3 rd year, going to be the year of making or brake it
rising in Utah. No one wants to see Real Salt Lake become the Detroit Lions of MLS. The two-year mulligan of being an expansion side is now over, which means that Year Three is the one that is make or break for John Ellinger's side. The mistakes made in the past with personnel selection are seemingly over, as the group that has been assembled this past offseason should contend. We're not talking MLS Cup champs here, but we are talking about the playoffs -- something that the RSL fans haven't experienced as of yet.
Of course, the spotlight will be on Adu all year long. But something tells me that if this team is really going to make a run at the playoffs, it will need Luis Tejada to come through and be the equivalent of what Carlos Ruiz was to the Los Angeles Galaxy in 2002 when he arrived in a similar fashion as a young rising star from the CONCACAF region.
Message to Tejada: You will get kicked in this league. You will be bumped off the ball far more than you were down in Panama. And you will deal with rock-solid types like Nick Garcia and Eddie Robinson who will run right through you to win a ball. My advice is to just embrace it. Smile both when you deserve a call and also when you fooled the official into blowing the whistle. Know that you also have Jason Kreis and Adu who can both turn 22-yard free kicks into highlight-reel goals, making some of those fouls as golden as a goal you scored on your own.
If he can cope with the change of style, not to mention the colder temps of the Rocky Mountains in the early and late stages of the season, then RSL will have a chance. If he doesn't, I'm not sure if RSL has what it takes to be the 2007 version of last season's Chivas USA.
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