Three Questions: Real Salt Lake at Seattle Sounders

A match-up between the team that SBN bloggers think is the best in the league, and a team that has been ranked as the #1 Tier One Team, and has also fallen to the middle of Tier Three.

This could be a big statement for the Sounders, and Salt Lake could take the lead for the Supporters Shield.

Here are Three Questions with denz at www.RSLSoapBox.com

S@H - Salt Lake has managed to completely dominate at home, but why are they merely an average road team?

RSL Soap Box - I would question average on the road this year, 3-4-4 isn't bad with just 10 goals allowed. Only 3 teams in MLS have more than 3 road wins, a clear testament to how hard road wins are in MLS. I do think that RSL's confidence is much greater at home, as their 22 match unbeaten streak would indicate. I still think the issues on the road have a lot to do with travel time, practice on the opposing pitches (RSL practiced at a local high school this morning in order to practice on turf), and I think in a majority of our road matches we have been the more aggressive teams during matches but it is all about that first goal. If they get that first goal it forces the home team to play more aggressive which often causes RSL to play more defensively in reaction. Both RSL and Seattle each have 6 goals in the first 15 minutes of matches and scoring first is a huge advantage (12-1-1 for RSL, 8-2-3 for Seattle).

S@H - MLS rules were the primary reason that RSL got Alvaro Saborio. How much has he meant to the side?

RSL SB - He has been huge, when RSL lost Yura Movsisyan in the off season it meant that the other strikers would have to step up in big ways and when Alvaro got here and integrated to the team so quickly it provided the other strikers with a level of comfort (maybe too much in some cases) and confidence that they wouldn't have to do it alone. He provides a quality target on set pieces and has a great vision of the game and without him I would say RSL probably would have 2-3 fewer wins at this point of the season. It is interesting with your first question that Saborio hasn't scored a MLS goal away from Rio Tinto yet, and while he has a minor injury, I would love to see him get one up there at Qwest field.

RSL is going to face a big question at the end of the year, as they are forced with making a permanent move for Saborio (who is on loan) and the contract of Robbie Findley expiring. It will likely take money at the DP level to keep either or both of them, and I don't envy the guys who have to make that decision.

S@H - RSL just announced their new ticket pricing structure, will this further boost attendance?

RSL SB - No, I don't think it will boost our attendance. Right now we are averaging just under 17,000 per match, which is 6th in the league and I don't see that number going up much with the new prices. I think the move is designed to get people to buy season tickets instead of game by game tickets. The profit and amount of work in selling season tickets instead of selling them as one offs is significant enough to justify them lowering the prices for many seats. We are the smallest metro market in MLS, and the reality is that growing from our current attendance numbers to 18 or 19,000 per match will take time and I don't believe that just ticket prices are enough to drive those numbers.

Denz will have the Q&A going the other way shortly. Here are the questions he asked of me. How would you answer?