Well the second half saw plenty of action, unfortunately it was more of the precipitous kind than goal scoring kind as Rice-Eccles Stadium was engulfed in snowy, windy mess. San Jose seemed to find their form in the early going as they capitalized in a few creases in the Salt Lake back line to earn dangerous chances. RSL netminder Chris Seitz was more than up to the challenge however, as he made several diving saves to keep the visitors off the board. The weather continued to get worse as the half went along and, as has become tradition in Salt Lake in April, the home fans saw the introduction of the famous orange ball right around the hour mark. The offenses seemed to stagnate as the stanza unfolded before RSL rookie striker Tino Nunez put Andy Williams in alone on goal with an excellent through-ball. The veteran midfielder made no mistake as he slid the ball underneath the onrushing San Jose keeper to finalize the scoreline at 4-0. The shutout marks the first clean sheet for second-year goalkeeper Chris Seitz in first team action and RSL has now outscored their opposition 9-1 in their three home matches of this young season. Real Salt Lake moves on in the qualifying phase of this year’s U.S. Open Cup to face the Columbus Crew in Columbus on May 27.

Real Salt Lake has kicked off its 2008 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup slate on a chilly but (currently) clear night at Rice-Eccles Stadium against expansion side San Jose Earthquakes. We’re all multi-tasking this evening so pardon the late blog entry as we’ve already played the first half. And an action packed half its been, but back to that in a minute. First we’ll throw tonight’s RSL starting line-up your way and its one that will test the depth of the home side’s roster as Head Coach Jason Kreis has elected to keep a handful of regular starters on the bench:

GK - Chris Seitz; DF - Chris Wingert, Matias Mantilla, Jamison Olave, Tony Beltran; MF - Kyle Beckerman, Kenny Cutler, Matias Cordoba, Andy Williams; FW - Yura Movsisyan, Robbie Findley

Now on to the action. The guys seem happy to home as they have absolutely taken it to the visitors from the opening kick. RSL earned several early chances through strong midfield play and some dangerous work from their young strike duo.  Veteran Quakes keeper Preston Burpo was called into action early as he had to make several diving saves in the first ten minutes to keep the score sheet clean.  However, despite their best efforts the visitors couldn’t keep RSL at bay for long, as midfielder Kyle Beckerman fired home from short range off a bouncing ball in the area. Apparently Kyle wasn’t satisfied with his first effort as only 12 minutes later he blasted home a highlight-reel long range effort that squeezed into the lower left corner past a diving Burpo.  Not to be outdone, striker Yura Movsisyan capped off the scoring less than a minute later, as he clinically finished a Matias Cordoba cross for the third RSL goal.

That about wraps it up, hopefully the guys can keep the fun up in the second half.  Should be fun!

A big congratulations is in order for Real Salt Lake rookie defender David Horst who was recently named the 2008 recipient of the Tom Scott Award as Old Dominion University’s top senior student athlete. The towering central defender led the Monarchs to 14 wins, a Colonial Athletic Association title and a second straight trip to the NCAA College Cup round of 16. After his stellar season the Pennsylvania native also became the first player to ever be honored with back-to-back CAA Defender of the Year awards. Look for Horst to continue his development as he is poised to become an integral part of the RSL defense for years to come. Great work David, keep it up!

With environmental issues gaining more and more attention around last week’s Earth Day celebration, Real Salt Lake has announced the club will host its first-ever “Green Awareness Game” during tomorrow’s Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup “Play-In” contest against the San Jose Earthquakes at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Real Salt Lake is teaming up with four environmentally-conscience sponsors – FIJI Water, Wasatch Metal Recycling, Redwood Recycling, and SanSegal – to present the 7:00 p.m. MT contest on the hill, while the RSL squad will don special green XanGo/adidas jerseys for the game.

For more information on our partners, their green initiatives and where to get your own green kit take a look after the break…

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Due to the nature of this week’s schedule, with two games between now and Saturday, there will be no community appearances by players this week. We won’t let that stop you from catching up on important RSL news however, as tonight’s RSL Coach’s Corner on KALL 700 Sports will be taking place at the Real Sports location in the Fashion Place Mall between 6:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. MT. Head Coach Jason Kreis and Assistant Coach Robin Fraser will be joining the voice of RSL Bill Riley to give the latest scoop and talk about this week’s pair of matches. Head on out to the mall, catch up with the coaches and take advantage of this week’s Real Sports item of the week, a 2008 Youth Home Jersey for $35 (down from the normal $50.) Also, between now and the end of May, for every soccer ball purchased at a Real Sports location $5 will be donated to Primary Children’s Medical Center.

After a pair of road contests out east the last two weekends, RSL will return home to a full slate this week with a pair of contests against California-based sides. The team will prepare for Wednesday’s Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup play-in contest against the San Jose Earthquakes with a Monday afternoon practice at XanGo Field in Lehi and a Tuesday morning session at Rice-Eccles Stadium, and will repeat that schedule on Thursday and Friday while preparing for the lone visit of the season to Salt Lake City by David Beckham, Landon Donovan, and the rest of the Los Angeles Galaxy. Remember, all training sessions are open to the public, however it is advised that those planning to attend check the RSL Communications hotline at 924-8584 to verify the day’s schedule. The full schedule for the week is as follows:

Real Salt Lake Schedule: April 28 – May 4, 2008 (all times MDT)

Monday, April 28: Training at XanGo Field in Lehi – 3:00 p.m.

Tuesday, April 29: Training at Rice-Eccles Stadium – 11:00 a.m.

Wednesday, April 30: Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup play-in match:

RSL v. San Jose Earthquakes at Rice-Eccles Stadium – 7:00 p.m. kick-off

Thursday, May 1: Training at XanGo Field in Lehi – 3:00 p.m.

Friday, May 2: Training at Rice-Eccles Stadium – 11:00 a.m.

Saturday, May 3: Real Salt Lake v. Los Angeles Galaxy at Rice-Eccles Stadium – 7:00 p.m. kick-off

Sunday, May 4: MLS Reserve Division: RSL v. L.A. Galaxy at Quinn’s Junction in Park City, UT – 10:00 a.m. kick-off

Directions to XanGo Field in Lehi (from Salt Lake City):

1. Take I-15 SOUTH (toward LAS VEGAS) (approx. 20 miles)
2. Take EXIT 284 toward HIGHLAND/ALPINE. (0.34 miles)
3. Turn RIGHT onto W 11000 N. (0.06 miles)
4. W 11000 N becomes CLUB HOUSE DR. (0.36 miles)
5. Turn LEFT onto EXECUTIVE PKWY. (0.10 miles)
6. XanGo Field is located just past the parking structure on the right-hand side

It’s a busy Monday morning and the start of a hectic week, but we here at Behind the Shield would like to take the time to thank all of our dedicated fans for their incredible support. For the third time on the young season you came out in droves to watch your team at our official viewing party. Despite it being in a brand new location for the third straight time, more than 200 of you showed up to cheer on the squad. It is fans like you that make our sport what it is. We look forward to continuing and building on this tradition. From the RSL players, coaches and staff, Thank You!

Last night’s result was obviously not what we were all hoping for in D.C. but the guys will wast no time getting back in the groove as they prepare for a very busy week. Wednesday sees RSL open up Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup play with a qualifying match against expansion side San Jose at Rice-Eccles Stadium at 7:00 p.m. MT, followed by Saturday’s encounter with the Los Angeles Galaxy as David Beckham and company make their only visit to the Wasatch Front on the 2008 season. Catch up on your RSL reading below and get ready for an exciting week…

David Driver: Turnabout is fair play: D.C. United crushes RSL
James Edward Blog: RSL at D.C. United player grades

Jimmy LaRoue: Calls, kicks lead to another loss

Chris Snear: Real Salt Lake can’t complete sweep
Chris Snear: Real Salt Lake stunned by United
Post Game Quotes: RSL 1, DCU 4

What do you think will happen this week? Will RSL be able to bounce back and pick up a pair of victories? Strike back below and tell us what you think.

Well the action is underway in the hostile confines of RFK Stadium and we’ll be here with you throughout the match. We’ll just get right to it with the RSL starting XI (identical to last week’s match with one exception):

GK - Nick Rimando; DF - Chris Wingert, Nat Borchers, Jamison Olave (the one change, making his MLS debut), Ian Joy; MF - Carey Talley, Dema Kovalenko, Kyle Beckerman, Javier Morales; FW - Kenny Deuchar, Robbie Findley.

Take the jump to read about the action…

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Well the team is in the nation’s capital getting set for tomorrow night’s clash with the reigning Supporter’s Shield winners, D.C. United. The home side is sure to be motivated for this one as their visit only two weeks ago to Rice-Eccles resulted in a 4-0 thumping at RSL’s hands. However the guys are not content, they are on a mission in D.C. to sweep the season series and further establish themselves as a force to be reckoned with. You wanna know a little more about tomorrow’s matchup? Click here and check out the MLS game preview…

You wanna hear what the guys have to say about tomorrow night’s affair? Check it out below…