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Real Salt Lake: What Happened In 2009?
Randy Davis takes a look at the season that was for the MLS champs.
Dec 8, 2009 7:38:37 PM
What Went Wrong?
When you are the reigning MLS Cup Champions it’s hard to imagine that there is much to work on, but for Real Salt Lake much of this season was frustrating and disappointing after being anointed a “contender” in the preseason by many. Thankfully for them it turned out to be a miraculous finish.
Slow starts:
This was the hallmark of the team throughout the season, especially on the road. Real Salt Lake scored a paltry three goals in the opening 15 minutes of matches this league, tied for fewest in the league. Couple this with the fact that they were second in the league, giving up eight goals in the opening quarter hour, and you have a potentially deadly combination. To make matters worse, Real Salt Lake proved to be incapable of recovering from early deficits, only coming back to win two matches after giving up the first goal.
On the road, again?:
The RSL squad managed a meager 9 goals on the road, en route to a 2-11-2 record away from their comfortable home digs. While most teams struggle more on the road, the contrast with their play at home was remarkable. They were near the bottom in the league in many road statistics, while being at the top of the league in many home stats.
Sneaking into the playoffs:
For the second straight year, Real Salt Lake had to wait until the last weekend of the season to earn a playoff berth. In both cases, they had to beat Rocky Mountain rivals Colorado in a battle for the spot. This time around, they also needed some help including an unlikely stoppage time PK by Kansas City to propel them forward.
Discipline:
Real Salt Lake proved to be an undisciplined team, or maybe that’s a heavily disciplined team. The MLS Champs ended up with the most yellows in the league (69), tied for the most reds in the league (8), and ended up last in the league’s Fair Play Table.
What Went Right?
Big finishes:
Another hallmark of the team this season. They had a 6-goal second half against New England this year. They scored more goals in the second half of games than any team, and an amazing 42% of their total goals came in the last 15 minutes. They also had a big finish in the last week of the year, beating a potent Colorado team 3-0 in order to make it into the playoffs. And then there were the playoffs…
Phil Anschutz trophy:
There is no better measure of what went right for a team than to end the season hoisting the Phil Anshutz trophy as the MLS Cup Champions.
Home, Sweet, Home:
As non-competitive as this team was on the road this year, they were completely dominant at home. Their 9-1-5 record was tops in the league, and their 34 home goals was a phenomenal number that was unmatched by their peers, with only one other team breaking the 25 goal mark.
Central defense solidifies:
The tandem of Nat Borchers and Jamison Olave was good in 2008, and good at the first of this season, but they really solidified down the stretch, and proved to be among the best defensive duos in the league.
Attacking quality improves: Yura Movsisyan and Robbie Findley have always been a headache for their opponents, but this year they started to really put their opportunities away. There were some droughts this season, but they were less frequent than a season ago.
What Should The Team Do Differently?
Consistency:
This team was winless in the month of May. They had a stretch of futility that almost wiped out their playoff chances. This is clearly a point of focus.
Road competitiveness:
Much of their consistency issues stem from not being competitive on the road. The disparity between home dominance, and road impotence was embarrassing for most of the season.
Maintain their identity:
The team spent much of 2008 developing a style of play, and an identity. They started off in similar fashion, but abandoned that to a large degree following their early season swoon, before recapturing it at the end of the season. They switched from the familiar 4-4-2 diamond, to a 4-3-3 which had some effectiveness but also felt a bit off.
What Changes Should Be Made?
Depth:
With success comes challenges, and RSL will have one in the form of CONCACAF Champions League in 2010. This will put more demands on their club, as they will play a significant number of extra games. The key to this: depth.
Finisher:
Movsisyan’s departure to the struggling Danish club Randers will leave Real Salt Lake thin on the frontline. Findley had a breakout year, but the team will need to find him another partner up-top in addition to Fabian Espindola who the team recently announced was re-signed through the 2013 season.
What Will Happen Next Year?
This team is unlikely to change dramatically. The roster will have a few changes as is typical every season for every team. There have been a couple of rumors about assistant coach Robin Fraser getting some consideration as a head coach, but the coaching staff is likely to remain at least mostly intact.
The real question mark for the team is how well they can handle the mental strain of a long fixture-filled season, and can they handle being the team that everyone is shooting to beat? If they are to shoot for a repeat as MLS Champs, everyone in the organization realizes that they can’t let it come down to the last week of the season again.
We’ll have to wait and see if they can do it.
Randy Davis, Goal.com
Get all the latest Major League Soccer news with Goal.com's dedicated page.
When you are the reigning MLS Cup Champions it’s hard to imagine that there is much to work on, but for Real Salt Lake much of this season was frustrating and disappointing after being anointed a “contender” in the preseason by many. Thankfully for them it turned out to be a miraculous finish.
Slow starts:
This was the hallmark of the team throughout the season, especially on the road. Real Salt Lake scored a paltry three goals in the opening 15 minutes of matches this league, tied for fewest in the league. Couple this with the fact that they were second in the league, giving up eight goals in the opening quarter hour, and you have a potentially deadly combination. To make matters worse, Real Salt Lake proved to be incapable of recovering from early deficits, only coming back to win two matches after giving up the first goal.
On the road, again?:
The RSL squad managed a meager 9 goals on the road, en route to a 2-11-2 record away from their comfortable home digs. While most teams struggle more on the road, the contrast with their play at home was remarkable. They were near the bottom in the league in many road statistics, while being at the top of the league in many home stats.
Sneaking into the playoffs:
For the second straight year, Real Salt Lake had to wait until the last weekend of the season to earn a playoff berth. In both cases, they had to beat Rocky Mountain rivals Colorado in a battle for the spot. This time around, they also needed some help including an unlikely stoppage time PK by Kansas City to propel them forward.
Discipline:
Real Salt Lake proved to be an undisciplined team, or maybe that’s a heavily disciplined team. The MLS Champs ended up with the most yellows in the league (69), tied for the most reds in the league (8), and ended up last in the league’s Fair Play Table.
What Went Right?
Big finishes:
Another hallmark of the team this season. They had a 6-goal second half against New England this year. They scored more goals in the second half of games than any team, and an amazing 42% of their total goals came in the last 15 minutes. They also had a big finish in the last week of the year, beating a potent Colorado team 3-0 in order to make it into the playoffs. And then there were the playoffs…
Phil Anschutz trophy:
There is no better measure of what went right for a team than to end the season hoisting the Phil Anshutz trophy as the MLS Cup Champions.
Home, Sweet, Home:
As non-competitive as this team was on the road this year, they were completely dominant at home. Their 9-1-5 record was tops in the league, and their 34 home goals was a phenomenal number that was unmatched by their peers, with only one other team breaking the 25 goal mark.
Central defense solidifies:
The tandem of Nat Borchers and Jamison Olave was good in 2008, and good at the first of this season, but they really solidified down the stretch, and proved to be among the best defensive duos in the league.
Attacking quality improves: Yura Movsisyan and Robbie Findley have always been a headache for their opponents, but this year they started to really put their opportunities away. There were some droughts this season, but they were less frequent than a season ago.
What Should The Team Do Differently?
Consistency:
This team was winless in the month of May. They had a stretch of futility that almost wiped out their playoff chances. This is clearly a point of focus.
Road competitiveness:
Much of their consistency issues stem from not being competitive on the road. The disparity between home dominance, and road impotence was embarrassing for most of the season.
Maintain their identity:
The team spent much of 2008 developing a style of play, and an identity. They started off in similar fashion, but abandoned that to a large degree following their early season swoon, before recapturing it at the end of the season. They switched from the familiar 4-4-2 diamond, to a 4-3-3 which had some effectiveness but also felt a bit off.
What Changes Should Be Made?
Depth:
With success comes challenges, and RSL will have one in the form of CONCACAF Champions League in 2010. This will put more demands on their club, as they will play a significant number of extra games. The key to this: depth.
Finisher:
Movsisyan’s departure to the struggling Danish club Randers will leave Real Salt Lake thin on the frontline. Findley had a breakout year, but the team will need to find him another partner up-top in addition to Fabian Espindola who the team recently announced was re-signed through the 2013 season.
What Will Happen Next Year?
This team is unlikely to change dramatically. The roster will have a few changes as is typical every season for every team. There have been a couple of rumors about assistant coach Robin Fraser getting some consideration as a head coach, but the coaching staff is likely to remain at least mostly intact.
The real question mark for the team is how well they can handle the mental strain of a long fixture-filled season, and can they handle being the team that everyone is shooting to beat? If they are to shoot for a repeat as MLS Champs, everyone in the organization realizes that they can’t let it come down to the last week of the season again.
We’ll have to wait and see if they can do it.
Randy Davis, Goal.com
Get all the latest Major League Soccer news with Goal.com's dedicated page.
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