Again with the things, and the stuff....oi!

The talking heads put it elegantly several years ago..."Same as it ever was". The road, as it is to long distance runners, is unkind to the body RSL. We revel in our home victories as one voice proclaiming to the league that we have truly arrived. Jason Kreis....super star, and the second coming of Garth have performed a master stroke in developing a team on the cheap that plays an attractive style of football, with a full complement of international no names destined to be stars of the league....then......wait for it.....wait for it....(close your eyes and hearken back to your childhood and Saturdays filled with Wile E. Coyote)...."THUD" and the cloud of smoke at the bottom of the NYRB ravine. I fall for it every time, pleading with my friends, "this time, we'll definitely beat the Pink Cows, they're really poor this year". Somehow, we just can't get up for the away game, like we can for a Riot match. Is it coaching, or is it simply a psychological phenomenon that rings true for all sports in general? Why do you think Tiger Woods spends time and money on a sports psychologist? "90 percent of the game is half mental", ain't that the truth Yogi. Me, I keep telling myself that our first away game on grass will be completely different since we're not used to the plastic anymore, but who knows, maybe I'm just mental!

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http://4foosball.blogspot.com/

DC is closer than we think...

Even if it was painful, you could understand the struggle to build a Soccer Specific Stadium in the shadows of the Wasatch Mountain range. What, if anything, had the fledgling franchise accomplished in it's first few years in the league besides mediocrity (if it was that good)? Those who considered themselves die-hard soccer fans, and even occasional supporters, rose every morning with a singular purpose in starting the day...would we or wouldn't we? Downtown, West-Side, Sandy, Provo, was hotly debated amongst the fans but the local media seemed to dash our hopes at every print run. "Soccer would be a bust with the tax payers holding the bag when the league goes belly up", they said. "Why should our taxes pay for something that profits private business", was just one of the misconceptions perpetuated by the haters of the beautiful game. Then, the death blow, Mayor Caroon betrayed his earlier supportive stance armed with on an economic study from a third party. It was done. It may seem like ages ago, but the battlescars are only beginning to heal on the hearts of the RSL supporters. As we celebrate our beautiful new venue each and every week through spring, summer, and fall, we must now turn our support to our brethren from the Northeast who are waging their own struggle with the powers that be. This Saturday, Screaming Eagles, welcome to Rio Tinto Stadium, the arena that nobody wanted. Though the pain is now upon you, take comfort, it will come, after all , they can't say to you...."what have you accomplished?"

What have we done?

"Should we shout, should we scream, what happen to the post war dream...."

Did we believe our own post (and pre) season hype? Or are we simply slow starters. History would point to the latter. As a fan, and it being the day after, I am forced to review my own BS posts from last night with the disgust akin to an early morning walk of shame. You see, I'm passionate about my team, and that's no excuse for my behavior but thank the heavens that I'm not Jason Kreis, because I shudder to think how the team might feel today if I had laid into them with my frustration from last night. JK isn't merely a coach, he's the leader, and right or wrong his comments about the game are warranted, and dare I say wise. He may have been throwing up in his mouth a little after the 1st goal and the 2nd may have started the '09 ulcer, but as the rest of verbally spewed at our televisions, he remembered the most important thing about leadership. If the ship has begun to sink and the wheels are wobbling to the edge of falling off, he must keep a level head. Though too early to grip the rails and hold on for the death spiral (it was only our first match) nothing would make the journey to the bottom faster than if JK was overheard on the bench predicting the apocalypse. Leadership should and must keep it together while Rome may be burning, because that is the only hope to right the ship. Can you only imagine if McArthur had stood in front of his men and triumphantly claimed "We're screwed, I'm on the first plane back to the states, good luck boys!" or FDR in his big speech to congress the day after "the day that will live in infamy" had confidently announced, "holy shit that was horrible, let's hope they don't do that again or we're really f****d"! Nay, JK did the right thing, he mentioned that we did some things right but we need to get to work if we're going to be successful; and thank God, for most of us, that were not Jason Kreis!

See you Thursday night!
GO RSL!