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View Full Version : Real Salt Lake (mls) vs. Real Madrid - The Battle of the Reals!



mFFL03
08-11-2006, 09:21 PM
TV: FSC

7:30 MOUNTAIN

and it's being called the Xango Cup? what the hell....

SALT LAKE CITY - Real Salt Lake's players were smiling, laughing and joking around after Friday's training session as they watched Real Madrid practice on their home field at Rice-Eccles Stadium.

After being dared, for $50, to run sprints with the Real Madrid players, Chris Klein joked that the money would probably fall out of one of the Madrid players' pockets. Jeff Cunningham, after being told he is easier to interview than David Beckham, said "it's because I'm prettier. What do you expect?"

While clearly pleased to have the world-renowned team lined up for a friendly exhibition Saturday evening, Real Salt Lake also was planning on being set and ready for the game.

"I'm excited, but shoot, I'm trying to win," Cunningham said. "I'll be star-struck for the next couple of hours, but come tomorrow, I'm trying to win."

Real Madrid is the clear favorite to win Saturday's match, but namesake Real Salt Lake has a few things working in its favor. Madrid and D.C. United played to a 1-1 draw on Wednesday in an exhibition match in Seattle; Salt Lake earned a 2-1 victory against D.C. on July 29.

RSL coach John Ellinger, however, said the July game has no bearing on Saturday's exhibition.

"We just have to play the way we played against D.C. and the way we played against Colorado," Ellinger said. "We just have to continue doing the little things as far as marking in the back, and playing simple in the midfield, and playing to our strengths."

Real Salt Lake enters Saturday's game having just set another club landmark. On Wednesday, RSL scored four goals in a game for the first time in team history, beating the Colorado Rapids 4-1.

"You're playing one of the best teams in the world," Cunningham said. "They are a good team, obviously, but I'm sure there are some issues, fitness as well as cohesion. We've been playing together for six or seven months now. At this point, we are a very good team, so it should be a very good game tomorrow."

There was a time that a Major League Soccer team would have had no chance against a team like Real Madrid, but Salt Lake goalkeeper Scott Garlick said those days are long past.

"If we would have played teams like this in the first couple of years in the league, it would have been disastrous," Garlick said. "Now, you've got guys with 10 or 12 years of professional experience, and we've all played big games like this against the biggest teams in the world. I think the league has come on in leaps and bounds."

Ellinger has a plan for the match against Madrid.

"We've got to be more aware of our discipline on defense, and we've done a good job the last two league games with discipline in the back and keeping our shape," Ellinger said. And on offense, "as the game goes on, you've got to probe a little bit and figure out where we can get in behind them, find out who's feeling lazy and who's wanting to get home."

While Real Salt Lake is ready to put its star-struck feelings behind them for the game, Cunningham expects that attitude to return as soon as the game ends.

"How about a jersey? I've got dibs on Beckham," Cunningham said. "The key is, at the end of the 90 minutes, you have to be closer to the guy whose jersey you want. You have to stand as close to him as possible."