Not much in the way of news today, but let's briefly go over a few things, following which, I'll address a topical concern of some sort. Today, we'll briefly touch on the anthem and some of the exciting things surrounding it. This may be a semi-regular feature, so allow me to ease into a bit.
Reserves: The reserve squad is traveling to Dallas this morning. The squad will include at least Kyle Reynish and Jonny Steele, and Nat Borchers is set to play as well, telling Bill Riley on ESPN700 that he'll be set for 45 minutes. At any rate, the ongoing march toward fitness is encouraging on all sides.
Being Green: In huge news, Alvaro Saborio and Javier Morales have received their green cards. This is nothing but good news, and it solidifies our international situation for the season. Congratulations to the two!
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Nat Borchers made clear that he thought Real Salt Lake was the better team against the Galaxy. In an interview with ESPN 700, he intimated that he didn't agree with Bruce Arena's fatigue argument: "I don't buy it. I don't think it's an excuse. It was obvious who the better team was."
On Chris Schuler: "The great thing about Schuler at this point in time is that he's able to organize on the field… He kept us in the game for sure. Emergency defending, he's in the right spot."
On the home opener: "I can't wait… especially to hear that anthem. Branden Steineckert is one of my good friends. What he's done is just fabulous. It gives our team more of a culture, more of a personality, having something like this to play before home games."
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Sebastian Velasquez made an appearance on OnFrame last night, speaking about his unexpected debut against Los Angeles and his season goals. "To be honest, my goal was to get on the field at least a couple minutes, just to have that feeling to be in the stadium. ... There aren't words to describe what I felt. At the same time, I came into the game very focused. ... Luckily, I was just able to work hard on the defensive side."
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Speaking of the anthem, have I mentioned how well received it was at the Republican? Oh, I have. Well, then.
We've also got a planned March to the Match on our hands. @randalserr writes: #RSL supporters will meet at 7:30 p.m. @ SE gate behind Colonel's Corner for the #MarchAroundTheRioT singing "Believe."
As more information's available on that, it'll be right here. Keep your eyes peeled. (Not literally. That sounds a bit weird.)
Continuing to speak about the anthem, Branden Steineckert (@801punx or, if you will, Rancid's drummer) spoke to Dunny, the Guv, and Trey on ESPN700 during the new OnFrame radio show.
Steineckert, a section 35er, had the following to say about his inspiration : "I write and record songs all the time that's what I do, it's my job, I'm very fortunate to be able to do that. It's taking the two things I love most on the planet, Real Salt Lake and music, and combining the two. To me, it's a no-brainer."
And this about the originality of the song: "More teams need unique, original chants. … It's not a melody that is stolen from another song. It's all completely original. I just felt like that would be fun."
Do give the whole thing a listen, because that's only a small excerpt.
It's great work as usual from the people surrounding this club.
Right, that's about all I have for you today. Let's hear your thoughts: What do you think of the anthem? (You love it, I know.) More importantly, what do you think of a march to the match? I'm quite excited. With any luck, it'll get people into their seats nice and early. That would be a huge first step.
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