"You WILL defend this season!"Have you ever played Halo? Do you remember the monsters from The Flood (they looked like a bunch of yellow grapes) that when you shot them they exploded into a bunch of little monsters that would then in return attack you? It is kind of like the retirement of Eddie Pope...the biggest most powerful guy retired, but from that retirement spawned a whole bunch of defenders to help fill RSL's back line. They don't share his magnitude, but hopefully having a whole defensive team of able bodies will help RSL finally stop the flurry of goals that haunt us each year. Should the signings work out in a way that helps Real Salt Lake reach the playoffs then I think it would be fair to give Jason and Garth the title of Master Chief.
Ian Joy (wiki) 5'7" - The name says it all...this guy is all class and has done everything right to be a fan favorite, except show us what he can do in game situations. That remains to be seen, though there has been nothing but praise thrown his way during this brief off-season. I'm also sure that his Scottish accent alone may help him to take Jamie Watson's place as Real Salt Lake heartthrob of the year. Though "Dr. Goal"is single, has the accent, and the medical degree...hmmm.
Wingert (wiki) - Right Wing is our biggest question mark on D which is pretty beneficial for this guy. He played a couple of positions last season before he ended up at right back where I think he did alright. It sounds like he has established himself as a speedster on the team and came into camp in good shape. I'm sure he has felt the pressure that must be floating around the RSL establishment as player after player has been let go from the organization in the last year.Tony Beltran (bio) 5'9" 150 - His rookie status will keep him on the bench for at least the season opener independent of ability. Then his young talent will probably keep him there a bit longer, though he may get some late minutes early on in the season. With few options Tony is going to have to adjust to the speed of play in MLS fairly quickly.
David Horst (bio) 6'4" 195- Big. Strong. Young. I really think of the guy as more of a project as it should be difficult for him to find minutes with Borchers, Mantilla, and Olave back there. He has a lot of 'upside' (whatever that really means) and could have a great future, but fortunately for him and the team this doesn't have to be a season in which he is a productive starter.
Nat Borchers (wiki) 6'2"- At the ripe ole' age of 26 Nat is one of our veterans. Olave, Borchers, Joy, and Wingert are all 26 by the way making. If nothing else it has seemed to really upset a few of his old supporters in Colorado...it is always a great thing when you can help piss off a few Rapid fans without even taking the field.
Olave (wiki) 6'1" 198 lbs. - The great unknown. We really won't know anything but hearsay until Argentina gets done. He hasn't been able to meet up with the team because of visa issues and so Rosario will be his first chance to show his stuff...I'm going to be very disappointed if he hasn't been working his butt off to get in tip-top shape until now. If not he may suffer a bit like some of the other guys new this season (e.g. Cordoba, Indra) and we need him to contribute immediately...March 12th through the 29th isn't long enough to get into game mode. On the plus side I have heard a lot of really good things about this guy from fans in his native Columbia to the RSLFO...let's hope he lives up to the hype.
Matias Matilla (wiki) 5'8" - At age 27 Mateus is the oldest of the group along the back line. I like what I saw last year. A bit erratic at times, but he recuperates well. He worked well with Pope who could usually fix whatever happened when Matias' risk didn't come with a reward. That alone is going to put a lot of pressure on whichever central back plays along side him. I have seen a few thoughts that he may also have the speed to play that right wing spot instead of Wingert or Beltran with Borchers and Olave playing in the center.
Nik Besagno (wiki) 6'0" - I didn't even want to take the time to put him on the list, but decided to at the last minute because he did get a few minutes last year and nobody in RSL land seems ready to write him off. I'd hope with the group we have now that he really wouldn't qualify to see any minutes.If this line can gel and live up to potential we could be sitting pretty not just in 2008, but for a couple of years. With everyone of these guys being 27 years old or younger it makes it so we have some guys just slipping into the veteran role and at a time in which they need to begin to define their careers. Let's hope they can flood the field with defensive power rather than our net being flooded with opposing goals this season.
