Do you dream of MLS glory? Do you think you could finish the world-class service provided by Golden Balls himself? Are you really just tired of these frigid Utah winters and want to give sunny SoCal a shot? Well whatever your motives, you’ve got a shot to make it a reality in just a few short weeks. The LA Galaxy announced today that, for the third straight year, they will be holding an open tryout at The Home Depot Center from February 7-9. Open to all males age 18 and up who’ve got some childhood dreams to fulfill (and $150 layin around), the tryout will be led by Galaxy Director of Soccer Paul Bravo and several other L.A. representatives.

Now before you blow this off as another PR stunt that’s not worth your time, take a look a what L.A. Head Coach Bruce Arena had to say about the event earlier this afternoon. “I’ve never been a believer in these open tryouts,” said the former U.S. National Team Coach, “but after seeing what we had to work with down the stretch last year, I have a feeling I’ll start to come around to the concept on February 7th. I mean, you saw our defense last season, right?”

In other words, if you’ve ever played a lick of defense on a soccer field (yes, your third grade AYSO team does count) and you own a pair of cleats, the Bruce wants you!

Hey, you’ll probably even have a contract by the time you finish that second double-double at In-N-Out after the tryout. “If Commissioner Garber can guarantee any of the potential trialists will not count against our salary cap, heck, we’ll tender them a contract right on the spot,” added Arena.

Seriously, what else do you want? Go sign up! NOW!!!

P.S. Before anyone gets all upset and starts spreading rumors, no, the Bruce didn’t actually say any of that. We made it up… That doesn’t mean he’s not thinking it though.

It’s time to give some props to our own defensive stalwart Chris Wingert, who was named by U.S. Soccer boss Bob Bradley to the 25-man U.S. Men’s National Team camp roster that will congregate at The Home Depot Center for three weeks starting this Sunday. It’s a well-deserved appointment for Wingert, who last suited up in the Red, White & Blue as a member of the U.S. U-23’s back in 2004.  Wingert will be gunning for his first full Senior team “cap” at the conclusion of the camp, which ends on Jan. 24 with a friendly against Sweden at The Toolbox out in Carson, and from the sounds of it, Chris is ready to prove he belongs:

“To make this camp is a great opportunity, one I am incredibly excited for,” Wingert said earlier today. “But, at the same time, when opportunities like this come along I feel you need to reset and reevaluate your goals as things go on. So while I was very excited when I first received the call, now my focus is on getting my fitness level up, having a solid camp, and proving to Coach Bradley that I deserve to make the roster for the Sweden game. I am excited to prove that I deserve to be at this camp, and hopefully my effort will pay off with invites to more camps in the future.”

The full U.S. Soccer press release that includes the detailed camp roster is available at www.ussoccer.com, and (UPDATED) here is the official RSL press release.

Boxing Day … it’s a mystery to most Americans, most of whom have probably always thought the holiday (which is the day after Christmas) involved British and Canadian people running around throwing jabs and left hooks at each other with no repercussions whatsoever. While this indeed is not the case (unfortunately… you know, for entertainment’s sake), a trio of incidents in England over the weekend seemed to give this far-fetched idea a bit of clout. Thus, in the American spirit of Boxing Day, today’s Off the Post details these odd occurances from across the pond:

1) While this might not fall into the strict pugilist category, it’s too good to pass up and kind of sets a nice tone for the strange weekend. First, we bring you the case of David Pratt of Chippenham Town, who apparently had a bad reaction to the opening whistle during Saturday’s Southern Premier Division match against Bashley and earned what is thought to be the quickest red card in the history of the sport.

2) Then came Sunday’s Premiership contest between Stoke City and West Ham United, which found striker Ricardo Fuller taking his title to heart, smacking his captain moments after the Potters gave up a late goal that led to a 2-1 defeat to the Hammers (a match that included American defender Jonathan Spector’s return to match action after a lengthy hiatus due to injuries).

3) Then there’s Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard, who decided to celebrate the Reds’ 5-1 crushing of Newcastle yesterday by doing some crushing of his own with some of the lads, resulting in his arrest early this morning following a good olde-fashioned bar. Oddly enough, it was Chelsea captain Frank Lampard yesterday saying that his team is the one with a fighting spirit. Well then go out and prove it Frankie, the precedent’s been set!

Behind the Shield welcomes one and all back to our little corner of the blogosphere for the stoppage time portion of 2008 (the MLS-mandated minimum of three minutes, of course!). And thanks for your patience with us across the last week as we took a break to dig out from the Christmas night blizzard and celebrate the Holidays … hopefully yours were as enriching and relaxing as ours were.

With a week gone past since our last post, it’s time we catch up on some things and do a little house cleaning (which included deleting enough spam in the comments filter to build this castle … pretty crafty, no?). To see what’s on the docket for the first month of next year, take the jump …

Continue Reading »

Whether you’re a last-minute shopper or a soccer “fashionista,” boy do we have some good news to start off your Monday … Real Salt Lake long-sleeve jerseys are now in at the RSL Team Store at Rio Tinto Stadium! That’s right, you too can stay a little warmer this winter (or do your best Andy Williams imitation when summer hits) with the official home and away, XanGo-emblazoned long-sleeve RSL top. Home jerseys (red) are available in sizes small to XL, while the away tops (white) are available in medium and large only.

 The long-sleeve jerseys are retailing for $100, but RSL Season Ticket Holders will receive a 25% off discount while this current batch lasts. Since we expect these to fly off the racks quickly, the RSL Merchandise crew will be taking orders (via credit cards) over the phone at 801-727-2888 for the first six jerseys in each size… after those are gone, well, it’s a free-for-all (but not in that dangerous, Cabbage Patch Kids way back in the 80’s).

And while you’re picking up your brand-spanking new long-sleeve jersey, you might as well continue to take advantage of the RSL Team Store’s 50% off sale, which will be running through the close of business on Tuesday. The RSL Team Store at Rio Tinto Stadium (9256 S. State St.) is open for your last-second shopping needs from 10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. both Monday & Tuesday … the Merchandise Elves will close down the shop for the Holiday break from Dec. 24-Jan. 4. Again, feel free to call the RSL Team Store at 801-727-2888 with any questions.

The calendar may say it’s December 19th, but Christmas Day is coming a bit early for several area youths this afternoon thanks to the group over at Specialized Bicycle Componants, who donated 28 refurbished bicycles big and small to the Sandy Club - A Safe Place for Boys & Girls. The bikes - which add up to over $5,800 at retail value - were dropped off by members of the Specialized Bikes and Real Salt Lake staffs at the Sandy Club this morning and will be handed out to some very lucky kids this afternoon.  For more, including a photo gallery, take the jump with us…

Continue Reading »

Ok folks, we’ve finally wrangled up both the final standings from this year’s RSL Fantasy Challenge and some prizes to dish out to those who found themselves at the top of the table. So without further ado, we’d like to congratulate the following peeps for bringing it all year long:

1st Place - TEAM KFC (3526 pts.)

2nd Place - Leal FC (3474 pts.)

3rd Place - United 1974 (3425 pts.)

Good work from you three, who knows, maybe you’ve got a future in the GM game…

Thanks to everyone for competing.

P.S. The three of you at the top will be contacted shortly via the email addresses you provided for the league with information regarding the collection of your prizes.

In browsing the hot-off-the-press edition of the Salt Lake Weekly at lunch today, we noticed some not-quite-props thrown Real Salt Lake’s way in “The Ocho,” writer Bill Frost’s witty list of eight quick-hitters that will elicit at the very least a couple/few chuckles every time. Even this week’s list delivered without fail, but we weren’t too happy with #7, as we’re sticklers for accuracy around these parts… check out what we mean after the jump.

Continue Reading »

There’s some crowded chaos atop the Apertura standings after the 19-game season down in Argentina, but don’t cry for joint-leaders San Lorenzo, Boca Juniors or Tigre… and certainly don’t cry for fans of those teams and the Argentine League in general. Why, you ask? Well, because they’ve got it right. See why after the jump…

Continue Reading »

And you thought there was an offseason! The MLS Hot Stove got pre-heated in a hurry last Friday thanks to Toronto FC and the Houston Dynamo, who completed the first major trade of the ‘08-’09 in-between. In what was seen as a move three years in the making (and probably three more in the offing), it was the Dynamo sending Canadian clutch performer/cult hero Dwayne De Rosario north of the border in exchange for young defender Julius James and a good chunk of allocation fundage.  While on the surface it looks like TFC GM Mo Johnston helped his Reds come away the big victor in the deal, everybody knows that trades aren’t made on surfaces… they’re made on paper. Thus, the return on Houston’s cap-space slashing move might not be known for some time. However, the rumor mill junkies can rejoice knowing that said moves should come sooner than later for Dominic Kinnear & Co., as Houston will be looking for parts (especially a part that looks very similar to a quality striker) to bolster a squad that needs more of a touch-up than an extreme makeover.

So what’s the BIG DEAL about the big deal? Continue after the jump…

Continue Reading »