seen, they returned, and warmed up for about 10 minutes or so. Then they started, and we were chilly. PJ & I had to go to the team store during the first half, to get a jacket, she had left hers in the car, because on the way in, it didn’t actually seem like it was going to be cold. Husband left his too, so I bought him a long-sleeved shirt out of the kindness of my heart. Then we stayed and watched the game for the remainder, and we won! It was awesome. At the end of the day, we had stayed at the stadium for about 4 hours. That’s not a super long amount of time, but oh man did it seem like it a little. Thankfully, we all lived, we had fun, and the best news of all, we made it to Baskin Robbins 7 minutes before they closed, which was the miracle of the night.

Colorado: Day 2

Ok, sports fans, here we go. Started this lovely Saturday with a run on a Colorado running trail that I didn’t really care for. But it was fun in that there were a hundred million prairie dogs on the trail, all hiding in holes. That helped distract from the distance and sun. After finishing, we got ready, watched some Men’s volleyball (sorry, team USA) and went to breakfast at a place called Sam’s No 3. It was pretty good. When I ordered a banana, they served it to me sliced up!

It tasted better this way, I swear. After eating, we headed over to the Denver Botanical Gardens. It was really pretty, and oh-so-hot. The weather forecast we saw gave us lower temperatures than we had. I thought it would be lovely weather, but it was hot. Here are some of the flowers:

They were pretty. As we walked by a tree, there was a squirrel eating nuts. I tried to take a picture, but I couldn’t get it focused close enough. This is me, sitting under a tree. Lookin’ good.

After the Gardens, we went to dinner at a bar (we didn’t know it was a bar, it was recommended to us from a friend) and onto the RSL game. Sadly, sadly, sadly, we lost. It wasn’t a fun game either, the RSL drummers showed up, so they drowned out any singing we did, and it was just loud and I didn’t care for it. After the game, we grabbed our customary ice cream. I got a large, I thought I was hungry.

I only ate until the cone, then had to throw it away, I was SO full. That made me sad. But after everything, and the long drive back to the hotel, yet another crashing commenced. Being on vacation makes me tired!

It’s Only Halftime

Last Saturday, RSL played Seattle in the first leg of the 2011 MLS Playoffs. It was a crisp evening (and by that, I mean, I was pretty dang cold) and the air was crackling with excitement. They’ve made the playoffs for the last 3 years, so you’d think at this point that we’d be sort of used to it, but not yet. The 2009 playoffs, which won RSL the championship, happened because of a series of fluke accidental games, but last year was all our talent. After a lot of bad luck this year (so many people getting injured, including Javier Morales’ broken ankle, and a lot of call-ups to the national teams) we ended up doing pretty well, and got into the playoffs in the third spot. But there’s still some work to be done.

Now back to last Saturday. The game was at 8, hence the chilliness. We got off to a good start, and scored before halftime, so thank goodness for that. The team seems to do better when they lead going into a half. After an exciting second half (in which 2 of our defenders got injured, and had to be substituted out) we ended the game with us winning 3-0. It was awesome – the screaming we all did was so loud.

But right now, its just halftime. We play at Seattle tonight, to finish the first round of playoffs. This round is based on aggregate goals – meaning, the end result is decided by who had the most goals when you add the 2 games together. So getting a 3-goal lead last week was the best thing we could do. If we win tonight, awesome! If we tie, that’s good. If we lose 2-0, or 3-1, that’s ok, too, because we’ll still have the most amount of points. I’m going to root for a victory, but I’ll settle for a tie.

Go RSL!

Ole Ole Ole Ole

Last night was the final CONCACAF game for my beloved RSL. They still do play in the regular MLS competitions, this was just an extra competition we’re in. It comprises of US/Mexico/Canada, the Caribbean and Central America. Up to last night, we were the only US team left in the tournament. I’m not sure when we started playing in this, maybe sometime in the summer? But we’ve been doing pretty well in it, obviously, since we were the last MLS team in it.

I had been super pumped up to get to this game. Every game has been great, and full of suspense, and then all of a sudden, we found ourselves in the final! Here it was! Thank goodness for me, the final was here in beautiful Sandy. I left work, got all decked out in my team colors, and off I went. The team had asked for a “Red Out”, they wanted us all in red, and we were happy to oblige. We got to the game pretty early, to get fully in the mood. The stadium was packed. It was sold out, including selling out of standing room. And everyone was in red. The stadium was loud, we all stood the whole game, it was amazing.

I’m setting the mood up for this, to let you know how great it was, what the atmosphere was like. We were pretty evenly matched the first half. We sadly were missing our captain, Kyle Beckerman, but we seemed to be surviving without him. Of course, 40 seconds before the first half was over, Monterrey scored. What an unfortunate way to start the second half, but I still had high hopes that we could come back from this. We either needed to beat them (duh) or be tied at zeros or ones to win.

Sadly, we never came back. We had a lot of amazing opportunities, but we just couldn’t seem to get any in the net. When the final whistle blew, there was stunned silence from the crowd where minutes before, we’d all been so loud. But I’m proud of my RSL. They played an amazing game, they just had some bad luck in this game. Luckily that wasn’t our season, it was just the CONCACAF. Our season has only just began – and I can’t wait for the remaining games. I think it’ll be a nice consolation to have us win the MLS Cup this year. I know our guys can do it – they’re having a great season so far. I can’t wait to see how it all unfolds.

We...are the champions....for the first tiiiime

Good news, I'm back! A quick jaunt over a few states, and I'm back, better than ever. Well, maybe that's not true, but oh boy, was it fantastic.
We flew out noon Saturday, arriving in Seattle a couple of hours later, and after some eating, driving around trying to find our hotel, we did what we did best-went to the movies. Hey, cut me some slack. Even though we were in a different state, we weren't sure of what there was to do, so we saw The Blind Side, which we really wanted to see. And side note, it was good.
We did touristy things on Sunday, saw the Space Needle, did some exploring of the city. It was fun to see the city from that high up, boy was it cold! I mean, it's cold obviously being November, but holy crap were we cold. I was all bundled up! We saw loads of other Real fans all over the place, and every time we saw one, we'd give the 'hey, we're the same' wave. It was nice.
We went to the game, and it was the greatest game I've ever seen/been to! After a grueling 90 minutes, which ended in a 1-1 tie, we went on to a 30 minute overtime. Still tied after that, we went in penalty kicks. That was the tensest I've ever been in my life. After 7 kicks, it was over. RSL-champions of the league! We won the cup! When Robbie Russell made the last goal, we exploded. We were screaming, jumping up and down, and I must have hugged every person near me. I didn't even care what was going on, I was just going for it. After a long celebration period, we got kicked out of the stadium. We left, singing the praises of our team the whole way.
It was a great weekend-and I'm so psyched we went. Now we're the champs, and it was a great season. I'm glad to be home though, I was exhausted. I've also lost my voice-and it weirdly gets more lost every day. I screamed myself hoarse that night, Monday was pretty sqeaky, then I screamed at a basketball game on Tuesday, so now I just sound like I have a cold. Sheesh. Anyway, best game ever, fabulous weekend, and I'm back! Let the blogging resume.

We could take the Cup!

Good news sports fans! Real Salt Lake, my boys, have made it to the final game! Lets be honest, nobody thought this would happen at all, but here we are! We had our game today, against Chicago, and oh boy was it a nail-biter. It was a scoreless game, so we went into overtime. After a 30 minute overtime, we were still tied at zeros, so into penalty kicks we went. Believe me, this was super tense! I was clutching at PJ's leg, basically digging my nails into anything, and wow. We had the first five, and we missed one, and we stopped one of theirs, so tied again. Then we had sudden death. They went, and we stopped it! We went, and...a miss. I was about out of my mind. They shoot again, and Nick Rimando saves again! We shoot....gooooooaaaaallllll!! I went out of my mind. Even though I was watching this from the comfort of my basement (Come on, I can't afford to go to Chicago on a whim!) I freaked out. I started screaming, and I jumped, and there was some definite huggage. My friend Karen called me as soon as it was over, to celebrate, and pretty much all we did was scream on the phone at each other.
After the game, we were so energized up, we took a quick victory lap around the neighborhood, while shouting things to the neighbors, who I think were all just in their houses. I don't know if anyone heard what we were saying, but it felt nice to be shouting it.
The final game, for the MLS Cup 2009 is next Sunday, we'll be playing LA. We could beat them! You never know, especially this year! We looked into taking a jaunt to Seattle for the game, but come on, I'm not made of money. We'll be watching though, you can guarantee that!

Who knew?

My beloved RSL has advanced to the next rounds of playoffs! I won't lie, I actually didn't think this would be happen. I mean, getting to the playoffs was big enough as it was, but to have made it farther? There had to be so much things that had to fall into place for us to get there, and when it all did, I was shocked and amazed. I totally didn't expect this to happen!
We played Columbus last Saturday, here at Rio Tinto. It was sort of a boring game, nothing going on, pretty evenly matched, etc. In the 87 minute (or so...) we scored! I couldn't believe it-we went crazy. The next game was last Thursday at Columbus. If you know my RSL boys, you know we do not play well when we're not at home, so of course, I was expecting a loss. I know it's bad to say this, but I'm a realist. Anyway, I couldn't watch the game because I had my evening with Comedy Sportz, but I was being updated by the minute by both my dad and PJ. As I got their texts, informing me that Columbus was up by one, then two, then RSL scored, then another score! We're tied? What the heck! Then, miraculously, we scored again, and won the game! I wish so much that I could have been watching the game, but alas, 'twas not to be.
I'm so psyched we won, and I'm not sure when we play next. We'll play either Chicago or New England, whoever wins the game that takes place tonight. I still can't decide which team I want to play more, but whoever it is, wouldn't it be awesome if we went even further? Keep your fingers crossed!

I'm famous!

Ok, maybe not really. Last night, we went to the Real game. Which, by the way, was a total freaking disappointment. You know me, I love my boys in red, but lately, I'm so angry at the way they're playing. It's like, they forgot how good a team they are, and now want to play like the Real of '06, the worst of the worst. I'm hoping they'll get over this and start to play like champs, because just watching them lose over and over again (we're currently on a 4 game losing streak!) is not at all fun.
So we're at the game last night, and they're announcing the starting line up for Real. As always, PJ and I were the only people standing in our section, screaming our hearts out. I noticed after a while that a cameraman has his camera pointed at us, and he left it there for a like, a full two minutes. I didn't see ourselves on the jumbo screen (which, yes, we were on that earlier, too!) I wasn't sure what was going on. After the game started, I got some texts from my familia, all telling me they had just seen me on tv! That's right, PJ and I were on tv! Luckily, my parents had kept it on their Tivo, so I got to see it too! We're standing up, cheering and yelling, then I yell at another friend we had sitting by us to stand up, she gets up, we cheer a bit more, and then they cut away from us. It's not a big deal or anything, but it's pretty cool.
The next day, PJ got a text from her cousin saying she saw us on the news last night, and that's pretty cool that we were on the news!
Also, I was perusing the internets at Real sites, just for funsies, and I saw this picture on one of them! I don't know if you can see us, but, if you look for us, you can see us.So there you have it. We're all over the place! So now, I have been on tv, and on the internets. So yes, I am famous. And no, you can't have my autograph.

Home opener!

Everyone, it's here. The day I've been waiting for since last October has finally arrived. Soccer season has started, yes, technically, but in my world, it doesn't start until tomorrow. We have our first game at Rio Tinto of the year. Our boys in red are taking on the Columbus Crew. I'm not going to lie, I don't know how well we'll do, but you can guarantee I'll be screaming my head off no matter what; whether in anger or happiness. We have a great team, we'll have the whole crowd, we'll have just a slight advantage there. We need all the help we can get.
The one thing I'm not looking forward to is the cold. As we've been experiencing lately, the weather has not been good. Some might even say, super crappy for this time of year. But, I will show up in my seventeen jackets, scarves, gloves, blankets, whatever I can get my hands on. I'm hoping that it doesn't actually snow or rain during the time of the game, but really, it very possibly could. That will be unfortunate, but it's not enough to keep me away.
Really, what else can I say? I'm psyched for tomorrow, I'll be happier if it's not freezing, but I'll take what I can get. Think warm thoughts!

The first game...my first disappointment

Well, ya'll, the first game of Real was this weekend. Sadly, our first one wasn't at home, we played the new team, Seattle. I was totally psyched for this game. It seems like its been forever since our season ended, so thank goodness it's finally here. Sadly, our team was not put together very well! I don't know if its just because it was the first game, or because we didn't play at home, but oh my heck we were so sloppy! Passes were horrible, no shots were really good, they just all around weren't impressive. I know that as the season goes along, we'll get better, and I hope it's soon. We have the home opener this week-on Thursday. I know it'll be freezing cold, but it's totally worth it. To see my team play is one of the things I love. I'll totally brave any cold to watch it. As long as it doesn't actively snow or rain during the game, I'll be fine. I'm hoping we'll do good in that game, but as we're playing the MLS champs from last year, I'm not sure we'll be successful. But I'll cross my fingers, and hope. I'm just psyched the season has officially started!

Ok ya'll, weekend wrap-up. There was a lot that happened this weekend, and I'll just give you the highlights.
Soccer season has officially started. Real hasn't had their first game yet, because of the number of teams, but we had a preseason game, against a team from Austin. We won, which was awesome. It was such a good game. The weather was awesome, I even got a bit of a sunburn. We got to see some of our old favorite players, and got a look at the new ones. I'm excited for this year, I really think this is our year. We just have to hold strong, carry on the good times from last year.
I did a girly thing and got a pedicure this weekend, too. I used to make fun of people that got those, but then I tried one, and now I kinda love it! I usually have a thing with people touching my feet, but I'm ok with it in this case. And to make it even more girly, I got a flower painted on. It's so cute, I tried to take a picture to show you all, but turns out I couldn't really take a good one. Oh, well.
I also did something this weekend that I usually don't do: I went to the 10:00 showing of a movie. Even though I like to think myself a young person, never more do I feel old than when I go to a late showing. By the time we even sit down-the movie hasn't even started yet-I just sit, and I'm thinking, boy, I'm already tired. Then I have to make sure I stay awake the whole time-I will not have paid 8.50 for my ticket just to sleep during the movie. I had to keep making sure I wasn't super comfortable, so that I wouldn't fall asleep. But I'm proud to say, I made it through the whole thing! I don't feel so old right now.
Also this weekend, I'm learning to deal with having less space. There's been an event that has happened in and around my household, and an extra person has been thrown into my household. I already thought I didn't have enough space when my brother had moved in, and now, I'm about going out of my mind. I'm trying hard not to be too selfish, but its hard for me. It just difficult for someone of my crazy brain to see things where they're not supposed to be, and items in my meticulously organized cabinets. I guess this is a learning experience for me, and so far, I'm learning, I don't like it.

Sugar, we're going down swinging

As everyone who knows me knows, Real had another playoff game tonight. It was the final one before the MLS cup game next weekend. Whoever won this one would advance to the finals. I hated that the game was so late, at 7:30, but that's only because it was so cold. But I wore two pairs of thick socks, 2 jackets, a couple of shirts, and I was still cold. There was no escaping the cold! We played the New York Red Bulls, and sadly...we didn't win. Not for lack of trying, we played so hard, particularly towards the end. We lost, 1-0. They scored off a crappy judgment call by our defense. It was unfortunate, but nothing we can do to control that. We barely limped toward the half, trying to defend ourselves. When we came back, we were ready to play. We came out swinging, and thats how we went down. We were all-out until the final whistle. Real was just terribly unlucky. I can't even count the number of times a shot of ours bounced off the bar, or barely missed. By the end of the game, I just had to laugh when we missed, to stop from crying.
It was our first year getting into the playoffs, and it won't be our last. I'm so sad that now the season is over. No more MLS until the season begins next March/April. I'll have to get my soccer fix now from the EPL games. And while I love any soccer game, of any team, it's just not the same. I know the players and coaches in our league. I know some of the guys over in England, but not nearly enough. But at least I have some games to tide me over. I'm hoping in the off season, Real can improve in their consistency, to be the team I know they can be. Then next year, when we advance to the MLS Cup, I'll be there to cheer my team on.

Movin' on!

Holy crap! We're doing it! We're advancing! Real played Chivas tonight for the second game of the first round of playoffs, and we are moving on! We had the goal advantage from last week, since we won 1-0, so we were a little comfortable, but we knew we'd have to work hard. Chivas scored first, in the first half hour, and my heart hurt a little. Then about 10 minutes later, we scored also! Dema scored for us (the guy getting 'choked' in the above picture) The equalizer, and I breathed a little easier. In the 77th minute, we scored again-Morales did this one for us! Here we are, up 2-1, and with our goal from last week, 3-1 is really how it is. Sadly, about 5 minutes later, Chivas scores, so we're tied again. Luckily, the game ended in the 2-2 tie, so because of our previous win, we actually won! We're in the playoffs-well, we're still in, is what I should say.
We don't know who we play next. Houston plays New York tomorrow, and whoever wins out of that is the team we play. I don't know who's going to win, because, people thought we were going to lose, and we totally didn't, so it's anyone's game. Of the two, I want New York to win, because of the two teams, I think that's the one we have a better chance of beating. I know that's bad to think, but whatev. At this point, I just want to win every game. To go to the top of this is so a dream-and it could be possible! I'm just trying to be positive about everything, but trying to keep reality in view. The game is most likely going to be next Saturday (at least, that's what I'm thinking) and I can't wait. Real '08!

I've got high hopes!

As mostly everyone has heard, Real got their own stadium. A new, specially designed for soccer only, awesome new stadium. Rio Tinto is the name-which I kinda hate. I'm trying out different nicknames for it. So far, I have The Tint and The Rits. I'm coming up with more, we're just seeing what works. I was going to blog about it when we had the first game there, but I decided to combine entries. The first game there was awesome. Not the end result-we tied, but being in the great atmosphere with all other fans was amazing. I don't like the people we're sitting by-for now at least. Nobody around us yells or cheers really. And of course, I'm a screamer. By the end of the night, I've usually screamed myself somewhat hoarse. I always laugh at people that seem annoyed at me at games when I'm yelling and they're not. I'm not gonna keep quiet-its a soccer game. I'll be quiet at church, where it's appropriate.
The second game we had there was last night, and sadly, the last home game for us this year. Unless we get into the playoffs, that is. We played Dallas-and going into the game, I was so confident we could win them. We've won them before, we'd be at home, so we'd have the advantage there. My boys in red did not disappoint. After a great game full of cards, fights, and injuries, we came out on top, 3-1. It was a fantastic game. We still had hopes alive of being in the playoffs. The way to ensure that we'd get into the playoffs was for Colorado to lose to Chivas-and the game was on Sunday. I anticipated this game, and was cheering for Chivas, a team I usually hate.
We watched the game on Sunday, in high hopes that Colorado would lose. They haven't been that good this year, so I totally thought they would not win. I was wrong! Colorado won-2-1. I was so disappointed. Chivas, who is a pretty good team, couldn't beat Colorado, even with Colorado in their ridiculous light blue uniforms. I always feel like they should lose away games just because of the girly color of their kits, but things don't work like that, I guess.
Now, the way for us to advance is to win (or tie, I suppose, but who wants a tie?) in the game in Colorado next Saturday-which I will be attending. Its the last game for everyone-and it is literally for all the marbles. Whoever wins goes on-and I want it so badly for it to be us. We've never been to the playoffs-and after how great we've been playing this year, I don't want it to be over. I don't know how far we'll advance once we get to the playoffs, but I want to find out! Go Real!

We're number one. All others are number two, or lower.

I meant to write of this on Saturday night, but it was too late when I got home, then Sunday ended up being too busy. Ok, it wasn’t really busy, but I was cleaning my bathroom from top to bottom, and it took so long. Totally worth it, though, because now my bathroom is sparkling!
RSL is now in first place. I have always wanted this, but never had it! We’ve been a good time this year. A little unpredictable, but that’s made it fun. Only our team could tie with the worst team in the league one day, (I’m talking to you, San Jose) and then beat the best team in the league three days later. (Take that, New England!) It’s been a hard fought battle, full of ups and downs and all sorts of things happening. We’re undefeated at home. We’ve tied, yes, but no losses have occurred. We’ve gotten our first win on the road in…I actually don’t remember the amount of games. It was a lot-like 20 or something.
And now, to be in first place. I know that it’s all too possible to lose this next week, especially since it’s an away game, against Chicago to boot. We’re holding onto this first place with a very short lead-we’re not that far ahead of the team in second place. And while first place is the best thing ever, it’ll matter more at the end of the season that it does right now. If we can hold onto it, it’ll be fantastic; we can finally make the playoffs. But if we lose this, oh, the heartbreak that will occur. And it’ll be worse than previous years, because we got close this year. We had victory in our hands, only to have it slip through our fingers.
RSL just needs to hold onto this sliver of hope. They need to hold onto the confidence they have built up, without getting too cocky. Too often has a team walked into a game, thinking they’ll win, just to have it shoved into their face. There is nothing worse than that happening. Especially if it’s a time you should have won. You are better than the other team, you know their weaknesses, but they do everything right, and you do everything wrong. I hope keep our spot on top-we deserve it this year so much.

Updating

Ok, I had a bunch of stuff that happened in this past little bit, so I'm going to do quick bits of everything!

I did indeed have my race. I didn't die, I ran the whole time, and did better than I thought I would. I ran the 5k in 30 minutes 26 seconds, which for me, is so excellent! I figured on finishing in at about 35 minutes (because thats how much I run it in on a treadmill. I know that its not the same as real life, but hey, I work with what I have. I wish I could have gone a little faster, but I know I'll do better next time. I sprinted in the last little bit-as soon as I saw the finish line, I gave it all I had. Upon stopping, my lungs felt like they were on fire, and it took a minute, but I got back to normal. Hopefully I will have no ailments before the next race, and I'll be primed and ready to go. And as a side note, even though PJ beat me, she better be on her guard this time. I'm totally coming ready for a rumble. (And for a better understanding of the race, please read the blog of PJ. Hers is all good and visual-ly.)

Real played this Saturday, at Chivas. Since they played on a channel I don't have (I'm sorry, I refuse to pay a lot of money for a channel I'll only watch whenever my team is away) we went up to a watching party at Jerseys. I don't really like Jerseys (I feel like I'm catching a disease just being in there) and we were wary of going. But, with the promise that they were under new management (and no other watching options, really) and the fact that they have the most delicious nachos, we had high hopes and went up there. It wasn't bad-the food was still good and the place was packed. We RSL fans filled up the joint, there were so many people! Unfortunately, my team lost. Real is good. We have really good individual players, and we mesh well in play. We pass it well, and we have possession of the ball for most of the game. We just can't finish! We get up to the goal, and 9 times out of 10, we will blow the shot. It'll be just over the bar, or just barely punched away, or get taken away at the last possible minute. Then, in the four seconds that the other team will have the ball, they take it down and score. Its not that Rimando isn't amazing-he is. The other teams are just lucky where we are not. I love my team, but oh right now, I hate them. We just have to pick up our game, learn to get the ball in the back of the net. We play next Saturday here-and I can't wait for the game. I hear the weather should be nice-but his being Utah, that could change at any second!

A tie isn't a loss

Now, I know two posts in one day is just overkill, but I'm kinda wired right now, so I'm doing it. Plus, I have things I need to speak about!
Real had the opening game yesterday, and it was a marvelous occasion. As soon as we got out of the car, and saw all of our fellow fans, hearing the sounds coming from the stadium, I was psyched. It was like no time had passed at all from the last game. Shortly after taking our seats, the game began. (Now, I mostly like to get there a while before opening kick-off, but I wanted to hit up a cupcakery before the game, since we were in the neighborhood already). Real played a really good game. I think their performance was really solid-much more so than it was last year (and probably many years prior). Our passes were solid, our shots were very close, we just were in the groove. Sissy Blanco spent most of the time on the ground, but thats what we expected. What an idiot that Blanco is. We dominated the game-held onto possession of the ball way more than Chicago did, our goals just weren't finishing. In the 71st minute, we got a goal, helped by the other team. Kovalenko crossed the ball into the box, and Chicago's defense kicked the ball into their own goal instead of kicking it out of play. Bad for them, but oh so good to us. We held onto that one point lead the rest of the game. Unfortunately, (and this is something I sometimes hate about my beloved sport, more on that later) we had 4 minutes of overage time. (Like in basketball, they stop the clock when there's a sub, or injury, we don't in soccer, we just tack that extra time onto the end of the half) Two minutes into the overage, Chicago scored. Of course, it was by Blanco (you can't let him have the ball anywhere near the goal! He always makes it, dang it!) and it just went straight in. There was nothing Nick Rimando (our fantastic goalie) could to do stop it. And with only two minutes left, we played our hardest, but we ended in a tie.
Now, this isn't a bad thing. It's very unfortunate we didn't get the win, but we didn't lose. I was expected us to lose, so this is better than I was expecting. Now I really think we have a shot this year of being good, a real contender, at least to make it farther than we did last year. And we can only get better. The first game is always the one you see how you can improve. And the thing I super hated about this game was our referee. I don't know what the heck was wrong with him, but he was the worst! He randomly kept giving yellow cards to our team, (I honestly have no idea why he was handing those out most of the time!) and to the other team, he gave nothing. Espindola (one of our guys) got KICKED in the FACE by a Chicago guy, and nothing. Findley challenges Chicago's goalie, and he gets a yellow card. There was definitely something going on with that ref, he must have been a Blanco fan.
I hate the overage time sometimes. When we have a lead, I don't want to have any more time, because (like we saw in this game,) the other team has a chance to score and either even things up or win. But, on the flip side, when we're down, I like that extra time to give us a chance to possible score. And the more time there is, the worst it is! You're on the edge of your seat, willing time to go by faster or slower, and hoping the team pulls it all together in those few minutes!

Soccer is not just about scoring goals - it’s about winning.

On my way out of a Real game one night last year, PJ and I overheard a guy talking to his young son about the sport. The son was told that Real isn’t very good because they get most of their goals in stopped play. Now, for those of you who don’t follow the sport, this means that instead of scoring during regular play, they score during a penalty kick or free kick. (These might sound like the same thing, but they are not) At the time, we laughed at him. He is right, to some degree, and he definitely is trying to teach his son about the sport (in his own kind of way) but the thing is, it’s not just exclusive to Real. Most of the teams in this sport score this way, its how most of the scoring in this sport take place.
As I was watching the USA v Poland game last night, (which the US won, 3-0) 2 of our goals were scored off of free kicks, and the other goal was scored off a corner kick. Now, according to the previous guy, this would mean the USA isn’t very good, right? Now, to that I say a resounding no! They are the cream of the crop of the United States, the best we have to offer. We might not be as good as some other countries (Mexico and England are a few that come to mind) but that’s because as a nation, we’re still pretty new to the sport, in comparison. Yes, we’ve been around for many years, but in comparison to other countries, we’re still newbie’s at this. But we’ve gotten better. We’re not ranked in the top, (we’re currently in 28th place, ouch) but we’re improving, year by year. Just look at some of the people we have had and currently have, and you can’t help but be impressed! Landon Donovan, Brian McBride, Clint Dempsey, Cobi Jones, Alexi Lalas, Eddie Pope, Eric Wynalda, these guys are amazing to watch. They have undeniably awesome skills, and they understand everything about the game. I can’t wait for the next world cup, so we can see how awesome we have become.
So it doesn’t matter if you score your goals off a play or off a kick. A goal is a goal, and to get any in soccer means you have what it takes. So play on, dear Real, and don’t worry about the haters. Score the goals any way you want, and I’ll be there to cheer you on.

If it moves, kick it. If it doesn't move, kick it until it does.

We have 27 days until soccer season starts. 27 Days! That's no time at all! I am so excited for this year-more excited than I have been in years past. We are ready to go. We have our season tickets, we are learning the players names, and already inventing what we think would be a perfect line-up. Because the season is starting, you'll be hearing a lot more about it, so you'll just have to deal with it. Here are the reasons I'm super psyched for this year:

Our new players. Ian Joy is supposed to be an amazing player, and I can't wait to see him in action. We have Kovalenko we acquired from Chicago, and he is crazy. I want crazy on our team. I'll compare his craziness to Movsisyan, who threw a chair after being red-carded in a game. Alex Nimo. His story is so inspiring, and I can't wait to see the player who risked so much to play this game. Jamison Olave. He's a Columbian defender we have acquired recently, and is 6'4" and 220 pounds. To put it politely, he's built like a truck. I can't wait to see what he can do for us.

Returning favorites. Pretty much the entire team is a returning favorite, and I am excited to see all of them. Kyle Beckerman, with his amazing kicks and attacking (I still do wish he would cut his hair. Although by now, I wonder if I'd like him without his signature dreadlocks!), the Argentineans, Fabian Espindola, Javier Morales and Matias Mantilla are all so amazing. Last year, they were like a breath of fresh air, and I'm hoping this year they'll help us keep breathing. Nick Rimando-unquestionably one of the best goalies in the league. I hope we won't have to use him as much this year (I'd rather we attack all the time instead of defend) but if we do, its good to know his cat-like reflexes will be there. Yura Movsisyan. As stated before, he has a temper. The good thing about that is, while on the field attacking, he is like an animal-he just keeps going until he gets what he wants. I do love mostly all the players we have, but I won't name them all.

The new stadium. For years I've been hoping we could move away from the football field at Rice-Eccles stadium, and it looks like this year I'll get my wish. I just hope the stadium will be as amazing as I hope it will be, and have been imagining for months now.

Player sightings, meetings. I love so much that during the soccer season, I get to meet my idols and get an autograph. One of the highlights of last year was getting to speak to Rimando, and Mantilla last year in an elevator. Mantilla asked if we were afraid of him, and all I could do was giggle like a school girl and say yes. Seeing these people in real life helps me know them better, but also lets me know they're real people. Otherwise, I build them up to be gods. Not that there's anything wrong with that... And I hope they do more meet-and-greet with the players this year. Its a goal of mine to have every player sign my ball.

Those are just a few things that're getting me excited for this year, but impossible to name them all. I will miss the players we have lost or traded, Esky, Jack Stewart, but these new players all have promise. And in 27 days, we'll see if we made the right choices.