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SALT LAKE CITY -- For Americans it truly is a foreign concept.
"It's a little tough just to take it all in," said midfielder Kyle Beckerman about the CONCACAF Championship. "All our other sports, we have nothing like this."
Beckerman, who's actually suspended for the game, says they're used to it in other countries but, not here in the United States. One club playing in two leagues, both on a national level and an international level, at the same time.
Goalkeeper Nick Rimando says a win can catapult Major League Soccer to the level of respect he feels the league deserves.
"We could be the best, not only in the United States but in Mexico and Central America."
But, does the general public understand why it's such a big deal? Apparently not. One man told us, "I don't know a lot. I know there's a game. That's about all I know."
Another asked, "Is that, like, a minor league kind of a championship?"
We spoke with about a dozen people about today's game. Out of all of them, only two knew a game was being played. But, when you explain what the game means, they're all surprised at how important it is.
A championship at a higher level
Think of it this way. Imagine the Utah Jazz won the NBA Championship, but the playoffs didn't stop there. Then, they enter a tournament to be the best team in the continent. That's what the CONCACAF Champions League is.
If RSL wins, or has a low-scoring tie, they will be considered the best soccer club in not only the U.S., but across all of Canada, Mexico, through Central America and the Caribbean. They'll also be one of only seven teams to compete for the title of best club in the world this December in Japan. Previous FIFA Club World Cup winners include Real Madrid and Manchester United, two well-known and successful European clubs.
When I asked one man if he knew it was that significant, he answered, "No, I had no idea."
Another man told me that hearing an American team could be considered the best in the continent was "mind-blowing."
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For RSL, winning changes everything
It's not by accident that RSL is the talk of the league and representing U.S. soccer as a whole. What they have been able to accomplish was something that didn't seem possible only six years ago.Even soccer fans had to go through a bit of a learning curve. Team Spokesman Trey Fitz-Gerald says only about 10,000 spectators came to the first game of this tournament with Panamanian side Arabe Unido.
"We gave every fan that entered the gates a little flier that explained what this tournament was, what it is and what CONCACAF is," said Fitz-Gerald.
Since then, the fans have come to know how big this game is. Fitz-Gerald says it will be watched in roughly 140 countries all over the world.
Rallying support from all over
Major League Soccer, as a league, is showing vast support for RSL as they prepare for today's deciding game. Players and fans from other teams all over the country have wished the team well. Simon Borg, writer and senior content producer with MLSsoccer.com, says other teams in CONCACAF do not have the sweeping support from their countries like RSL does.
"With Saprissa, in Costa Rica, there were more fans wanting Saprissa to lose because they don't like the team and they don't like the fans," said Borg. "In Mexico, the Tigres fans, they couldn't care less. They want Monterrey to lose."
Game plan for the fans
"This means a ton to us as a club and to our league and American soccer in general," said head coach Jason Kreis, who also says the loyal fans do understand the international significance of this game. But, even though he says RSL fans are among the best in the league, they don't always show up on time. So, he's asking the fans coming to tonight's game to come early.
Oh, and wear lots of redcolor>.
Email: pnelson@ksl.com
