Barely a week after winning its first championship, Real Salt Lake already has made its second major move of the offseason. After trading backup goalkeeper Chris Seitz, the team announced Wednesday it has signed forward FabianEspindola to a new four-year contract, ensuring the 24-year-old
... Municipal. He had been on load to the Fire. Great move! dN Real Salt Lake has signed forward FabianEspindola to a new 4 year contract extension. dN The MLS Insider gives us a 10 minute docu-promo-music-video of some behind the scenes from the entire MLS Cup weekend in Seattle. dN Paul Kennedy of Soccer America reports that Dallas striker and Golden Boot winner Jeff Cunningham is...
... drilled penalty kick.MF Ned Grabavoy 6 - Effective in a variety of midfield roles. Converted PK.F FabianEspindola 5 - Didn't add much to attack.LOS ANGELES GALAXYGK Donovan Ricketts 6 - Not at fault on the goal; did well to challenge Findley on play that led to his injury.RB Sean Franklin 6 - Good hustle; made overlapping runs early but stopped and eventually settled into central...
... success. Speaking of Morales, expect a boomerang effect to boost him and his Argentine countryman, FabianEspindola. Neither could have been lower after choking on penalty kicks last weekend, only to be rescued by Rimando. Both will play like they appreciate the second lease on life. If fate is on its side, RSL will emerge victorious Sunday in a game that resembles 2003 (a 4-2 San...
It’s been a good year for shooting soccer in Salt Lake. World Cup Qualifier, MLS All-Star game, MLS Playoffs, and now the icing on the cake, Real Salt Lake’s Championship win over Beckham, Donovan, and the LA Galaxy. Real Salt Lake forward Robbie Findley (10) collides with LA goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts. LA’s Sean Franklin and Real Salt Lake forward FabianEspindola (16). Real Salt Lake...
... it. I go in there thinking I have a chance. It's the kicker against me. Why shou ldn't I save it?" Espindola the happiest man in town Probably nobody was more relieved than forward FabianEspindola that RSL wound up winning last weekend. Otherwise, he might have become "El Chivo." Espindola had a chance to win the game with the sixth shot of the penalty shootout, but...
... because they had the speed to get by LA’s defense. Believe me Robbie Findley, Yura Movsisyan and FabianEspindola present a big challenge to Gregg Berhalter and Omar Gonzalez. I’d say they will do their best to keep Findley in check as he presents the most problems but don’t sleep on the big man Movsisyan to sneak in and score a goal if they let up on him. Remember when Conor Casey...
... Grabavoy became involved only when the shootout went beyond the standard five rounds, and RSL's FabianEspindola missed high on his game-winning chance. After another save by RSL's Nick Rimando, Grabavoy came through as the ball bounced off the goalkeeper's hand and into the net in a shot that's being replayed often this week in ESPN's promotion of the MLS Cup. "Even if I wasn't in...
Three big saves by Rimando in the penalty shootout keeps the Fire out. Ned Grabavoy nails the winning penalty kick after FabianEspindola misses his chance. The Fire fell victim to a peculiar directional bias that made them test...
... kicks, goalkeeper Nick Rimando dove low to his left to deny Chicago's Logan Pause and give RSL's FabianEspindola a chance to win the game. But he lifted his shot high over the bar, while his teammates wilted a little at midfield. Converting that "would have been a lot better for my heart," Kreis acknowledged. But Rimando came up huge again, diving to his left once again to stop Chicago's...
... level at 4-4 following five kicks, Rimando stoned Chicago's Logan Pause with a diving save but FabianEspindola failed to capitalize by shanking his attempt badly. It merely delayed the inevitable as Rimando came up with another big save enabling RSL to celebrate a conference championship on someone else's field just like New York did at Rio Tinto Stadium last year.Much like that...
... amazing three penalties in the shootout, compensating for misses by teammates Javier Morales and FabianEspindola to win the Conference.Pretty sure I’ll be able to pick my jaw up off my chest eventually after that performance, Nick. Pretty sure. The “OH, OUCH, YOU’RE GIVING ME A PAIN IN MY MATERNAL AREA” award to:RSL’s Javier Morales, who, after missing his penalty and thinking he...
... Yura Movsisyan in both matches. Containing them -- along with fellow attackers Javier Morales and FabianEspindola -- will be a huge key to Saturday's match.--Get production from a surprising source: Solid contributions from unlikely places have been characteristic of both Fire performances against Real Salt Lake this year. The first match saw defender Tim Ward assist on the Fire's...