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There is a great moment in the movie Hoosiers ... well, there are a lot of great moments in Hoosiers, but the one I'm think of is when Norman Dale finishes prepping the team for the final game against South Bends and turns comments over to the team. The first statement out of one of the players mouths, "Lets win this for all the small schools that never had a chance to get here."
So with a little imagination we change the words "small schools" to MLS teams when we are talking about Real Salt Lake playing in the CONCACAF Champions League.
"Lets win this for all the MLS teams that never had a chance to get here."
That slides off the tongue like butter on corn.
With RSL up 2 goals to none over Deportivo Saprissa heading down to Costa Rica for the last leg of a home and home series they are in uncharted territory for an MLS team. Like Hoosiers no school that size had ever played for a state title and like ReAL no MLS team has ever played in the Semi finals let alone the Finals. Major League Soccer as a whole is rooting for Real Salt Lake.
What a two goal lead does for Salt Lake is huge when you are playing on the road. Saprrissa needs to score 2 to tie, but if RSL scores one goal down there, the Purple Monsters must score 4 for the tie. Now we start to see what an advantage it was to have the shut out at Rio Tinto.
The significance of a possible finals appearance was addressed in a previous post a few weeks back. This will bring respect to Real Salt Lake first. Major League Soccer can piggy back off of RSL all they want but just what we hear from the interviews of the players and coaches they are winning and preforming for the glory of the club first. A small market team needs success more then big market teams. The money is just too tight and ReAL winning has improved not only the respect of the club around the league but improved the financial situation as well. Now it's time to earn that respect in other places.
I still don't believe the teams south of the US boarder really think the teams in the United States are any good. Even after Real wiped on them in the group stage and Columbus advanced out of their group(another first for MLS to have two teams advance out of group stage). There just doesn't seem to be any signs that they think the teams up here are that good. Of course, that's until they meet the Jimmy Chitwoods of the MLS and the soccer version of Hickory High. A well oiled team that plays together knows their rolls has the tough noised defense and scoring touch to cause any team trouble.
Saprrissa is blue blood in Central America. They have history, a legacy and great talent (South Bends High) but, we have Jason Kreis(Norman Dale) and Andy Williams (Strap). The MLS is the non-BCS conference in this part of the world. But unlike the BCS, there is a tournament that proves who is the best.
lets dare a Purple Monster player to go up to Nick Rimando before a Penalty Kick and say "didn't know they grew you so small on the farm," Then watch as Rimando stuffs the shot for the bragging rights.
You now end with slow motion visuals of small market fans jumping up and down in celebration and two old people kissing in the stands.
