Game of the Century . . . Decade . . . Week? RSL at SJE, 14 July 8:30 MDT

If the team isn't playing inspired, part of that does lie on JK. And while I do like seeing people stand up for our players, Beckerman handled that wrong IMO. That tackle had nothing malicious to it. Yeah his trailing leg made contact, but he didn't exactly swing it or anything. Plenty of players tackle like that with no contact at all. It's one thing to protect a guy when there's intent, but I just didn't see it there. Stupid move IMO. We need a shakeup, whether its a tweaked formation, different players starting, or both. We need something to change, and that starts with the coach.

The funny thing is if you take out the San Jose games, RSL is 11-4-3 with a +12 goal differential (29 GF, 17 GA).

Yep. We are more talented than most teams and they cannot fully take advantage of our weaknesses. Not so with SJ and a handful of other teams. There are maybe 3 teams that I think I would call "elite" this year. RSL is on the level just beneath them, with 2 or 3 other teams. From recent personnel moves, I think RSL has positioned itself to remain at that level in MLS, while giving them a shot to be competitive in CCL play. However, we have not positioned ourselves to move up to the "elite" level in MLS.

It just takes a game or two breaking your way come playoff time. I know it doesnt seem like it at the moment, but its still been a good year for RSL. Its really difficult to get the kind of advantage you need to win every year in MLS, so I just find it premature that RSL fans are talking about blowing up your team. They are still winning 50+% of thier games, which in MLS is doing very well. Thats good, thats something that needs to be enjoyed when it happens, Ive sat on the other side of the divide and you need to appreciate when times are good. Even if they arent perfect.

Even if nights like tonight suck.

So I've been thinking of a formation that I think would work for teams with speed/wing play that we tend to struggle with. 4-4-1-1:

This gives us the space/wing outlets we typically don't have with the diamond, but keeps a triangle in the middle with Beckerman/Morales/Espindola. It would give us outlet passes the diamond doesn't always provide and when Wingert or Beltran push forward that midfielder can tuck in slightly for some overlapping play. I think this would also play to Sabo's strengths since he's a target man to whip crosses into, but at the same time you can pass the ball up to him with Espindola making diagonal runs from either side into space. It could even give some give and go opportunities to pass to Espy back to Sabo or even something like Sabo-Espy-Grabavoy-cross back into the box where you should have both Espy/Sabo crashing. With Wingert/Beltran pushing forward Grabavoy/Johnson could make diagonal runs inside giving room for central passes or another guy in the box for a cross.

It just feels like it'd be a somewhat easy formation to transition into when teams are either clogging the mid or killing us on the wings. You'd still have Beckerman just slightly back and Morales slightly forward but not as extreme as the diamond. It feels like teams that beat us often find an easier pass on the end of the field that we weren't pressing with the diamond at the time. This would give us guys out farther making that opportunity harder to come by. We could easily attempt to dictate the flow of the game going between this and the diamond or sticking with whatever was working.

So, ******** tonight.

Cronin knew what he was doing. You don't play at this level and "accidentally" leave your trailing leg in the guys back leg. It was a yellow worthy foul. Not an ejection by any means, but certainly a yellow.

The way kyle reacted was dumb, but it was because of the last few games that KB and the rest of RSL reacted the way they did.

I'm also curious as to where the hell the Javi of the second half vs Portland has been the rest of this season. He isn't fit and is slower than me out there. Worst of all, though, is he doesn't seem to have that chip on his shoulder anymore. Same can be said for the strikers. The "big 3", as the guy commentating with Dunseth wanted to call them, of Sabo Espy and Javi have gone multiple games this year where they seem content to just go for a jog and maybe shoot on occasion.

We can bag on the douchebags that are Wondo, Lenhart, and Gordon, but at least those guys play with some heart.

Man am I glad I shut this poop festival off after the 3rd goal. Sorry for anyone who watched the whole thing.

so did i, but i was watching on my iphone, had to restrain myself from throwing the iphone into the wall. then of course the timbers shit the bed and let 5 goals against freaking LA.

terrible night. going to go take it out on the golf course.

We've had too many different players starting--it seems like a different lineup every week. I'm not sure that would help.

RSL has no speed. Without speed, we can't defend the wings or attack from the edges.

I don't know how long your station broadcasts the game but as I was leaving the stadium after the game I saw you coach putting his players through rigorous wind sprints. Whether this was punishment or standard procedure I don't know.
I had a very nice running conversation/commentary with a couple of RSL fans that were sitting in front of me. Really nice people but they were disgusted with Salt Lake's lack of performance and let me know it throughout the match. The fellow even said he knew the official personally and said he called a decent game but shouldn't have been handed it as his 6th. overall match in the center.

Well that worked really well!

Nice post by Beer king, thanks.

As I said later though, those players aren't starting as a shakeup, they're starting because someone is injured. JK has his starting 11 and everyone knows that. There's complacency all around because no matter how well you've been playing with the time given (Velazquez), once the starter is fit again, you're back to not getting another shot. We need a true shakeup in the lineup where we have fit starters that aren't starting because they've been playing terrible. I'd rather see us play terribly with some backups getting a chance then shitting the bed with our starters. At least that might wake up the team enough to perform again.

It's understandable with the defense. I'd throw Fabi and Sabo in there but it's hard to gauge how they're doing when they aren't really getting quality service. Right now it seems to be a problem with the midfield/formation. Not really sure where the exact problem lies but it really feels like nobody cares to be on the field and sitting some players might let everyone know that they aren't always going to start if they aren't going to put in the work.

Oh I completely forgot! I somehow tore a hole in my shorts during the game. So it's pretty much RSL's fault for that and the FO should replace them. Where do I send my angry letter?

The unfortunate thing about this is the Don is the only one who can stop Hack-a-Javi, and until he does, Javi is at risk of serious injury. Beckerman getting red cards is not going to stop Hack-a-Javi. About the only thing RSL could do that would make teams think twice is pulling a Mullan and taking someone out, but this isn't football/hockey where an enforcer can really get away with some seriousness. The league would only punish us harder. Only the Don and the League can stop Hack-a-Javi.

Speaking of serious injuries, I watched the whole game for one reason and one reason only: I really wanted to see SJE blood on an RSL cleat. Part of me is very glad my wish was not fulfilled.

While I was happy to see Beckerman standing up for his teammate, it was a stupid thing to do. What was supposed to happen? Was Beckerman getting in Cronin's face going to make Cronin think twice about being a classless hack? So RSL's opponents, with the league's support, will continue to hack away at Javi, knowing they will either injure Javi or get someone from RSL ejected. Either way, they come out on top, with, at worst, a 4 game suspension, and their player getting to finish the game.

My wife and I were talking about the game (she didn't watch it, but watched the red card highlight) and she commented on how weak RSL is. We both appreciate how RSL prefers to play a relatively clean, possession oriented game, but sometimes you gotta get dirty. Kreis gave SJE a very backhanded compliment in calling them a "blue collar team". They don't play with the "style" and "grace" of RSL, but they dig, they work, they make it happen. They get their cleats dirty.

So where does that leave RSL? MLS has a reputation as a physical league. The refs are largely responsible for that. The league seems content to allow Hack-a-Javi to continue. Unless the DisCo steps in and punishes Cronin and some other SJE players for their role in the scrum, RSL will have to figure out a way to deal with Hack-a-Javi. RSL could sub in a third stringer at the end of the game and take someone out. Mess up a knee, achilles, foot, something. A hard knee to the back. Let RSL take note of unpunished hacks throughout the game and get some payback right before, at, or just after the final whistle, because there's no point in retaliating during the game.

About the DisCo, watch for more RSL players (Sabo) to get punished for the scrum:


Final thoughts: what the hell was the ref thinking in grabbing Kyle that way? I hope he never refs again. Glad Lenny didn't play in this one. SJE announcers are inane/annoying.

Considering this picture is on the main mlssoccer page right now, I would assume there is no way that Sabo plays against Colorado this week...

First game of the year that I have missed. Sounds like it was a good one to miss.

Watched it? I was THERE, man. First RSL road game for me. Shudders.

Let's get this guy a psychiatrist. There, there. It will be ok.

I think Hernandez deserves a suspension. 2 or 3 frames before this photo, Hernandez pushes a restrained Kyle Beckerman, thus the reason why Kyle is hanging on to the ref, and going backwards.