Randomizations

• I've been thinking about doing a "life lessons from solitaire" post.
• Abby makes us laugh out loud multiple times a day. I am so lucky to have the family I do.
• I had a lot of fun coaching a co-ed middle school aged soccer team this fall. We did pretty well, and I gained a much greater appreciation for coaches.
• Construction is driving me batty. 7800 South has been torn up since the beginning of summer. I've heard from a reliable source that the sewer pipe they just finished installing was an experimental material and it failed so they are digging it all up and replacing it. Awesome. I feel like a lab rat every time I head home. UDOT is watching to see how creative I can be when finding cheese home.
• I'm sad that County Cup did not happen again, but if you really don't have the time and means then you just don't have it. Sorry guys.
• Real Salt Lake are a really fun team to watch. Every time I leave a game, I think how incredible it is that we have a team, a stadium, and that they are both excellent.
• I've had a handful of people ask, and yes, Herod the Fink is looking to play some shows in November and December. Our set will probably run from 45 minutes to an hour. We will just play acoustic so it won't be terribly loud. We are thinking "living room" type shows. Low lights, some egg nog, some fun original Christmas tunes, with some covers thrown in. Contact me if you want to set one up.

MLS CUP 2009

At Pioneer Square before the march to the match.

Oh heck yes.

Die hard fans / friends.

Brothers who are really happy.

This doesn't really do the march justice. It was amazing.

Sharing pregame festivities with Coach Kreis at Pikes Market prior to the match. If you notice, I'm telling Kries to have Robbie Russell kick 7th if it goes to penalties. I don't really want to take all the credit here, but I'd like to think I contributed to the victory.

Why Do I Care So Much?

photo by RSL BOZ


"Why do I care so much?" My buddy Scott asked this question a couple of weeks ago when a group of us were gathered together to watch the MLS Easter Conference Championship match between Real Salt Lake (RSL) and the Chicago Fire. The match went 120 minutes with no score, but it was anything from boring as both teams created multiple chances only to be denied by stellar goalkeeping from both sides. Overtime had just wrapped up, and we were headed for a penalty kick shootout to determine the winner. Scott's question was so perfect for the moment. Our nerves were shot, and now the game would be decided in a cruel pressure cooker that is a shootout. Why do we care? We don't know the players. We are adults with adult responsibilities and families. We shouldn't care this much about a game, right?

I don't know the answer but I think that it has to do something with this: There is something pure and intangible in sports. There is something truly inspiring about watching individuals accomplish together something that would be impossible alone. While we don't know the players personally, we as fans have come to know in great detail their individual strengths and weaknesses on the field. We have come to know something of their character by the way they conduct themselves and by the way they cope with set backs and adversity. There are a plethora of sports cliches, but there really is something special about seeing a player sacrifice his ego for the good of the team.

As we watched Ned Grabavoy convert the decisive penalty in Chigago to send RSL to the MLS Cup Final in Seattle, I couldn't help but think about the strength of his mentality. He had lost his starting position a couple months ago due to two successive sub par performances and had seen little playing time since. I've been there as a youth player, and I'm sure even at the professional level it is not easy to deal with. Yet when he was called on by his coach to step on the field and make the difference, he did it.

We made plans and took the long drive up to Seattle for the final. The atmosphere was electric, and the game was incredible. Once again RSL's depth and mental fortitude would be tested as All Star play-maker Javi Morales went down with an injury 15 minutes into the match and All Star midfielder Will Johnson had to be subbed off at half after being sick all night with the flu. Clint Mathis and Ned Grabavoy stepped in and made the difference in the match. They provided a calming influence on the pitch that had been lacking. They controlled possession, made timely tackles, and combined with the forwards to create several dangerous chances. They raised the level of play of the entire midfield from slightly below average before they entered the match to absolutely stellar upon their arrival.

Regulation ended in a 1-1 draw and overtime carried the same score to the end. We once again faced the daunting penalty shootout. Los Angeles was lucky to be there as RSL had pressed hard for the winner dominating play throughout the second half and overtime. I was doubtful because in my experience the team who is holding on for dear life trying to salvage the tie and force a shootout (in this case Los Angeles) usually ends up winning.

So why do I care so much? Because every player on the team has a story like Ned's. Because caring makes life exciting. Because of the moment of utter exhilaration that comes when Robbie Russell slots home the winning penalty to give your team the championship. Because it's fun to hug your friends and high five perfect strangers.

Saturday Night

I heard about this deal for $7 tickets to the RSL vs Toronto FC match at Rio Tinto on Saturday.

Follow this link and use the promo code "kall700" to obtain the $7 ticket. Every seat in the stadium is a good one, so you can't really go wrong with this.

Good Blowout, Bad Blowout

Real Salt Lake 6 - 0 New England Revolution = Good.

Coming to a disturbing realization while cleaning food off of Abby's face that her shorts, shirt, and onesie are completely soaked through, and that the moisture only has one logical source = Bad.

If You've Got a Minute

You've got to see this. You will not see a better struck volley.

Gearing Up for the Season

Makes Me Want To Cry

For those of you who are RSL fans, the images above may be too disturbing to handle. New York came to Rio Tinto Stadium and got the counter attack goal they were looking for. Olave's mistake turned a harmless pass to the slow and lurpy John Wolnyac on the sideline into one of two New York scoring chances for the entire match. They capitalized on the chance through their other slow and lurpy player, Dave Vanden Berg. From there (30th minute) on out, New York lost all interest in attacking or even possessing the ball. As soon as they would win the ball, they would give it the old rec league "boot." They hunkered down and defended the goal box like it was Fort Knox. Somehow this anti-soccer approach ended up working for them as chance after chance for RSL came agonizingly close, but none found the back of the net. Three, count them, three shots clanked off the post. I was completely exhausted after the game, I can't imagine having played in it. It is one thing to lose to a better team who outplayed you, it is a much tougher pill to swallow when the team that ends your season plays rec ball and fakes injury after injury to waste time.

That being said, I will never forget that night. The atmosphere was unbelievable, and the pace of the game was staggering. Kreis has put together a core of players who will be perennial challengers for MLS Cup. I'm excited to see what this group can do next year.

HAPPY GHOULS DAY

You Might Have Seen this on ESPN2

The stadium is spectacular, the crowd was energetic, the players were a little nervous, and we made our national television debut during ESPN2's broadcast. It was a great night, but unfortunately New York sat back and played for the tie and RSL was unable to break through for the winner.

It Almost Doesn't Seem Real

No pun intended. I honestly can't believe that tomorrow night I will be sitting in a 20,000 seat soccer stadium in Sandy watching a professional match. With all of the political unrest over stadium funding, a lot of people lost perspective on the whole thing. Whether you are a fan of soccer or not, the stadium is a great addition to the community. It will help boost the economy in Sandy and across the valley, and it will be used to host numerous other events that the whole state can be exited about including concerts and high school, college, and international sporting events. I can't wait.