Real Salt Lake
2007 season
OwnerUnited States SCP Worldwide
Head CoachUnited States John Ellinger (Fired May 3rd) United States Jason Kreis (Hired May 3rd)
StadiumRice-Eccles Stadium
Major League Soccer12th
MLS Cup PlayoffsDNQ
2007 U.S. Open CupN/A
Rocky Mountain CupWinners
Average home league attendance15,960 [1]
Biggest winRSL 3-1 Kansas City Wizards (8/29)
Biggest defeatCHV 4-0 RSL (4/21)

The 2007 Real Salt Lake season was the third season of the team's existence. After seeing slight improvement in 2006, the team struggled again under manager John Ellinger, opening the 2007 campaign with a 0-2-2 record. Ownership made a drastic move on May 3, firing Ellinger, and announcing that team captain (Jason Kreis), would retire and become the new head coach. RSL tied its next two matches against New York Red Bulls and the Colorado Rapids, but saw limited success the rest of the season. RSL finished the year with the league's second-worst record, ahead of expansion team Toronto FC.

The 2007 season also saw construction of its new soccer-specific stadium in Sandy, Utah, continue. Additionally, under Kreis' management, the team undertook a massive roster overhaul that essentially rebuilt the squad. Among the new players that arrives in 2007, many would go on to comprise the core of the team for several years, including, Kyle Beckerman (soon-to-be captain), Chris Wingert, Robbie Findley, Fabián Espíndola, and Javier Morales. At the center of the remake was Kreis' new team philosophy of "The Team is the Star", and a new primary formation (possession-oriented, diamond midfield).

Also vital to the growth of the club was the hiring of the team's second general manager, Garth Lagerwey, on September 19. Lagerwey, a former MLS goalkeeper, was a teammate of Kreis' at Duke University and Dallas Burn. The two proved to be a great tandem which led to future player acquisitions for the team within the next year including Will Johnson, Robbie Russell, Nat Borchers, and Jámison Olave.

Real Salt Lake finished the season on October 20 with a 1–0 win over Colorado. In an otherwise disappointing year, the win secured RSL's first ever Rocky Mountain Cup victory. The team finished with a record of 6-15-9 and a -14 goal differential, placing last in the Western Conference.

Squad

2007 roster

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK United States USA Chris Seitz
3 DF United States USA Carey Talley
4 FW United States USA Kyle Brown
5 MF United States USA Kyle Beckerman
6 DF United States USA Ritchie Kotschau
7 FW Argentina ARG Fabián Espíndola
8 MF United States USA Chris Brown
9 FW United States USA Jason Kreis †
9 MF United States USA Alecko Eskandarian
10 FW United States USA Robbie Findley
11 MF Argentina ARG Javier Morales
12 MF United States USA Nathan Sturgis
13 FW Saint Kitts and Nevis SKN Atiba Harris
14 FW Armenia ARM Yura Movsisyan
15 MF United States USA Kenny Cutler
16 DF United States USA Chris Lancos
No. Pos. Nation Player
17 DF United States USA Chris Wingert
18 GK United States USA Nick Rimando
19 DF Liberia LBR Willis Forko
20 MF United States USA Nikolas Besagno
22 FW United States USA Jamie Watson
23 DF United States USA Eddie Pope
25 DF Ivory Coast CIV Jean-Martial Kipre
27 DF Argentina ARG Matias Mantilla
28 MF United States USA Dustin Kirby
31 DF United States USA Jack Stewart
77 MF Jamaica JAM Andy Williams
— MF United States USA Steven Curfman ††
— FW United States USA Duke Hashimoto ††
— MF United States USA Christian Jimenez ††
— GK United States USA Kyle Reynish ††
— FW United States USA Jeff Rowland ††
 † Promoted to head coach on May 3
†† Saw no First Team minutes in 2007

Mid-Season Transfers

Due to the termination of John Ellinger as head coach and the subsequent promotion of Jason Kreis in early May, there were an abnormal number of mid-season transactions for the club. The players listed in the roster section above include those acquired during this makeover. Below are names of players acquired, traded, transferred, or released by the team after the May 3rd hiring of Kreis in chronological order:

Competitions

Major League Soccer

League table

Western Conference

Western Conference
Pos Club Pts GP W L T GF GA GD
1 Chivas USA 53 30 15 7 8 46 28 18
2 Houston Dynamo 52 30 15 8 7 43 23 20
3 FC Dallas 44 30 13 12 5 37 44 -7
4 Colorado Rapids 35 30 9 13 8 29 34 -5
5 Los Angeles Galaxy 34 30 9 14 7 38 48 -10
6 Real Salt Lake 27 30 6 15 9 31 45 -14
2007 MLS Cup Playoffs, 2008 U.S. Open Cup
2007 MLS Cup Playoffs (Wild Card), 2008 U.S. Open Cup

Overall

Pos Club Pts GP W L T GF GA GD
1 D.C. United (E1) 55 30 16 7 7 56 34 22
2 Chivas USA (W1) 53 30 15 7 8 46 28 18
3 Houston Dynamo (W2) 52 30 15 8 7 43 23 20
4 New England Revolution (E2) 50 30 14 8 8 51 43 8
5 FC Dallas 44 30 13 12 5 37 44 -7
6 New York Red Bulls 43 30 12 11 7 47 45 2
7 Chicago Fire 40 30 10 10 10 31 36 -5
8 Kansas City Wizards 40 30 11 12 7 45 45 0
9 Columbus Crew 37 30 9 11 10 39 44 -5
10 Colorado Rapids 35 30 9 13 8 29 34 -5
11 Los Angeles Galaxy 34 30 9 14 7 38 48 -10
12 Real Salt Lake 27 30 6 15 9 31 45 -14
13 Toronto FC 25 30 6 17 7 25 49 -24
MLS Supporters' Shield, 2007 MLS Cup Playoffs, CONCACAF Champions' Cup 2008, SuperLiga 2008, CONCACAF Champions League 2008-09
2007 MLS Cup Playoffs, SuperLiga 2008, CONCACAF Champions League 2008–09
2007 MLS Cup Playoffs, SuperLiga 2008
2007 MLS Cup Playoffs

Results summary

Round123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930
GroundHHAHHAAAAHAHHAAHHHAHAAAAHHAHHA
ResultTTLLTTLTTLLWLLLLWLLWWLLTTWTLLW
Source: 2007 Major League Soccer season
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; L = Loss; T = Tie
OverallHomeAway
PldPtsWLTGFGAGDWLTGFGAGDWLTGFGAGD
30 27 6 15 9 31 45  −14 4 7 4 18 22  −4 2 8 5 13 23  −10

Last updated: December 27, 2013
Source:
Pld = Matches played; Pts = Points; W = Matches won; T = Matches tied; L = Matches lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; GD = Goal difference

Regular season

[2]   Win   Tie   Loss

April

May

May 20, 2007 7 FC Dallas 2 - 1 Real Salt Lake Frisco, Texas, USA
7:00PM ET Stadium: Pizza Hut Park

June

July

August

September

September 12, 2007 23 D.C. United 2 - 1 Real Salt Lake Washington, D.C., USA
7:30PM ET Stadium: RFK Stadium
September 15, 2007 24 Toronto FC 0 - 0 Real Salt Lake Toronto, Ontario, Canada
3:30PM ET Stadium: BMO Field

October

Other matches and friendlies

18 April 2007 (2007-04-18) International friendly Real Salt Lake 3–0  Fiji
Report
7 June 2007 (2007-06-07) International friendly Real Salt Lake 1–0  China Salt Lake City
Eskandarian 80' Report Stadium: Rice–Eccles Stadium
Attendance: 11,119
21 July 2007 (2007-07-21) International friendly Real Salt Lake 2–0 England Everton
Report
24 July 2007 (2007-07-24) International friendly Real Salt Lake 1–1 Argentina Boca Juniors
Report

References

  1. ↑ Renzhofer, Martin (August 29, 2012). "Real Salt Lake's fan base keeps growing". The Salt Lake Tribune. Salt Lake City, Utah. Retrieved December 26, 2013.
  2. ↑ "MLS Regular Season - 2007 Real Salt Lake". www.mlssoccer.com. Retrieved December 30, 2013.
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