Insider: Lagerwey's Words Lift Real

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MLS: Yura Movsisyan, Real Salt Lake, July 2008 (ISI)

By Randy Davis

Three weeks ago Real Salt Lake was on the verge of being eliminated from making it to the playoffs in their final regular season matchup in Colorado.  Thanks to a 90-minute equalizer in that game by forward Yura Movsisyan this team appears to have become a “team of destiny”.

 After that match, the team talked about all of the pressure being off, and playing “with house money”.  In general they seemed just happy to be there at that point. 

Whether a psychological ploy or genuine feelings at the time, this approach seems to have worked brilliantly.  The team clearly made “some noise” as Coach Jason Kreis referred to last week before the 2^nd leg game against Chivas in the first round.  Now they find themselves on the doorstep of a trip to the MLS Cup finals where the Holy Grail of MLS hardware will be up for grabs.

 Oddly enough, now the team seems to be comfortable in their playoff role. They almost expect to move on.  To a man, they appear to be minimally concerned about their opponent and mostly concerned about their own play.  The key to the game is “just playing our soccer”, according to captain Kyle Beckerman.

 One can see the confidence that they can continue to master their own game and in the process tame the very New York opponent who had beaten them in NY and tied them at home within the last 60 days.  That same New York team also dismantled the Houston Dynamo this weekend – a team who had won the last two MLS Cups and finished on top of the West this season.

 At a team press conference this week a strong message was delivered by those with the most experience. It stressed that the team needs to treat this opportunity with great care, and make the most of it. 

Coach Kreis mentioned, “These chances just don’t come along very often.  We need to take advantage of this opportunity.”

Dema Kovalenko reiterated this. “I’m 31, gonna be 32 and I don’t know if it’s gonna ever happen again.”

 However, the most poignant moment in the event came when General Manager Garth Lagerwey related his experience in the 1996 playoffs (the inaugural year for the MLS Cup). 

“The ‘96 playoffs was an interesting year for our coaching staff.  My Kansas City Wizards took on Jeff [Cassar] and Jason [Kreis]’s Dallas Burn in the first round.  I was a rookie goalkeeper.  I was playing all the time, and I go so far as to say I was the hero of that first round playoff series as we went to Dallas and knocked them off.  I saved a couple of shootouts.  I was on the front page of the paper, and as a rookie I felt pretty good about myself.  We knew going into the conference final that we were going to play DC United [if we made it through to the final].  We had beaten them 3 times already that year.  We had blown them out twice.  So we were feeling pretty good about our chances.  LA came to town with Robin Fraser [current RSL assistant coach], and Greg Vanney , who I’ll never forget.  In the shootout in that game, Greg Vanney slipped a ball underneath me and to my left and LA went through.  I thought that first year, my rookie year, that it was gonna be easy, because it felt easy.  It was my first time in the playoffs, and I thought we’d get back the next year.  But that game - and as I said I can remember Greg’s shot because it was the biggest regret of my career - I never played in another playoff game for the rest of my career.  These chances are once in a lifetime, and we have a great opportunity.  My challenge to our players, is that we have believed this far.  Don’t leave here with any regrets.  Leave it all on the field.  And I know that you will.”

The story of lost opportunity was meant to be inspirational and it had the desired effect. The message was delivered with power and with passion. 

Lagerway commanded the attention of everyone in the room, especially the players, many of whom Lagerway brought into this club. The question now is whether or not these words of wisdom will sink in, keep this team grounded, and continue them along the path as a “team of destiny”.

Randy Davis covers MLS for Goal.com