RSL Round Table- The Shooting Gallery

I saw an extremely interesting stat coming out of the San Jose match. Peter Hirdt, who is with Elias Sports, tweeted out that RSL had given up 27 shots in each of the their first two matches. Prior to 2014 the team had never given up that many shots in a match. In all of MLS history, only one team had every given up 27 or more shots on back to back games.

This brought a lot of questions to my mind. What was causing the shooting gallery that was taking place at Nick Rimando? And more importantly, is this something that RSL should be concerned about moving forward? I honestly wasn't sure what to think so I put out the call to some others to do another round table discussion. I wanted to get their opinions on these questions.

For today's round table we have both Wes Brown (@wesbadia) and James Rust (jamesrust15) along with myself. Wes writes for Soccer Newsday as well as RSL Soapbox. James was the former co-host for On Frame as well as the former pre/post game host on ESPN 700. I want to thank both of them for their time.


WES:

From what I saw in preseason, the small tactical adjustments Cassar's made to the overall formation/style of play has encouraged the outside mids to cut centrally as they make their runs into the box. (Others may have a different view of things). I believe this has enabled us to get so much more pressure and higher numbers inside the penalty area on the attack. It also opens up the flanks for overlapping runs by the fullbacks. Honestly, the adjustments play more into the pros/cons of the conventional midfield diamond more so than under Kreis. We all know that the diamond has been touted as being susceptible to wing play because of its lack of "width". Under Kreis, our shape in midfield was slightly different, and, I believe, because of that our diamond played with seemingly more width than maybe other diamonds have in soccer history.

Cassar's tactics may be more conventional/traditional for that diamond formation. The wide mids were originally supposed to be more attacking than the traditional two-way or box-to-box types. One was traditionally a winger; the other a modified #8. It's also why the diamond has sat the defensive mid so far back, to provide extra numbers in defense. While Cassar's players do have the two-way abilities (Ned and Luke are probably the best examples right now), asking these guys to get dug in on the attack in more central spots commits them more to offensive duties than otherwise. Of course, that places more emphasis on the defensive line, something Cassar has said he was going to focus on in order to be less susceptible on the counter.

The trouble (that we're at least starting to see) with all of this, is that it overexposes the flanks in a way that we haven't necessarily had to deal with before. Guys like Tony and Wingert are now emphasized to play MORE defense because of the openness in front of them, while still being asked to contribute on overlaps. Against San Jose (more so than against LA), our fullbacks were pinned back so much throughout the match that their offensive duties were largely unable to be carried out. Cordell Cato on RSL's left kept Wingert out of the attack almost completely. Shaun Francis (whom I don't rate very highly) on RSL's right had assistance from Shea Salinas, who gave a clinic on crossing/service on Saturday. Beltran had his hands full, and the few times he was able to get up-field, he service to attacking areas was either cut out or stymied before it came to fruition.

JAMES:

Starting with if it is something that RSL should be concerned with moving forward, I say yes. You can't expect to be able to allow 27 shots a game and think you are going to come away with many clean sheets, let alone points, even with Nick Rimando in goal. I think that we are experiencing the transition from Jason Kreis to Jeff Cassar a bit here. Cassar mentioned in the pre-season that one thing that may be a little different is seeing a few more guys getting forward. It is something that I have been hoping for the last couple of seasons to be honest. The simple fact of the matter is with an extra guy or two pushing forward it leaves yourself a little bit exposed at times in the back. With us being just two games in a think things will tighten up a bit and Jeff will find his fine line on when and how to be aggressive with pushing guys forward at a regular rate.

Now, why I think the high shot amount is a little concerning... While I am excited with what I have seen from RSL on the offensive side of the ball they are a bit fortunate to be sitting with four points through two road games. Nick Rimando flat out stood on his head in LA to beat the Galaxy. We saw Donovan with a couple counter attack opportunities, Robbie Keane put one off the post and then obviously the PK save by Rimando. We have come to expect Rimando to come up big like he has but if we are speaking truthfully it was a bit surprising that Keane didn't put away the PK as well as his shot that went off the post.

Last weekend in San Jose I feel like what primarily led to the high shot amount from the Earthquakes is that RSL held a 3-1 lead at halftime. Full credit to San Jose who could have just folded up shop and turned their focus to their upcoming mid-week CCL game. San Jose came out pushing and got RSL on our heels and we couldn't slow the momentum. We knew that Mulholland was not going to be able to 90 minutes and that is the price you pay when you miss a starter and have to adjust your substitution pattern. With Maund getting hurt and Plata subbing off the fresh legs of Grossman, Salcedo and Allen were put in a tough situation of coming on and trying to slow down full throttle pressure. Five minutes of stoppage time was death and the equalizer was inevitable.

WES:

This all accounts for the disparity in the crossing stats that Charles tweeted out after the match (SJ: 19, RSL: 0, if I recall). It also makes sense why we've given up so many attempts on goal, and, in particular, shots. We saw it against LA, too. Landon down that right flank was dangerous for about 30 to 40 minutes on that side. Even Samuel and Keane were drawn to that side against Beltran/Maund. Luckily we didn't give anything up as our defense was solid. And the tactical adjustment in the middle of the first half where Ned and Gil switched sides helped to break up Donovan's play a bit.

There was no kind of tactical adjustment against SJ. Gil was at the top of the diamond, Luke on the right. If ever there was a tangible way of measuring what Gil does on the right for the defensive side of the game, this might be it. It's all hindsight, but could Gil have negated a lot of what Salinas and Francis were doing on that flank? Or at least another possible switch with Ned to swap sides might've helped. I'm not blaming Luke at all. I just think we're a bit too open down those flanks, and the defensive approach Cassar is using is more about counter attacks when our shape is not set, as opposed to dealing with straight forward attacking by pretty capable opposing players.

JAMES:

Charles pointed out on Twitter Saturday night how much RSL was missing Schuler. I agree that we missed him greatly and would go as far to say that with a bigger presence in the back and maybe the outcome is different. The Maund injury was crappy timing as well but that stuff happens. Not knocking on Salcedo but we've got to be able to win aerial balls in our box, something Schuler does at a very high rate.

I think that we will see Jeff pick his spots a little more but it is making for wide open and entertaining games. I am loving what we are seeing from Plata. He is creating at times as well as finishing his opportunities. The midfield is pushing up and I love seeing Beckerman floating a bit more in the attacking half. All in all I am liking what I am seeing with the exception of the 2nd half collapse in San Jose but keep in mind that Nick Rimando will be heading to Brazil this summer along with Beckerman and this style could put a little too much pressure on Jeff Attinella.   

Charles:

I think both of you have made some really great points. To be honest the reason that I wanted to tackle this topic was that I didn't know what the answer was.  By just watching the matches you could tell that there were a lot of shots but it didn't see to me to be record breaking or anything. When I read the tweet by Peter Hirdt I was pretty shocked. That is one of the great things about stats. They point out things that you might miss by just watching the match. 

One thing that I wondered was where were the shots coming from? Was RSL forcing the opposing team into bad shots? I first took a look at some stats (hey, it's what I do). So far this season, 66% of RSL's shots have been on goal. Only 53% of RSL's opponents shots have been on goal. On the surface that sounds pretty good. But keep in mind that in 2 matches that RSL opponents have had 19 shots on goal where RSL has only had 21 shots total. That is a pretty big difference. 

James makes a very good point above. We were fortunate to come out of LA with 3 points. And without some great saves from Rimando we would have given up even more than the 3 goals that we did in San Jose. So while we all feel good about the 4 points that we have or even think we should have had 6, we are not that far away from having 0 points so far on the season. It will be interesting to see if the trend continues this week. 

One thing is for sure. The high amount of shots can not continue if RSL wants to have a successful season. This is something that I will continue to watch for the foreseeable future and will report my findings here. I would like to that Wes and James for their time and thoughts on the subject.

RSL Round Table Part 2- RSL Fans and Lower Division Teams

In part 1 of this round table discussion the panel took at look at the implementation of future PDL and USL Pro teams under the RSL umbrella. In part 2 of our discussion we discuss how the fans will react to these new teams.

Again our panel consists of myself (@ccb1212), Pat Eyler (@gnupate), Wes Brown (@wesbadia), Matt Montgomery (@TheCrossbarRSL) and James Rust (@JamesRust15).

Charles:

I am very interested to see how RSL will handle these teams as far as the current fan base is concerned. If the RSL front office is smart about it (and those guys are pretty smart) they would promote these two teams to the current fan base. There are probably some fans that won't really care but I think many fans would. We have a pretty fanatic fan base that likes to know everything that is going on. Having these games (along with the reserve league) streamed would be great. It would also be great for RSL to have friendlies with these teams both home and away. Those games are good for both the fans and the players.

Giving fans awareness to the future stars of the team is only a good thing. Lets use Jordan Allen as an example. I am extremely excited for this upcoming season to see how he does. Why is that? It is because I have already seen him play in reserve games and he blew me away. But if you ask the majority of RSL fans, they probably have no idea who he is. By giving exposure to both the PDL and USL Pro teams, fans will get to see these young kids ahead of time. And by the time these kids reach the main team, there will be a greater excitement from the fans to see them play. They will already have a connection with these players. Right now I have no connection with Ryan Neil. I have never seen him play. But I do have a connection with Jordan Allen.  

Pat:

I think this is a huge point.  I try pretty hard to track the academy, but there's only so much information available.  If RSL can get more content online about the various teams in the development pipeline, I think that would be a huge win for the team and for the fans.  I might not travel to San Diego, Ogden, or Casa Grande very often, but I'll certainly take some time to watch streamed/archived games, interviews, and the like.  It would be really cool to see a recurring spot on "On Frame" that track developing players.

Wes:

Very good thoughts on the effects of these moves with the fan base. I like what Charles said about not feeling a connection to Ryan Neil, but having seen Jordan Allen play he feels more excited about the kid's potential with the first team.

On this topic (and relating it back to the placement of USL Pro/PDL teams in certain markets), I believe it's important to establish these teams in areas that both take advantage of the existing influence of RSL in those areas (demand for the product), but also in areas that most identify with the product that's being offered (club culture vs market culture). Charles' comment about Boise being demographically and culturally similar to SLC is a great reason for it to be a solid option for being brought under the club umbrella. San Diego? Beyond the competitive challenges I've mentioned before, how does RSL's SLC fan base identify with a market like San Diego? Conversely, how does the market receive a product that has aspects of culture that they might not identify with in all regards? Some things like "The Team is the Star" is easy to get on board with. It makes sense. Same for the style of game we play. But (and this is a touchy subject, so I tread on eggshells here), as a non-LDS who grew up in a state with little LDS presence, I know the stigma that many people outside of Utah have adopted regarding both the LDS church or anything regarding the state of Utah in general. The openness in SoCal might be such that it makes for an easy translation, and indeed San Diego adopting RSL's philosophy and ownership models is more likely to happen than RSL fans (whatever stripe they are) to adopt an area of the country just because the Real name is associated with the team. How have CD Guadalajara fans adopted Chivas USA? Or Man City adopted the club's efforts in NYC? I see the translation this way as a major challenge if the product the club is offering is to remain consolidated and branded in a way that has a true "club" feel to it, i.e., contiguous in nature.

How fans respond to these happenings is, IMO, going to be largely based on how they identify with the markets they're offered in. Pat:  would you be more willing to travel to SD or Boise to see a D3 game? I pose that question to any RSL fan looking to see more of their club's talent. Personally, it's a much easier sell for me to go to Boise (a place that is culturally similar to the area I live) than to SD (which, honestly, is a little intimidating, even for someone who grew up in the hustle and bustle of the east coast). I'm not a native of Utah, nor am I LDS, so I cannot comment with any authority on how those parts of the RSL fan base will respond to a team located in SD. But my speculation is that more of a connection to the lower tiers of the club would be made by fans if they were given an outlet that they can identify with.

Pat:

Well I can’t speak for anyone else, but I probably wouldn’t go to San Diego just to catch a D3 game.  If I were there for some other reason, I’d love to catch a game while I was there.  I might even arrange a trip there to make catching a game easier.  Boise would be easier to make a trip to, but I’m less likely to travel there for business, so I’m probably less likely to see a D3 game there.

Wes:

On a micro level, I'd want to be able to see my club's talent as they rise through the levels. That's one reason why I think creating an SLC academy is important to the future of the organization. Like Pat said, it's hard enough keeping tabs on things in AZ with the academy. Having that closer to home is going to make those young players so much more accessible to fans. I, for one, would be willing to attend the USSDA games to see the development of our youth if it was closer to home. Same goes for PDL. Ogden (or even Provo) is not far for anyone in northern Utah to commute to see our players play. A 40 min drive north or south is minuscule. As an aside, it'd go a long way to uniting the region more under the banner of RSL. Again, I may be odd man out, but I certainly don't mind making that commute for a team I love. And, as an Ogdenite, I can attest to the arm’s length distance Salt Lakers seem to keep us. Uniting the various cities could go a long way to growing the brand as a whole and the larger cultural connectedness of the region.

In the end, having these teams close enough to offer players easy transition between each but far enough away in order to capitalize on newer markets is going the be the trickiest challenge for the club. Existing fans should be able to adopt these new teams as their own. But I see challenges for them as well especially if they're in areas that make it difficult to "keep tabs on", just like RSL-AZ. It creates a disconnect in the progression of talent through the whole club, and I see that as potentially damaging in the long run to both fans and club alike. Provided local, existing fans get the taste of younger academy players early, I believe those fans will follow those players regardless of where they end up (college, another MLS team, an international club). It is just like how RSL fans will still follow where Kreis is and how he's doing with NYCFC. But creating the opportunities for fans to see those players early, and making it as accessible as possible is going to be the determining factor. The more players given these opportunities closer to "home", the more fan support they'll receive as they progress their careers.

Matt:

It's hard to disagree with most of what's been said — careers, homes, a clear line of development — in providing a clear delineation of development through the establishment of USL Pro and PDL sides. Whether Salt Lake City would actively support it is something worth considering, and whether something of that nature might fare better in one of our neighbors 40 minutes in either direction is difficulty to say definitively.

From a purely selfish perspective, I'd like to watch more soccer, and I'm certain I'm not the only one. But the baseline on which we have to draw doesn't lend us much in the way of evidence — we've had fair crowds for some reserves outings, but never at enough strength as to seem self-sustaining. Importantly, though, we're in a state of transition (when aren't we, though?) and as we fill up Rio Tinto Stadium week after week, we might find the desire for either more soccer — or at least more opportunities for soccer — to be palpable. Would it be enough to keep a small club moving here? I hope so.

James:

I think a lot of great points have been made already and it is very clear as to the importance of being involved with a PDL and USL Pro team. Young players simply don't get the opportunity for game reps during the season to sharpen their skills quick enough to make it big time. I agree with the concept of positioning these lower level teams in areas where RSL fans can track what's happening and develop an interest in the up and comers. The second string quarterback is always a popular guy among fans and so would be the case for these young players who fans would already have an idea of because of exposure at the lower levels. Just like the Jordan Allen example given.

One question that comes to mind, and I am not sure I have the answer for it, is cost? What kind of expenses are going to be associated with being involved with a PDL and USL Pro Team? Dell Loy Hansen is a business man, not a sports man. He is in this to make money and that is the bottom line, even at the expense of winning. We saw how things were carried out with Jason's contract and I am afraid we will see the same at the end of this season with Garth. San Diego has been mentioned as a questionable destination. I agree with the concerns there and also agree that Ogden, Boise along with others would be better options. It's complete speculation but Dell Loy owns a home along with many businesses and real estate in San Diego. That might be the reason for it being a candidate. Don't know, but thought I'd throw it out there.

Charles:

To be honest I don’t think I would travel to either San Diego or Boise for the sole purpose seeing one of these teams. But like Matt I would like to watch more soccer. I think it is vital that wherever these teams are located that their games would be streamed on the main RSL website. The team needs to give the fans an easy way to see these matches and to see these players.

Can a team be supported enough here in the valley? I think that it probably could. It really could be a way to build the soccer culture here in Utah even more. In the early years of RSL they used to give many tickets away. They did this just to build the fan base. If RSL had a PDL team here they could have very inexpensive tickets. Then they could open it up to things like the Pass of All Passes to drive up attendance even more. And other things like radio promotions could get more people in the stands. By doing this you are going to get more people to go check out a soccer match. And my guess is that some of those people will turn around and buy tickets to an RSL match. These things would get more people in the stands to go along with all the RSL faithful that would probably also attend.

To go along with James’ point, by having a team here the overhead would be low. They could play their matches at Rio Tinto and also use the practice field. That would save a lot of the costs that a team located elsewhere would have. It is an interesting thought and I am very curious to see what direction the team takes.

RSL Round Table- RSL's Future with USL Pro and PDL

Today we are unveiling something new here at From the Upper Deck. Today marks the first in a series of round table discussions featuring various people in the RSL community. We will take topics of interest and discuss among ourselves how that topic will effect RSL. Hopefully you will find our conversations as interesting as I do.

There has been a lot of talk recently about RSL starting up PDL and USL Pro teams to provide development environments for RSL's homegrown players from the academy as well as other younger RSL players. It looks like this will be unfolding over the next 2-3 years. The question is: What will be the biggest impact to RSL, and how will the fans be able to see and measure the value these programs will provide to the club?

With this in mind I gathered some people to discuss this topic. To go along with myself we have Pat Eyler (@gnupate). Pat writes for From the Upper Deck specializing on all things with the RSL academy. Next is Wes Brown (@wesbadia). Wes writes for Soccer Newsday and also contributes to RSL Soapbox. Matt Montgomery (@TheCrossbarRSL) who is the manager and main writer for RSL Soapbox and James Rust (@JamesRust15) who was the former host of both On Frame and the RSL pre/post game shows joins the panel for part 2 of this series.

Today we talk about the USL Pro and PDL teams for RSL and part 2 looks more at how the fans will react to these new teams. (For an explanation about the USL Pro and PDL leagues, see here)

Charles:

I think the implementation of a PDL and USL Pro teams will be vital to the future of RSL. Garth has already said that RSL is the type of club that will grow more internally through their academy than they will by bringing in big name players. The academy appears to be doing great things and we are starting to see the fruits of their labors. But the step up between the academy and RSL is a huge one. It will be so beneficial to have a level or two between the academy and the main club for these players to continue to get playing time and continue to grow.

Take for instance Benji Lopez. He was signed last year out of the academy but didn't see any playing time with the first team. That leaves the reserve league as the only place that he can gain experience. A player like Lopez needs more playing time than just that. In the past, RSL has loaned out players for short stretches of time which is good. But it would better for these young players to be playing in the same type of formations that the first team plays in. That way a player can move from the academy, to PDL/USL Pro to RSL and not have to learn a new system. By the time they reach the big club they would have been playing in the same formation for years and will be well accustomed to what is expected of them.

Wes:

To build off what Charles is saying, it's obvious that expanding throughout the pyramid for the club is vital to the growth of homegrown talent. And the example Charles gave about Lopez is a great one because it focuses on a player that is young with a bright future ahead, but also old enough to start contributing to the club in a tangible way. But at 19 (his birthday was Feb 16), the likelihood of him featuring with the first team is extremely slim. There's the example of Carlos Salcedo at 19 making contributions last year, but I see that as an exception rather than the rule.

For this reason, I see the importance of creating first a PDL level team. The odds are that the academy will produce more talent annually than will be brought in through any other means (draft, trades, etc). Building from the ground up is crucial to giving an outlet to these younger guys because without it they'll have three undesirable options:  1) stagnate on the bench of the first team while competing for time with established vets; 2) go off to college, enter the MLS draft process, and possibly be picked up by one of our rivals; or 3) after signing with RSL and not seeing valuable minutes, start seeking other clubs to play for instead. The first is a waste of resources as there are no fruits being grown; the second is mis-allocation of resources as investment is diverted into essentially developing players for your rivals; while the third is the most desirable of the three because you at least get a return on investment, albeit for a player developed in a specific system which could see a smaller pool of suitors step up.

With the PDL essentially playing in the U-23 age group, having players from the academy that are freshly signed step right into the PDL team would be a seamless way of integrating them into the full RSL "pyramid". It'd also allow them to "play up" a level; ie 18-21 yo's playing against U-23's, and our U-23's playing against D3 veterans. Again, with the academy producing faster than other means, PDL first makes sense. The second team (reserves) can have a bit more time in the status quo until a USL Pro team is developed, but ultimately this is ideal too... of course.

Pat:

While I agree with your logic, I'm not sure that RSL has a choice. MLS has set a 2015 deadline for USL Pro affiliation or team formation. Perhaps RSL can affiliate during 2015 (though they have avoided that so far) and then stand up the USL Pro team the following year, but making guesses about how MLS will interpret/enforce/modify rules is a chancy business.

Two more pieces of the puzzle are:

How RSL can "tag" players in the PDL system?  This will be important not just to protect players from other MLS teams, but also to protect the investment in Academy players who might sign overseas (e.g., Brooks Lennon seeing interest from Liverpool).

How many of the RSL development players will be ready to opt out of college/PDL/U-23 play early? Justen Glad seems like he could be one, Corey Baird is another. I think we'll see a number of those players signed to a USL Pro contract or an MLS contract and being loaned down to the USL Pro side.

Wes:

You're absolutely right about the club not having much of a choice in getting the USL Pro team off the ground at the same time as PDL. I think it's rather clear that management/ownership is unwilling to affiliate with a team now just to break that affiliation later to do things "right" by creating their own team. That necessitates the club's creation of a D3 team for 2015, just in time for the deadline. My comment was more in regards to the status of the other clubs in the league as far as PDL teams go. Only a handful of MLS teams have effective U-23 squads in existence right now (PDL or NPSL). It doesn't make sense for RSL to wait on creating one,
and, in my mind, being forced to either affiliate with or create their own D3 squad by 2015 also necessitates the creation of a PDL team as well. Making it a full ladder (that's not missing any rungs) is crucial to moving RSL's academy products up the pyramid as they develop.

My article for Soccer Newsday the other week praised the club for thinking along the lines of filling in the pyramid, but I have concerns about their ideas of how to execute these moves. With talk of San Diego as a possible home for the USL Pro squad, I question if this is the best idea. I understand the wanting to go after a large potential pool of players by focusing on SoCal, but are there better markets that exist? San Diego is largely Xolos country now, and those that don't sign for Tijuana end up being scraped up by the Galaxy system. Not to mention the four NPSL (National Premiere Soccer League) franchises currently in the area. 

I'd like to know what other markets have been looked at... and which ones in the region haven't. Charles and I have talked privately about the idea of scooping up more of the mountain region market by possibly looking at places like Boise which could theoretically support a division 3 club. Getting to a city like that before the likes of Portland or Seattle might be a good investment down the road, especially as we factor in growth factors (top 10 in fastest growing US cities).

Finally, talks of putting the PDL team simply in SLC might be another misstep inside a market the club already controls. Would the PDL club attract non-RSL fans in the SLC market, i.e. expand the footprint of the organization? Or would a closer town suit better? Some have mentioned Provo (another very high growth rate cities), but you'd be contending with BYU's PDL program. Additionally, Ogden lost its PDL team last season, but from what I understand that was more of an issue with ownership than attendance or quality. Ogden is right behind Provo in growth factors, and they also have a potential venue in Lindquist Field which is in a downtown setting.

In summary, what the club is doing deserves to be praised, especially focusing on the PDL first. But my chief concern is with the markets they're looking to get into with these new teams.

Pat:

I'm not sure that the assumption a So-Cal USL Pro team will help funnel players into RSL's development pipeline is valid.  I haven't seen anything from MLS about expanding the development/homegrown regions, and I think that would throw the system out of balance as wealthier teams decide to plop down USL Pro teams in under-recruited regions.

I agree that trying to expand the local base makes sense from a marketing perspective though.  If you work from Boise to Casa Grande and look for potential locations, there are a few PDL and USL Pro options.  Of course, you have to think about cost too, but if the team is willing to start something in San Diego, you've got to think that's not as much of a factor.  I think you could make a case for Boise, Ogden, and maybe Phoenix (if the existing USL Pro ownership there folds again) at the USL Pro level.  Any of those plus Flagstaff or SLC make sense for PDL too.

I include SLC because I think the PDL team is a lot less about growing the fan base and a lot more about getting the college and older academy players more time together and more immersion in the RSL way. If they're near Rio Tinto, they could step right into practice with the full team whenever it made sense.

Along similar lines, I think San Diego makes less sense because of the difficulty in bringing the USL Pro and MLS teams together for practices, scrimmages, and other interaction.

Given my druthers, I'd like to see Ogden (or Boise as a second choice) for USL Pro and SLC (or Phoenix/Flagstaff) for the PDL.

Charles:

Both Pat and Wes made some great points. The more I think about it the more it makes sense that the PDL should be in Ogden. I am not sure if the PDL team really will have much of an affect on building the brand of RSL itself. But if you could build a fan base up in Ogden for the team then they would be probably more willing to travel to the Riot to watch players they have followed previously on their PDL team. Also Ogden is close enough for RSL junkies like myself to on occasion travel to Ogden to watch a match as well.

I do think that having a PDL team close to the main team would be very beneficial. How great would it be for the players on the PDL team to be able to train on occasion with the first team? And it would allow the coaching staff to keep a close eye on the players right out of the academy.

The USL Pro team is a little bit different in my mind. With the team being in a higher league I do think it would be beneficial to place this team in a larger area farther away from Salt Lake. Pat and Wes mentioned it already but I have always thought that Boise would be a great spot. The demographics between SLC and Boise are very similar. I really think that a team would do well there.  It is still close enough to shuttle players back and forth without much problem and I think the RSL brand could really grow. But all indications seems to be that the team will be in San Diego. It will be interesting if we could build the RSL brand in Southern California.