Andrew Iriyogen

Dallas Cup Day 4 & 5 Recap – Off-Day & Final Group Game

Grande News, Real Salt Lake, Soccer Academy, Soccer News

To keep everyone up to date with all the happenings going on here in Dallas we will be proving wall-to-wall coverage every single day with pictures, video and a blog entry.

Day 1 recap, pictures and video here
Day 2 recap, pictures and video here
Day 3 recap, pictures and video here

Day 4 – Tuesday, March 26th

After two tough games in back-to-back days RSL had their first and possibly only day-off at Dallas Cup pending the result of their final group game on Wednesday. The players went through a morning training session at a nearby field and then enjoyed a relaxing lunch. After this the players had some time to rest and get some homework done before they went over to a local mall. Some players watched a movie and others just walked around. After the mall they headed over to Olive Garden for a big dinner then back to the hotel to watch USA vs Mexico in a World Cup Qualifying game. After the game it was off to bed for RSL who had final group game Wednesday morning.

Day 5 – Wednesday, March 27th

Going into the third and final game in group play, RSL knew they needed goals. And a lot of them. After tying Dallas Texans in-game number two of group play, RSL was no longer in control of their own destiny. With both teams going into their final group game with 1 win and 1 draw and on equal terms in-goal differential +2, RSL needed a victory with a high goal differential to increase their chances to advance.

Their opponent was Lewisham College from England. RSL’s Starting XI: Eric Gonzalez, Santi Carrillo, Bayley Scholz, Corey Nemeth, Jon Zabasajja, Tigran Tiraturyan, Andrew Brody, Jose Hernandez, Coco Navarro, Aiden Tucker, Luis Barraza.

With a strong wind blowing from South to North, RSL started the first half attacking into the wind. Within minutes RSL pressured Lewisham’s defense. Jose Hernandez and Coco Navarro were connecting well and forcing Lewisham into bad balls in the back. The break finally came for RSL in the 18th minute when Navarro intercepted a Lewisham pass in the back, passed it to a running Aidan Tuker who took a touch and beat the Lewisham GK. After this the onslaught was on.

Hernandez scored from a free kick in the 32nd minute and Tigran Tiraturyan scored in the 44th minute.

Tucker grabbed his second goal of the game in the 58th minute and Navarro’s hard work paid off for him in the 69th minute when he scored.

However things took a turn for the worse in the 73rd minute. Lewisham scored on the wing cutting the lead to, 5-1. RSL kept pushing forward for another goal to increase the goal differential and was able to get another goal in the 87th minute when sub Ishan Atit scored. This goal proved to be crucial because in the 89th minute Lewisham scored again.

RSL tried to grab another goal before the final whistle was blown but was unable to increase their goal differential. Ending group play with 2 wins and 1 draw and a +6 goal differential. RSL’s chances were good but not great. The next step for RSL was to sit around and wait for the result of the Dallas Texans vs Brooklyn Italians game that was scheduled to kickoff at 6pm.

At around 8:15 local time the results came in. Texans defeated Italians, 1-0, which meant RSL won their group and advanced to the next round.

On Friday morning RSL will be taking on IMG Academy who went 2-0-1 in group play.

Click on one picture and a slider gallery will appear.

Dallas Cup Day 3 Recap – Second Game

Gallery, Grande News, Real Salt Lake, Soccer Academy

To keep everyone up to date with all the happenings going on here in Dallas we will be proving wall-to-wall coverage every single day with pictures, video and a blog entry.

Day 1 recap, pictures and video here
Day 2 recap, pictures and video here

Day 3

After winning their opening game of the Dallas Cup, RSL-AZ went into their second game against Dallas Texans who also won their opening game. The winner of this contest would be in the driver’s seat going into the final group game on Wednesday as only one team from each group advances.

RSL-AZ’s starting XI vs Texans: Elijah Evans, Santi Carrillo, Brandon Marquez, Corey Nemeth, Jon Zabasajja, Tigran Tiraturyan, Andrew Brody, Jose Hernandez, Coco Navarro, Aidan Tucker and Luis Barazza.

Like the day before, weather conditions were not ideal. A constant wind affected the entire match which gave each team a clear advantage when they were attacking the goal on the south end of the pitch.

RSL was not as sharp as the day before when the game kicked off however they did manage to keep possession in the Texans half. Though this didn’t amount to anything as the Texans stayed back and absorbed RSL’s attack in the early parts of the game.

Things changed for RSL in the 25th minute when Tigran Tiraturyan took a shot from the left-wing. The Texans GK blocked the low shot and failed to clear it out of the danger zone in front of the net. Aidan Tucker pounced on the loose ball and took a shot that was blocked. He picked up the loose ball again and was able to find the back of the net giving RSL the 1-0 lead.

After the goal the game changed immediately. RSL looked sharper, their communication was better and they were constantly threatening Texan’s goal. However they were unable to grab a second goal before the half ended.

Going into the second half the teams switched sides which meant RSL had to attack going into the wind. Opportunities in the half were extremely limited for RSL as any ball the Texans played forward in the air clearly picked up 20 extra yards due to the wind. Any ball RSL played forward was reduced by 50% and would just drop like a rock after hitting its highest point.

The first chance and only real chance for RSL int eh second half came in the 56th minute when Coco Navarro sent a cross into the box. Andrew Brody headed the ball down to Jose Hernandez who’s shot inside the 18 was blocked by a diving Texans GK.

Bad luck struck for RSL in the 76th minute when the Texans played a ball forward that carried into the box. RSL GK Luis Barazza came out to grab the ball but got tripped up inside the box with a Texans player. This resulted in a PK for the Texans which was blocked moments later by Barazza.

In the 81st minute Texans equalized on a circus shot. The Texans played a ball forward that was once again carried by the wind. Barazza came out and cleared the ball. A Texans players picked up the ball 35 yards out and sent a looping shot in that dropped on the goal line and into the goal.

RSL kept pushing forward as the game went into the final minutes. They were unable to find the go ahead goal, ending the game in a 1-1 draw.

Going into their final group stage game on Wednesday RSL and Texans are tied with 4 points each and a +2 goal differential. There are a multiple number of ways for RSL to advance but the easiest way is for them to win and win by a number of goals to increase the goal differential in case Texans also win and score multiple goals.

Game starts Wednesday at 10:00am Arizona time.

No video today as the wind yesterday made it very difficult for audio to be heard.

Dallas Cup Day 2 Recap – First Game and Opening Ceremony

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To keep everyone up to date with all the happenings going on here in Dallas we will be proving wall-to-wall coverage every single day with pictures, video and a blog entry.

Day 1 recap and pictures here
Day 1 “Behind the scenes” video here

Day 2

After arriving in Dallas on Saturday and checking out the Real Salt Lake vs FC Dallas game, all the players got a much-needed rest at the hotel in preparation for the opening game on Sunday morning vs Brooklyn Italians.

On the bus ride over to the fields all the players were focused and determined to start off the tournament on the right foot. The starting XI vs Brooklyn was: Eric Gonzalez, Santi Carrillo, Brandon Marquez, Corey Nemeth, Jon Zabasajja, Tigran Tiraturyan, Andrew Brody, Jose Hernandez, Coco Navarro, Aidan Tucker,and Luis Barazza.

The field conditions were not the best due to the weather that was around 40 degrees with a constant wind blowing. It made the field slick causing many players to slip in the opening minutes.

Real Salt Lake started off strong and looked like they would grab an early lead. Early shots by Aidan Tucker, Jose Hernandez, Tigran Tiraturyan all inside the 18 were blocked by Brooklyn’s GK.

In the 25th minute Andrew Brody beat the offside trap and looked like he would score the opening goal but unfortunately he slipped inside the 18 and the Brooklyn GK picked up the loose ball. The rest of the half was a back and forth game and once halftime hit RSL coaches told the players to keep up the great work and not change anything as they controlled the majority of the game.

Weather conditions slightly improved in the second half as the sun made its first appearance of the day. In the 58th minute Andrew Brody beat two Brooklyn players on the left-wing and played a ball into Coco Navarro who was sitting inside the 6 yard box. He trapped the ball with his back facing the net, turned around and fired a shot. The goal was called off as Navarro was just inches offside.

Five minutes later RSL was finally able to grab the lead when Eric Gonzalez played a low free kick into the box. Corey Nemeth ran to the ball, took a touch and deflected it across the face of the goal high into the net. The Brooklyn GK had no chance.

Four minutes later Jose Hernandez slipped the ball into a running Coco Navarro inside the 18. The Brooklyn GK ran out to intercept Navarro who faked the shot, took two touches and calmly scored.

The rest of the game was controlled by RSL who kept the ball in Brooklyn’s half for the rest of the game.

After the game the players all returned back to the hotel and rested up before they headed over to the Cotton Bowl for the Dallas Cup Opening Ceremonies.

In an Olympic style set-up teams from all over the world went through a tunnel and entered the field. Some of the countries that were represented included: England, Mexico, Japan, Canada and Costa Rica.

RSL and the rest of the American teams went through the tunnel as well and joined all the other teams on the field. After the ceremonies all the teams in attendance had an opportunity to watch Manchester United vs Club America U19 teams play which ended in a 2-0 victory for United.

After the game RSL went back to their hotel to rest up for Day 3 of Dallas Cup.

Dallas Cup Day 1 Recap – Arrival To Dallas

Grande News, Performance News, Real Salt Lake, Soccer News

After a 20 hour bus ride from Grande Sports Academy we have arrived in Dallas!

Twenty-two RSL-AZ players will be competing in the prestigious Dallas Cup that draws teams and talent from all over the world. The players who are in Dallas are: Ishan Atit, Luis Barraza, Andrew Brody, Tyler Buckley, Santi Carrillo, Elijah Evans, Adam Ferguson, Eric Gonzalez, Kaleb Goodman, Jose Hernandez, Andrew Iriyogen, Brandon Johnston, Radu Marcu, Brandon Marquez, Albert Molina, Coco Navarro, Jaime Payamps, Bayley Scholz, Tigran Tiraturyan, Aiden Tucker, Corey Nemeth and Jon Zabasajja

To keep everyone up to date with all the happenings going on here in Dallas we will be proving wall-to-wall coverage every single day with pictures, video and a blog entry.

Day 1

We left Grande Sports Academy on Friday afternoon and arrived around 10am Arizona time on Saturday. Along the way we watched numerous movies, had lots of laughs and made a few stops for food.

As soon as we got into town we made our first stop at the tournament check-in hotel. The place was packed with players who were playing FIFA 13 and buying gear at the official shop. We then left for our hotel for a quick break and then headed over to dinner at Sweet Tomatoes.

After dinner we then had an opportunity to check out a Major League Soccer game. Real Salt Lake just so happens to be in town taking on local team FC Dallas. Unfortunately for RSL they lost 2-0 after playing very well for the majority of the match.

We left immediately after to game to get some much-needed rest so the players can be 100% for their opening game Sunday morning at 9:30am (Game starts at 7:30am Arizona time).

Make sure to follows us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram tomorrow for updates from the game.

Below are some pictures from the RSL vs FC Dallas game.