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Windber Soccer
Updated 11/16/08
The next meeting of the parents organization will be on Tues., Nov. 18th at 7pm. This is a very important meeting, please try to attend.
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Thank You To All For The Picture & Gift Card !!!
GOOD LUCK SENIORS !!!
To Our Returning Players....START TODAY !!!!
Mr.T.
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When Real Salt Lake opened their brand-new Rio Tinto Stadium against the New York Red Bulls last month, it was hard to envision it as a prelude to an unlikely meeting in the Western Conference championship.
But that is the scenario as the clubs meet on Saturday night, with one set to advance to play for the MLS Cup for the first time in franchise history.
Real Salt Lake had never qualified for the postseason in its first three seasons in existence, but turned it around this year in their first full season under coach Jason Kreis. RSL finished third in the West, then upset Chivas USA in the first round.
“There have been a lot of very, very disappointing times in Salt Lake with our soccer franchise,” Kreis said. “To be a part of something that is looking to be truly special right now means a lot.”
New York’s route to this game was even more unlikely. The Red Bulls finished with a losing record - 10-11-9 - after failing to clinch a playoff spot with an ugly 5-2 loss at Chicago on Oct. 23, but got in anyway when D.C. United lost to Columbus three days later.
The Red Bulls were moved into the Western Conference side of the bracket as the second-best wild card team and made the most of the opportunity by shocking two-time defending champion Houston, including a 3-0 road win on Sunday.
New York’s only previous appearance in a conference title round came in an Eastern Conference series with Chicago in 2000.
“The confidence is just boosting in the camp right now,” midfielder Dane Richards told New York’s official Web site. “The only one thing that can beat us right now is complacency and I don’t see any so far. We just have to go there and work hard.”
Salt Lake opened its new stadium on Oct. 9, almost a year after it was supposed to due to repeated problems with public financing. The 20,000-seat stadium, capped with scrolling white awnings over each side, is about 15 miles south of Salt Lake City, at the base of the Wasatch Mountains.
The first visiting team to play there, ironically, was New York, which spoiled the festivities with a 1-1 draw as the Red Bulls’ Dave van den Bergh scored the first goal in the history of Rio Tinto.
Now New York can be an even bigger spoiler.
“It’s fresh in our minds,” Kreis said of the draw versus New York. “I think our guys were overly emotional. I think our guys became frustrated with the fact they couldn’t create as many chances as they were used to. And here you go. Here’s a chance for them to show what they’ve learned.”
Richards scored a goal and had an assist in Sunday’s win for New York.
“We have such a great chance to be part of history in this city filled with sports teams with a winning history,” van den Bergh said. “Finally the Red Bulls can make their mark and I’d love to be part of that. That is one of the goals I set for myself when I got here almost two years ago.”
The winner will meet Eastern Conference champion Columbus on Nov. 23 in Los Angeles.
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