Quality Control

I realize I shouldn't poke fun at the Fire's media relations department while I'm waiting for them to approve my media credential, but there were too many good ones in the game summary for RSL to pass up:

29 minutes into the match, Espindola juked past Fire defender Gonzalo Segares and took a rip from eight yards that was caught in the chest by Busch. After 45 minutes of play, the score remained 0-0.

Neither team made a substitution during the halftime break. In the 52nd minute, RSL midfielder Andy Williams took a right-footed shot from 16 yards out that went high and right of the goal. Three minutes later, Movsisyan almost doubled Salt Lake’s lead with a bicycle kick attempt on a corner kick service from 10 yards out that skipped just right of the frame.

Almost doubled their lead, from 0-0 to what, exactly? Along with Hueb's "better than double-digits" comment about Chad Barrett's goals output during the broadcast, I'm starting to think soccer doesn't attract math majors.

Fire forward Calen Carr came on for Soumare in the 83rd minute and nearly tied the game four minutes later when he flicked a ball behind him with his head from six yards out and it went a just foot over the frame.

A "just foot" = 11 1/2 inches.

In the 92nd minute, Blanco gave Chicago a share of the spoils when he one-timed a loose ball from just outside the 18-yard box with his left foot into the upper left corner of the net to knot the game at 1-1 until the final whistle.

Tonight’s win is the Fire’s second-consecutive away win at Salt Lake; the last was on August 18, 2007.

Hey, if RSL can be winning the game at 0-0, I guess it's only fair that we win at 1-1, right?

They also spelled the fourth official's name wrong (Tim Weylance?), but I was putting an extra "a" in Terry Vaughn's name all day yesterday, so that one's a push.

As with the game itself, I'll give Chris and Lauren and the new guy the benefit of the doubt because they're not quite out of preseason form, and probably have their hands full with the media guide, one of two that didn't make the deadline according to Ives.