It has been a busy year so far, I have fallen a little behind on posts

Well, as with most humans I have been very busy lately and haven't posted a whole lot. I am going to try and get caught up today or tomorrow ..... or this week. 

A lot has been going on, RSL trudges along, the Royals (women's soccer team) are one of the worst teams ever, the Warriors (rugby team that is way more fun to watch than RSL) are in the playoffs, the US Men's National Team are pretty awful losing a friendly to Switzerland 4-0, LOL !!!!!, and barely winning against Saudi Arabia 1-0. 

Nobody is showing up to their games either, they played Saudi Arabia in Austin and the stadium wasn't even 40% full. Good lord, that is bad.

The bullfight season in Spain is off and running at full speed, with Pamplona coming up in just a couple of weeks. 

Every year it seems like there is a matador that dominates, Roca Rey has dominated for a few years, last year you could say David Galvan kind of took over, but this year Morante de la Puebla is going bonkers. With success after success this year, Sevilla, Jerez, Madrid, and Salamanca so far, some are calling him the best ever. He's been around 20 years now and has his followers, but this year has been different. Even those that don't like him much can't deny he is elevating the bullfight to new heights. 

I will post some photos and videos soon of him for your viewing pleasure.

Anyway, be back soon.  

Utah Royals 1st NWSL team to 10 losses this season after falling 4-1 to Seattle

(by Caleb Turner ksl.com 6-21-25)

Based on the postgame mood, you wouldn't have guessed the Utah Royals had just lost their 10th game of the season.

The NWSL's last-place squad reached the midpoint of its season with a 4-1 loss to the Seattle Reign in its 13th game of the year Saturday at America First Field.

The home team was outmatched from wire-to-wire against the top-five team from Washington, giving up goals in the sixth, 16th, 66th and 91st minutes.

For a brief moment near the end of the first half, it looked like a comeback could be underway when Bianca St-Georges scored her third goal of the season for Utah, but it wasn't to be.

The goal, which moved St-Georges into a tie with Brecken Mozingo for the team lead in goals, was the only one in the cards for the Royals on Saturday, despite leading the visiting team 14-10 in total shots.

The Royals enter the midseason break on an eight-game winless streak and a four-game losing streak, with the next league fixture not until Aug. 3. But still, a sense of optimism and belief remained with players and coach during press conference comments.

Perhaps it's because the break gives the team time to recover from a brutal start to the season that featured two season-ending injuries and take another step in building "from the bottom out," as head coach Jimmy Coenraets described it.

"Make sure you kind of just detach from the game and you get some time by yourself," Coenraets said of his advice to players heading into the break. "I just want everyone to come back in the best possible headspace."

The real reason for the optimism, however, is likely because Utah is approaching this season as one piece of a much larger puzzle. Coenraets said that since the Miller family took over team ownership in April, he has felt supported in building a foundation for what he called "a sustainable future."

"Ever since the change, there was one clear message, and that's, 'Let's build a foundation, and let's build upon the foundation that we are building the next six months,'" Coenraets said. "We want to be competitive as much as we can, but we also want to make sure that by being competitive, we're actually building for the future and not giving up the future to just get results."

Utah will play a pair of friendlies against the San Diego Wave to break up the month-long break and several Royals will continue playing games with their respective national teams, including Ally Sentnor and Mandy McGlynn with the USWNT and Janni Thomsen joining Denmark for the UEFA Women's Euro tournament.

https://www.ksl.com/article/51333558/utah-royals-1st-nwsl-team-to-10-losses-this-season-after-falling-4-1-to-seattle

Larry H. Miller ownership will bring stability to RSL

(by Patrick Kinahan ksl.com 6-17-25)

On a gorgeous evening, standing before the nostalgic admirers showering him with affection, Nick Rimando was inducted into the Real Salt Lake ring of honor at America First Field.

From 2007-19, Rimando was a steady presence at goalkeeper for the Major League Soccer franchise. During his tenure in the league, which included stints with D.C. United and the Miami Fusion, he set records in appearances, minutes, saves, wins and clean sheets.

As Rimando got ready to speak, the crowd chanted his name in unison. The familiar scene has played out countless times in stadiums across the world as teams recognize great players who made strong connections with respective fan bases.

Those relationships between players and fans are among the primary factors that create loyalty with the ticket-paying customers. It's an ingredient missing, to a degree, lately for RSL, which has undergone significant roster changes.

In short, fans desire to connect with talented familiar faces. Look no further than the Utah Jazz, which has enjoyed enormous success with a foundation built on stability.

RSL needs the same consistency the Jazz had under the Larry H. Miller ownership group for decades before selling the team to Ryan Smith's group. And if history is an indication, now that the LHM people bought the team, count on it.

During the press conference announcing the Miller family's acquisition of RSL and the Utah Royals, Steve Miller said as much. Miller, who serve will serve as chairman and governor of both teams, is the son of the late Larry Miller.

"I think what we bring is stability. I think we bring a great understanding of this market," he said in a Deseret News story, noting the family's almost 50 years of experience in all facets of running a professional sports franchise.

"I think the sum total of the package that we bring is going to be — I'm not a huge fan of the word synergistic so maybe find a synonym for that — but I think there's a lot of adjacencies. ... Our expectation, frankly, is that bringing that to the table is exactly what these franchises need."

The Miller way has energized coach Pablo Mastroeni during a trying season. After making the playoffs last season, and then losing several key cogs, RSL is languishing near the bottom of the Western Conference standings.

The roster changes combined with the new ownership have made this season a transitional year. At the same time, the team's administration is excited for the future.

"Obviously, the proof is in the pudding when they owned the Jazz and how remarkable that team was and perennial playoff contenders," Mastroeni said during his weekly appearance on The Zone. "The one thing that they've made really clear is they want to build a team similar (to the Jazz) — something the fans can hold on to because the stars will be here."

In the world of soccer basically teams can sign and sell players from and to different leagues, which was the case for RSL last offseason in both situations. Mastroeni believes his team can lose players but still maintain a nucleus to remain consistently competitive.

He points to Diego Luna as an example of a player capable of staying with RSL over the next decade. At 21, the northern California native is already a fan favorite.

The Millers "want to build a team that everyone in the community can really hang on to for years and it's not just switching players out because we want to sell them. Every player's situation is going to be different, but the philosophy I think moving forward is we want consistency.

"To be successful year after year you must have a core of players that are reliable, that can grow together, that understand their different clicks, I think that's how you build a successful team. I'm so grateful that the Miller family has joined."

Another plus is local ownership, which arguably lends itself to a great urgency to be successful. Former majority owner David Blitzer, who has maintained a stake, is from New Jersey and has shares of several sports teams around the world.

"It's different when you have local ownership," Mastroeni said. "They come to the games (and) their fans. They want the same thing that we all want, which is to win. I think they're going to do it a little differently and build some continuity within the group — hopefully, keep a lot of these young players that are developing under our watch."

https://www.ksl.com/article/51331457/patrick-kinahan-larry-h-miller-ownership-will-bring-stability-to-rsl