RSL Family Part 4- Fan Spencer Ferrero

What makes a true RSL fan? In my thinking, it is the desire to follow the team through thick and thin wherever you might be. It is the true RSL fans that make up the core of the RSL Family. And just like a normal family, the RSL Family has members spread out all over the country. In today's look at the RSL Family (see here for parts 1, 2, and 3) we take a look at one fans quest to stay a part of the RSL Family even though he lives hundreds of miles away from the team.

I have been a follower of Spencer Ferrero on Twitter for awhile now. I have always respected his thoughts about the team. I asked him if he would be willing to give me this thoughts on the RSL Family. Here was his reply:

I probably need to give some background on my RSL fan experience before my thoughts on what the RSL family means to me.  I was born and raised in SLC and was in my junior year of school at the U of U when RSL began playing.  As a poor college student, I had no hope of affording season tickets, but I went to every game I could during those first trying years.  I finished up my undergrad in December 2006 and immediately started a 1 year master’s degree in accounting.  I knew that once I graduated, a full-time job in the accounting field would give me the means to afford season tickets, so I put down my deposit for the 2008 season tickets on my credit card and anxiously awaited the upcoming season.

Then I accepted a job in Los Angeles.  Bye bye, season ticket dreams.

I did whatever I could to stay in touch with RSL.  I followed blogs.  I read stories.  I watched games online.  I took pictures from the sidelines for RSLFM.com when RSL came to the Home Depot Center (I was fortunate in that my new city had two opponents so that I had multiple opportunities to see the Claret and Cobalt).  I went to games at the RioT whenever I made it back to SLC.  I've written a couple of fan columns for rslsoapbox.com.  I've been very active on Twitter in meeting and keeping in touch with fellow fans.  I even played indoor soccer with some of the guys when I was back in SLC for Thanksgiving.  Why?

RSL gives me a connection back to my roots.  It also unites the state in a way that no other team or sport does.  Where else would you find Ute fans and Cougar fans united in their cheers and jeers?  Where else would you find the most uptight Mormon and the wildest hooligan urging the same figures on to victory at the same time?

RSL has even made a soccer fan out of my wife.  The first picture of me that she showed her family when we started dating was me at MLS Cup 2009, yelling in joy after the game.  At the time, she didn't follow soccer at all.  Now, she’s a great fan.

I played soccer when I was a kid.  My time as a missionary in Chile planted a love for the game in my heart.  RSL has nurtured it and grown the seed.  From the lowest times (that 1st season) to the greatest (MLS Cup 2009, which I was glad to attend), it’s been a great ride.

Postscript:  That season ticket deposit wasn't wasted.  Normally it’s non-refundable.  But Spencer Warne managed to turn that deposit into game tickets a couple years later for my then-girlfriend (and now wife) and some of our friends.  Thanks again!

Spencer makes a point in his comments that I had never really thought about before. But he is right on the mark about it. RSL is something that does unites the community in a way no other sport does. Are you a fan of the Red or the Blue? It doesn't matter when it comes to RSL. Mormon family or SLC Punk? English or Spanish? It doesn't matter. We all have our place in the RSL Family, and this is such an important point.

As I continue to write more and more about the RSL Family, the more I am beginning to understand how vital it is for the success of the team. Both on and off the field. Outsiders can see it right away. New fans coming to the games can feel it.  They see how the players interact with the fans and instantly understand that this is different than any other professional sport. They appreciate that. And because of that the RSL Family continues to grow every day.

RSL's History in the US Open Cup

Tonight RSL faces Portland in the semi-finals of the US Open Cup (USOC). The winner will host either DC United or the Chicago Fire in the finals in October. There is no question of the importance of this match. But instead of looking forward I thought that I would look back at RSL's history in the USOC. Prior to this year, RSL has had very little success in this tournament.

RSL in their first USOC match in club history against Minnesota
Photo by Brian Quarstad

2005- In the first year of club history, RSL entered the USOC in the third round. They headed on the road to face their opponent, the Minnesota Thunder. They ended up falling to the Thunder in a high scoring affair 6-4. Jason Kreis scored a hat trick in the match and Jamie Watson also had a goal in this match.

2006- Again, RSL entered into the USOC in the third round and played a home match at Rice Eccles Stadium. Their first opponent was the Virginia Beach Mariners. RSL won 2-1 to advance to the next round with goals from Jeff Cunningham and Andy Williams. In the fourth round, RSL faced the Colorado Rapids also at Rice Eccles. The Rapids knocked RSL out of the Open Cup advancing 1-0.

2007- In 2007, RSL had to go through qualification rounds before reaching the tournament itself. Their first match was against the Kansas City Wizards. RSL was able to advance 2-1 with goals once again coming from Jeff Cunningham and Andy Williams. That set up a rematch with Colorado. Unfortunately, RSL once again came up short suffering a 2-1 defeat. Chris Klein was the goal scorer for RSL in that match.

2008- Again RSL needed to go through the qualification rounds to proceed to the tournament. They traveled to Columbus and fell 2-0. 

2009- This season they faced expansion team Seattle on the road in the qualification round.  They were humbled in Seattle losing 4-1. The lone goal was scored by Will Johnson.

2010- The first game of the qualification round this year took place in San Jose. After 120 minutes of play, the game was tied 3-3. Goals were scored by Robbie Findley, Nelson Gonzalez, and Nat Borchers whose 117 minute goal was the needed goal to send the game to a penalty shootout. RSL was able to advance 5-3 in the PK shootout with goals by Johnson, Findley, Williams, Kyle Beckerman, and Robbie Russell. The team next traveled to face DC United. They fell 2-1 with the lone goal being scored by Johnson.

2011- RSL entered the tournament in the third round this season first playing the Wilmington Hammerheads at Rio Tinto Stadium. They defeated the Hammerheads 2-0 with goals being scored by Tony Beltran, and Jean Alexandre. They next traveled to face FC Dallas. They would end up getting beat by Dallas 2-0. 

2012- RSL once again entered the tournament in the third round and would face the Minnesota Stars . Due to the rules at the time, RSL paid a sum of money to Minnesota to switch the game from being in Minnesota to being played at Rio Tinto Stadium instead. The move did not pay the dividends that RSL was hoping for and they were defeated 3-1. The lone goal for RSL was scored by Luis Gil.

2013- Entering the tournament in the third round, RSL has rolled past the Atlanta Silverbacks (3-2), Charleston Battery (5-2) and the Carolina Railhawks (3-0). Already considered the best USOC run in team history, RSL is just two wins away from raising the US Open Cup and receiving one of the precious bids to play in next season's CONCACAF Champions League tournament.

Special thanks to Brian Quarstad (@imsoccernews) for use of the picture.

Man in the Middle Ref Preview- RSL vs Portland (US Open Cup)

Editor's Note- This is the first post in a new ongoing series that previews the referee for the upcoming RSL match by Alan Christensen. Alan is a big RSL supporter and an all around good guy. You can follow Alan on Twitter at @alanchr5412. Going forward, these will be posted the morning of match day.

Referee Preview:

Mark Geiger

Wednesday August 7, 2013

USOC Semifinal Match @ Rio Tinto Stadium

RSL vs Timbers FC

2013 MLS Matches Refed 7

Total Y’s 21

Total R’s 2

PK’s 0

2013 USOC Matches Ref

N/A

2013 Timbers Refed Results: N/A

2013 RSL Refed Results: 3/30 - RSL 2-1 Sounders FC

Geiger has been a MLS referee since 2004 and was named MLS Referee of the Year in 2011. He has also refereed many different international competitions such as the Gold Cup, Olympic Games, and the FIFA U-20 World Cup where he became the first American to referee a major men's tournament final.

When Geiger is not refereeing, he is a high school math teacher in New Jersey

Crunching the Numbers- Rocky Mountain Cup Edition

The Rocky Mountain Cup has been lost for the first time in seven years. I wonder if I were to re-conduct the poll that I did last week if the results would change. But that is a blog post for another time. Now lets take a look at the numbers coming out of the Colorado match.

• RSL has now scored 38 goals on the season. This averages out to scoring a goal every 54.47 minutes. This is far and away a club record with the previous best being a goal every 60.00 minutes. It is also the highest scoring rate in the league.
• The last time RSL was shut out was a home loss against LA on April 27th. Since that time, they have scored 31 times in 14 matches or a goal every 40.64 minutes.
• RSL has given up 26 goals on the season or a goal every 79.62 minutes. There have been three seasons in the past with a better defensive rate than this.
• RSL midfielders have now scored 17 goals this season. Last season the midfield only contributed 13 goals. 
• Coming into this season Ned Grabavoy had 8 career goals in his 10 year career. He has scored 5 goals already this year alone.
• Grabavoy has only taken 16 shots so far on the season. With the 5 goals he is scoring on 31.25% of all shots that he is taking.
• With Grabavoy's goal, RSL now has five players that have scored 5 or more goals. In club history, RSL has never had more than four players with 5 or more goals.
• Alvaro Saborio has scored 8 goals in 835 minutes of play. That comes out to .86 goals for every 90 minutes he is playing. Not only is that much higher than his scoring rate last year (.64), it is the highest scoring rate in club history. 
• Javier Morales now leads RSL with a +/- (RSL goals minus opponents goals) of +15 when he is on the field.
• This season when Tony Beltran and Chris Wingert have played together, RSL is 6-0-1. When they are not playing together RSL is 5-7-4.

So what can we learn from these numbers? The offense has been on fire for a while now. I was worried about if the offense would continue to roll when Saborio came back. But 5 goals in two road matches shows me that I had nothing to worry about. The great thing about the offensive side of the ball is that so many players are contributing to the goal scoring this year. Opposing defenses can not just concentrate on Saborio to shut down our attack. 

If I could pick out one thing that I would like to see from the attack would be some goals scored by our defenders. Over the past five years, RSL has averaged 4.6 goals scored by members of the defense. This year the defense has yet to score a goal in MLS play.

The biggest problem right now for RSL is coming on the defensive side of the ball. This was somewhat to be expected with the amount of players that were lost on the back line due to international call ups, injury, and suspensions. With that said, the stat above with Beltran and Wingert playing together blew me away. It is so important for those two guys to be playing with the team. 

I took a closer look at the time Beltran and Wingert have played together. They have played 598 minutes together. During that time, RSL has given up 4 goals or a goal every 149.50 minutes. The team has played 1472 minutes when those two have not played together. During that time they have given up 22 goals or a goal every 66.90 minutes. That is a difference of 82.60 minutes per goal!

As the team moves into the busiest stretch of games this year, they should be confident that the defense is back together.