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Real Salt Lake vs. Monterrey: Match Night Commentary

Real Salt Lake Logo  MonterreyLogo

Real Salt Lake stands 90 minutes from history, 90 minutes from lifting a trophy no MLS team has ever lifted.

Standing in the way is defending Mexican League champion Monterrey, which settled for a 2-2 tie in the first leg in Mexico. The 'Rayados' are struggling in league play, but are still a very talented team capable of pulling off what just might be considered an upset at this point.

In case you missed it, here is my Fox Soccer preview on tonight's match. Give it a read and feel free to join us on SBI tonight as we cover one of the biggest matches in league history.

SBI will be providing live commentary on tonight's match so please feel free to follow along here. As always, please share your thoughts on tonight's match in the comments section below.

Enjoy the action (Share your thoughts below):

 

Comments

  1. Who was flopping around… Suazo? He’s Chilean!!! The other two players who fell to the ground during play were subbed because of injuries. And yes Monterrey did everything to kill time? Wasn’t that expected? Today they have a ticket to the WCC and RSL don’t!

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  2. It’s not that they’re Mexican, it’s that they cry and whine like a toddler when things are going there way to avoid having to play a fair game.

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  3. I’m used to that, but I watched Barcelona and Madrid play today as well. I’m over my capacity for cheap, dirty players.

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  4. I’m impressed, I thought soccer, as you call football, doesn’t really mattered to anyone in the US, but you seem like real fans. Saludos de Monterrey, as a Tigres fan I hate when Monterrey FC wins.

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  5. Sucks but hey I think the moment was too big for them and they didn’t seize it, and possibly Mexican time wasting didn’t help either, they really let this one get away.

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  6. But we’re not closing out games. We haven’t won yet in Mexico but a mediocre Mexican league team can still come into one of the most difficult places to play in MLS and get a result in a huge game. That’s what I was referring to. MLS teams can’t close yet.

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  7. Some research says competitive balance in sports leagues is detrimental to the league. It’s the big picture that matters. The idea is that a few strong teams generate a lot more excitement for the league than a bunch of mediocre teams. People want to watch Manu, Lakers and Yankees. People like supporting a strong team or seeing their team beat a strong team. And it’s not just their local markets. Parity might get you a few thousand more Chivas USA fans in your local market, but the trade-off is global/national publicity and TV viewers.

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  8. Espindola’s worst moment tonight was the huge wind up and greasy hair thrash on that open header that then trickled harmlessly out of bounds at the corner of the 6 yard box.

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  9. Some guys here are very dramatic. RSL didn’t win, get over it. Whats more important than RSL winning is MLS teams being constant in this tournament.

    And for those of you saying that the US hasn’t done anything since 2002, I am sure that the US has gained more respect on the last few years than it did in 2002. A win is just a win. Constancy is more important.

    No excuses, both teams had starting players missing. Stop criticizing time wasting when it is done by every tean in MLS in important matches. Its just not nice when our team is losing.

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  10. Yeah, I know it’s sacrilege to say anything that might be construed as even slightly critical of Garth Lagerway, but one wonders how helpful it was to RSL players to hear him making comments like that leading up to this final…

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  11. Both teams were equal…Monterrey converted their only real chance. The Monterrey defense was surprisingly excellent. FMF gets credit for this one also. This is a huge boost for Concacaf.

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  12. His chubbiness (and it’s not just the head and neck but the upper torso too) makes him all the more dangerous because you don’t expect him to be fast. He’s chubby-fast.

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  13. The ref was fine. RSL just played poorly. Slow, bad passing, bad ball control and no finishing. I hate the result, but it’s RSL’s fault.

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  14. for the ammount of time it took suarez to get up on the play near the end took just about the same amount of time for Zakuani’s injury-off the field- play resume did.
    (i’m a lil inebriated so bear with me if it does not make much sense, and im not making fun of zakuani’s injury)

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  15. It almost seemed like the occasion was too big for many of the RSL players. There was a lot of hype and pressure with the whole league making promo videos etc. Some of the players seemed nervy and on edge. This is another reason Beckerman was missed for his chill rasta presence. You have to say that the Montys played with more poise tonight.

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  16. While I am proud of what Real Salt Lake did to get to the final, im tired of USA soccer in general not finishing off its chances and ultimate falling short of those big important wins. I almost feel likes USA/MLS will always be the underachievers. but really I’m just frustrated and generalizing here…
    …maybe one day…???

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  17. i wont be watching any soccer… watching that game hurt … all the flopping around at the end was complete bs… nothing against RSL but there is a curse on usa soccer

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  18. So your critique of the guy who won the game is that he’s fat/chubby?

    Sorry, I thought we were talking about soccer ability and performance, not modeling. My bad!

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  19. “First, I want to disparage whoever was in charge of the fox soccer broadcast. There were a silly amount of replays while the game continued, so things were missed, always an annoyance.”

    I agree completely. What are they thinking??? They usually do a good job but holy crap the replays were annoying tonight.

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  20. Fine and don’t come back. Its sports, there are always ups and downs-that is what makes it exciting and worth watching. Also, yeah RSL is in MLS, thus an American club, but there are many players from a variety of countries on the team, so the comparison with the two nationals sides is a bit silly. Also, US-Spain? or doesn’t that count? Part of being a fan is disappointment.

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  21. What? That game was called very well for both sides. The ref definitely didn’t decide this game. Monterrey came to play. RSL actually created more chances in Mexico than they did at home. They just didn’t look dangerous. Credit to Monterrey. As hard as it is to swallow, MLS is just not there yet. We will be though, we are still young.

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