Real Salt Lake are a team with a load of talent and a great coach to go along with them in Jason Kreis. He was a dominant player in MLS for years and now he's starting to prove his talents as one of the best up and coming coaches in the league. Jamison Olave was recently named Defender of the Year and numerous players just spent time with their respective national teams. Alvaro Saborio plays for Costa Rica, Alturo Alvarez plays for Honduras, Will Johnson plays for Canada and GK Nick Rimando was third on the depth chart for USA. All three field players saw significant time with their respective national teams.
Opta and MLS have been working together to give the fans more in-depth analysis on how every player contributes during each game. Take a look at the link below and play around with the chalkboard program. Each player has a heat map graphic that shows their activity on the field throughout the game. You can breakdown a single player, multiple players, or the entire teams output into 7 categories; distribution, shots, set-pieces, defense, ball possession, fouls and goalkeeping. These 7 categories can then be broken down individually by the separate actions that make up each category. For example, the distribution category is made up of successful passes, unsuccessful passes, through balls, flick-ons, lay-offs, headers, crosses....and the list goes on and on. It's extremely rare that you get to see so much information for free and it's something that can help a lot of teams study their future opponents.
MLS Chalkboard - Real Salt Lake vs. Toronto FC
Real Salt Lake players discuss the upcoming US Open Cup game
BREAKING DOWN REAL SALT LAKE...
I've been analyzing RSL for the entire season thus far and its safe to say that they work extremely well together both on and off the ball. Kyle Beckerman is their captain and their rock. He's good with the ball at his feet and is very consistent when it comes to his pass completion rate. Jamison Olave is a physical beast at defense and Nick Rimando is arguably the #1 goalkeeper in all of Major League Soccer at the moment. They like to maintain possession and push the attack slowly througout the game, unless of course they're down, then they really pour it on. Now lets break them down by position.
CENTER MIDFIELDERS
I don't see RSL coming out with their regular lineup after playing two games in the 4 days. However, they're coming off a strong 3-1 win in which Beckerman contributed on all three goals. He is a workhorse so I expect him to start almost every game no matter what.With Beckerman occupying the holding midfield position in a diamond formation, Collen Warner or Andy Williams will most likely get the start at the attacking center mid position. Williams is a deadly set-piece specialist so beware for him to shoot anytime there's a free kick within distance. The Hammerheads should be physical with RSL as a whole, but especially with their central midfielders.
Javier Morales, likely the teams best player and early MLS MVP favorite is still out after breaking his ankle in a match earlier this year. He was a significant player in the teams success during the beginning of the season and he has been hugely missed since going down.
OUTSIDE MIDFIELDERS
Ned Grabavoy and Will Johnson usually run the outside midfield positions, but since the loss of Javier Morales to injury early in the season, Grabavoy and Johnson have both spent time in the center of the pitch. Johnson is more of a holding/roaming mid and his freedom allows him to push up the field or receive the ball deep and pick out the forwards making runs. Grabavoy is a workhorse as well and is more likely to make those overlapping runs than Johnson. Expect them to switch sides throughout the game and creep into the center of the field more frequently than not. Beckerman and Johnson take most set-pieces from midfield going forward, but Johnson can shoot from distance so the Hammerheads would be wise not to give him much space when he has the ball.
Luis Gil, a 17 year old U-20 USA National team product has had quite a bit of playing time lately so if he's on the field come kickoff time the Hammerheads should put relentless pressure on him. Gil is the most inexperienced player on their team, so it would be beneficial to make him as uncomfortable as possible. He normally plays in the midfield, but started at forward last week because injuries have really limited RSL's attacking options on the depth chart.
FORWARDS
Fabian Espindola was injured this past weekend so expect him to miss Tuesday's game. Alvaro Saborio and Arturo Alvarez are both back after spending time with their National team for the 2011 Gold Cup and Saborio had a strong showing this weekend, netting two goals in his return to Real Salt Lake. RSL is short on strikers now so expect Saborio and Alvarez to get some playing time on Tuesday if they're healthy. Another player that has seen quite a bit of playing time at forward this year is Jean Alexandre. Jean is a big physical presence and was drafted by RSL in the first round(12th overall) of the 2009 MLS Superdraft. He is strong on the ball, with quick feet and a powerful shot to say the least. If he's match fit expect a lot out of him in the attacking third of the field.
Richard Jata and Jean were two of the nine rookies showcased in the 2009 series, Rookie Life: Diary of a Draft Pick, along with a few other up and coming MLS players in Steve Zakuani, AJ Delegarza and Chris Pontius.
OUTSIDE DEFENDERS
Just like any pro team, expect these outside defenders to make deep overlapping runs and carry the ball all the way up the field. Chris Wingert is primarily the starting left back, but Tony Beltran has also spent time their this season. They're both predominantly left-footed, but Beltran can also play on the right. Robbie Russell shares starts with Beltran at right back and is the most physical of the three. These defenders can dive in too early at times, leading to deep free kicks for opposing teams.
CENTRAL DEFENDERS
Jamison Olave and Nat Borchers are the starting central defenders for RSL, but it's quite possible the Hammerheads will see Chris Schuler and Rauwshan McKenzie. All of these players are big, tall and aggressive. They're deadly in the air and should be tightly marked on set-pieces and corner kicks. At defense, these players don't have exceptional speed so they can be beat on through balls. If they play their back line high enough, the Hammerheads should focus on some good of-the-ball runs that put players in a one-v-one with the keeper. Don't expect much success from corners and crosses as RSL is one of the best defensive teams in the league. They aren't lazy when it comes to clearing the ball out of their own 18 and they mark up really well when it comes set-pieces and corner kicks. I think the key to getting past RSL is to play as quick as possible, leaving them as little time as possible to set up their defense.
KEYS TO SUCCESS...
If Wilmington wants to win this game they have to play a smart, physical and high intensity game. They cannot give RSL any free space to create opportunities which means every player has to have each others' back throughout the ENTIRE game. I'm expecting a lot of possession and pinpoint distribution from RSL, so the Hammerheads should have their attacking core pressing at all times. You do not want to give their midfielders any extra time on the ball. I would also avoid playing to high of a line in the back because their experience and accuracy will cause problems for the Hammerheads defense.
As far as the attack goes for the Hammerheads, test the keeper as much as possible. Corners and free kicks lobbed into the box are likely to be weeded out. Wilmington should take their chances on shots outside the box from the 20-35 yard range. If Rimando is in goal, he will be hard to beat no matter what, but the Hammerheads have players who can strike the ball from distance and that's when things can happen. Parried saves and shots off the post/crossbar should be pounced on immediately. If we can get an attacker or two close to goal during these opportunities, I think they'll have a chance to put in a loose ball or rebound. The likelihood of scoring on one of the best defenses in all of MLS is slim, so Wilmington need to make every opportunity count if they want to come out victorious.
For ticket information and another preview of Tuesday night's game check out this link.
