After a Devo-infected post yesterday, I thought it would be good to take things a bit more seriously. Or, you know, something. I thought that, really, but I decided I’d continue on my same path. Not the Devo path, but … oh, never mind. Let’s just get to it.
We’ll talk about a couple things today, nothing too pressing — the national team plays soon and I’d much like to see how Kyle Beckerman does and I’ll be praying that he doesn’t get injured. The Belgian team is full of some real talents — the likes of Eden Hazard and Romelu Lukaku being the biggest names selected, but Vincent Kompany, Marouane Fellaini, and Jan Vertonghen are forces as well. I’m sure other players on the squad are too, but I’m afraid I don’t actually know them all that well. I’m still trying to pack stuff in this devolving brain of mine, you see.
At any rate, I’ve touched on the national team but only briefly, so perhaps I’ll give a word about Kyle Beckerman’s performances as of late. We’ve always known Kyle to be a hard-working son of a gun (Utah language, you know, or something) and his laid-back demeanor undercuts the appearance of the real fire in his belly. We saw on Saturday that he got a bit chippy with somebody (I forget who) and I was momentarily frightened of a red card for somebody — not that he did anything too blatant, I just worry.
It was an excellent reminder: Kyle will stick up for his team and for himself when wronged, but when it comes time to get down and get to work, there’s nothing like a big deal even remotely involved. That goal he scored shows that somewhat: no flashy footwork, no attempt to overcomplicate matters, just a nice, simple strike from distance that caught the goalkeeper out. It was exactly what you’d expect from our hard-tackling dreadlocked American. He’s a rare commodity, he is.
Right, on to a quick word about the reserves and I’ll leave you to it.
RSL Reserves v Chicago Fire Reserves
Our reserve boys lost today to the Chicago Fire 2-0. Not a particularly big deal, but a quick word about some of these players would serve us all well, I hope. Some good signs: Kyle Reynish was fit for the bench, so we should have our second-choice keeper back soon, perhaps for Saturday. Academy prospect Julio Alarcon got some time on the pitch, and a few others sat on the bench. And on to the guests:
- Alvarez: not Arturo — no further information available (from me) on who he is, though
- Lucas Neill (who’s been written here as Lucas Neel, but I’m sure that’s not him), an Australian fullback who was rumored to be near a Seattle move and is currently playing at Al Jazira in Abu Dhabi,
- Kevin Molino (who’s been written here as Kevin Molina), a Trinidadian midfielder playing for Orlando City S.C.
RSL Starting XI: Melia; Alarcon**, McKenzie, Schuler, Wagner; Alvarez*, Neel*, Grabavoy Warner, Araujo Jr, Arnoux
Subs: Reynish, Tora, Velasco**, Orcalla** Molina*
**Indicates Academy Player, * Indicates guest player
It's a reminder, I think, that we have some great academy prospects coming through the works, and we're still looking for players who can help boost our squad. I wouldn't expect to see any additions this season, unless we fall further prey to long-term injuries, but the off-season will, I think, be telling.
That about wraps it up. Perhaps I’ve missed something big, but I don’t know that I have. Perhaps I’ll also write something about Kyle’s national team play. You’ll just have to wait and see, won’t you?
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