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We are nearing the end of our Three Questions series, and I hope you have found it insightful and useful during the offseason.&nbsp; We’ll end the series tomorrow and Tuesday with the MLS Cup participants, prior to the 2012 Superdraft.
Today in addition to Sporting Kansas City we’ll turn our attention to Real Salt Lake, who going into last season looked to challenge Los Angeles (and Seattle potentially) for the Supporters Shield.&nbsp; But, as we all know, they never fully recovered from the Champions League final loss and while they made the Western Conference finals, it was after an up-and-down season where they never dominated for stretches like many thought they would.&nbsp; Injuries played a role, but how will their 2011 season influence 2012?&nbsp; Let’s take a look at some offseason questions that will dictate whether or not Real Salt Lake has reached its peak or the best is yet to come:
1. Can they adequately replace their depth?
The incredible Real Salt Lake fan site RSL Soapbox<a href="http://www.rslsoapbox.com/2012/1/3/2679260/for-real-salt-lake-2012-will-be-a-season-of-changes" target="_blank"> has a great breakdown </a>of what exactly the team has lost so far this offseason: in the last two months the team has lost 6,700 first team minutes, 4 goals, and 12 assists.&nbsp; These come from players like Robbie Russell (DC) and Jean Alexandre (SJ) who were traded, Colleen Warner (Montreal) and Arturo Alvarez (Chivas) who were drafted, and Andy WIlliams who retired.&nbsp; All of these are replaceable players, but with so many players being shifted off the rolls the team is losing some serious depth, depth that was key to them succeeding in multiple competitions despite injuries and schedule congestion.&nbsp; In addition to another appearance in the CONCACAF Champions League later this season, the team will lose some key players for Olympic duty, likely including captain Kyle Beckerman.
The positive to these trades is that RSL has received some draft picks so they can use those picks for depth.&nbsp; The team can also look internationally, something that it has done successfully to find good young talent.&nbsp; How quickly these younger/new MLS players can adjust to the league and contribute will be critical to this team.
2. How will RSL beef up their midfield?
A number of the players mentioned above were contributors to the midfield; for example, Andy Williams was a winger the team could depend on to play well during his starts.&nbsp; The team has made some moves to secure this part of the team: it extended Ned Grabavoy’s contract and is working to extend Yordany Alvarez’s contract.&nbsp; In addition, they have some young players like <a href="http://www.mlssoccer.com/bestof/2011/news/article/2012/01/02/best-2011-gil-mls-breakout-player-2012" target="_blank">Luis Gil </a>who could contribute more with more playing time.&nbsp; But the team does need to do a little shopping, and how much money they have free to spend will be important to beefing up that midfield.
3. Are Javier Morales and Alvaro Saborio healthy enough to play at their peaks (or close to it)?
Javier Morales’ gruesome injury was part of an early season MLS trend of key stars going down with serious injuries, and his team certainly missed his goal scoring.&nbsp; However, when he returned, the team was in a slump and his play could not bring them out of it.&nbsp; A healthy, back-to-100% Morales is the kind of player who can help carry a slumping team so how healthy he is and back to his previous form is critical to this team.
Another player who failed to inspire last season was Alvaro Saborio, who took 3/4ths of the season to round into form coming off his own injury.&nbsp; Although his final numbers looked good, his overall body of work was not up to his previous standards.&nbsp; Again, a fully effective and healthy Saborio makes this team that much harder to beat.&nbsp; The health of these two players could make the different between wild card contenders and MLS Cup contenders.

Has RSL Reached Its High Water Mark? Three Questions for the 2009 Champs

Has RSL Reached Its High Water Mark? Three Questions for the 2009 Champs - World Soccer Talk

As the U.S. men’s national team struggled through yet another 1-0 loss in an international friendly, Twitter was afire with criticisms of the team and the new boss. &nbsp;The most damning criticism might have been this: that the team played like a Bob Bradley coached squad. &nbsp;Harsher words have never been said!
However, we have to acknowledge two facts before we can delve into some solutions for the Klinsmann crew. &nbsp;First, these 1-0 losses mean nothing&nbsp;if the U.S. qualifies for the 2014 World Cup without any major missteps. &nbsp;Second, the inability for the U.S. to make progress against any level of competition is disconcerting, regardless of the reasons why.
So is it time to panic? &nbsp;I will give a cautious no (although the friendly on Tuesday could change that analysis). &nbsp;We know this team’s strengths (Tim Howard) and weaknesses (holding/central midfield) but also know that Klinsmann has not yet fielded this team in a competitive match with his optimal line-up (Dempsey AND Donovan with Holden). &nbsp;That said, there are some trends that have become apparent to many U.S. fans that need to be examined and discussed before they become deep-seated problems with this team. &nbsp;In no particular order, if you are reading Mr. Klinsmann please consider my suggestions for your team*:
Let Michael Bradley see the field
Would we be seeing more Michael Bradley if his name was Michael Jungmann or Michael Hernandez? &nbsp;Probably not, as I don’t think Klinsmann is so petty as to bench Bradley because of his dad. &nbsp;But the problems in midfield are apparent: our holding and central midfield options who have played so far have not done a good job of breaking up the oppositions’ attacks nor setting up the U.S. attack. &nbsp;To be blunt, it is not easy for a non-superstar non-European to make a Serie A squad so the fact that Bradley is playing for Chievo is a testament to his potential. &nbsp;We’ve seen that his passing while not perfect is good and he has an eye for picking out his teammates moving forward, while being adept enough defensively to at least pass as a holding midfielder. &nbsp;He needs to see some more playing time for this team, period/full stop.
Experiment with the formation
The knock on Klinsmann’s hiring was that during his previous managerial stops, he was not considered the strategic mastermind. &nbsp;Maybe this is the case; while the U.S. hasn’t fallen back into the tried-and-true 4-4-2 there’s something to be said about not conforming to the new in-thing. &nbsp;A 4-3-3 is an exciting formation (personally my favorite) as is a diamond 4-4-2, but if the personnel don’t fit why not go a little more unorthodox. &nbsp;Acknowledging that it may be a few years before the U.S. has a pool of world-class strikers, why not try the mythical, <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2008/jun/08/euro2008" target="_blank">Jonathan Wilson-loved</a>&nbsp;4-6-0? &nbsp;Or maybe the (gasp) 3-5-2 to allow players like Chandler to roam the sidelines and provide cover to the midfield? &nbsp;Again, this could backfire, but maybe thinking outside the box could lead to some unexpected positive results.
Stop thinking Landon Donovan is Wayne Rooney
While the France match didn’t feature the usual number 10, Klinsmann has shown that he is increasingly curious about the idea of having Landon Donovan play as a&nbsp;withdrawn&nbsp;forward, kind of in a Wayne Rooney-esque position where he can create chances for open teammates while still getting his own chances to score. &nbsp;The problem with this idea is that this is not Donovan’s game; this type of role needs a player with almost supernatural instincts who can pick out just the right pass and right player, or decide to make the play on his own. &nbsp;Donovan, while extremely talented, is not this type of player. &nbsp;When he does return to the USMNT fold after the MLS Cup, Klinsmann needs to return him to the wing or figure out another way to use him besides being the anchor.
End the Kyle Beckerman/Michael Orozco Fiscal Experiments
The dedication to players such as these gives the head coach’s critics some major ammunition. &nbsp;I am a huge Beckerman fan, but he looks out of place on the national team and has struggled against better competition with his passes from the back. &nbsp;This is a no-no from his position. &nbsp;Additionally, when we have seen Orozco Fiscal play, he has been woefully&nbsp;over-matched. &nbsp;I know we want to give players multiple chances, but there are players who deserve another look and players who need no more looks. &nbsp;While every coach has these types of players he is inexplicably loyal to, that does not mean they are above pointing out.
*I acknowledge the fact that some of these suggestions are contradictory (like experimenting with a 3-5-2 while asking Donovan to play on the wings). &nbsp;However, each recommendation should be taken on its own as it is unlikely Mr. Klinsmann will adopt all of them.

My Free Advice to Jurgen Klinsmann

My Free Advice to Jurgen Klinsmann - World Soccer Talk

Last night I laid out the pros and cons of Dwayne De Rosario winning the MLS MVP award. &nbsp;Everyone on each side of the argument can agree that a De Ro MVP would be unprecedented, as he would be the first MVP in any sport to have been traded twice in-season. &nbsp;But what about the other candidates? &nbsp;Who out there deserves the award the most right now?
Now I recognize that there are a few weeks left in the season and how the playoff race shakes out could determine the MVP. &nbsp;That said, I think it’s important to establish a benchmark now and see if peoples’ opinions change between now and the end of the season. &nbsp;So vote in the poll below and sound off in the comments section: who today deserves to be the MLS MVP?
[polldaddy poll=5538108]

Vote Now: Who is the 2011 MVP?

Vote Now: Who is the 2011 MVP? - World Soccer Talk

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