MLS Thursday Night: Real Salt Lake v FC Dallas

By: Bob | June 14th, 2007

For one measly moment go ahead and pretend that you are a sportswriter. You can even go ahead and put on a hat that says “press” on it. Your task is to come up with a compelling storyline for the MLS Thursday Night clash between Real Salt Lake and FC Dallas. You could try to dig deep and find some clever connection between the two teams, or you could take the easy way out and write about how this is a match between first and worst in the Western Conference.

Press caps completely removed, we’re sticking with the first versus worst angle as well. FC Dallas enters the contest atop the Western Conference. That sounds pretty darned impressive until you consider they have six wins, a draw and five losses on the season. In the MLS Western Conference, that qualifies as success.

That is especially the case when compared to Real Salt Lake, the bottom dwellers if you will. And you will. In their nine games this season, RSL have as many wins as you and I do. Zero. They also have six draws, including one on opening day against Dallas. Perhaps they didn’t get the league memo regarding the purpose of the game. The purpose is to win, something they have not done in a league game since September 16, 2006. That, my friends, is a long time without a win.

On paper, tonight’s contest shouldn’t be a good one. On television, it likely won’t be a good one either. But in the name of advancing the great experiment known as Thursday Night soccer on ESPN, we will tune in if for no other reason than to see if Eric Wynalda and crew can come up with a more compelling storyline than our first versus worst. You know they will try.

Here are a few things to keep an eye on if you are brave enough to watch this contest.

1. More on Moor – While other teams have gone out and signed aging players from foreign lands, FC Dallas has done the same. Think Carlos Ruiz, Dario Sala, and Shaka Hislop. One exception to that rule is defender Drew Moor, who played his high school soccer in the Dallas area. He has played every minute of every game this season thus far for the artists formerly known as the Burn. He must be fairly solid. Either that or they haven’t found an aging international player to replace him with yet.

2. Play it again, Medhi – Following the well beaten path from Casablanca, Morocco to Salt Lake City, Utah, Mehdi Ballouchy has not forgotten his roots. He did, however, forget his pair of scissors so if anyone has an extra pair please send him an email.

3. Flags – There is no truth to the rumor that Freddy Adu won’t play if he sees the flag of Ghana in the stadium. Whether or not we will see any Tibet flags remains to be seen.

Enjoy the game. After all our negativity it probably will turn out to be super. Or not.