Real Salt Lake faces off this Saturday against Toronto FC, in a matchup between two different team mentalities. Salt Lake has long been a proponent of a “the team is the star” attitude, avoiding spending money on designated players. Toronto, on the other hand, recently acquired Jermain Defoe, Michael Bradley, and Gilberto.
RSL has been a top-tier Western Conference team since shortly after Jason Kries took the reins back in 2007. TFC has spent over $100 Million on Defoe, Bradley, and Gilberto trying to revitalize a team that has struggled to be a contender in the Eastern Conference over their seven year history.
Both teams have had early season success this year. Salt Lake has acquired five points in three games, with two of those matchups being on the road. They are currently tied for third in the Western Conference. Toronto has wins in both of its games this year, giving the club six points and an early spot on top of the Eastern Conference leaderboard.
Saturday’s matchup features two of the best central midfielders in the league. Kyle Beckerman of RSL will go head-to-head with Michael Bradley of TFC. Bradley is considered to be the better of the two, and starts ahead of Beckerman on the US Men’s National Team roster. A big question for Toronto will be whether or not Bradley can outplay Beckerman. The same thing can be said for Salt Lake.
Speaking of the National Team, head coach Jurgen Klinsmann will be in attendance on Saturday to watch Bradley and Beckerman, along with RSL goalkeeper Nick Rimando. Will Klinsmann’s presence elevate the play of anybody on the field? Will this match have any impact on Klinsmann’s decision making process for the World Cup roster this summer? Hopefully the answer is yes.
Will this one match determine which ownership style or MLS Strategy is better? No. Both have their pros and cons. One thing, however, is for certain. Saturday’s match is sure to be entertaining.
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