15 Thoughts You knew we were in for a bit of an amateur night when Jon Busch thought he could wear a blue jersey as goalkeeper. Seriously, a blue shirt when your team is wearing almost the exact same color blue? What a ********ing moron. The biggest take-away from this game is that we kept a clean sheet. Yeah, Vela played pretty well, but to me the most promising thing of this match was that SJ didn't score. They should have. How the hell number 10 for SJ didn't score, especially in the first half, is beyond me (GOD GAVE YOU TWO FEET FOR A REASON). We saw in this game both why Vela should get more time and why he doesn't get more time. He takes chances, which is great. We need that. But his decision making is suspect. There were multiple times in the game where he would force the situation instead of taking an easier pass. This is find when you're in the final third and pushing for a goal. But when you're up two goals and in the middle third? Take the easy pass and keep possession, kid. It is nice to see our corners lead to a goal, even if indirectly in the case of the Grabavoy goal. What is slightly concerning, though, is that we can't generate a goal from the run of play, lately. Without Plata it is hard to really get a feel for where our offense stands, but this game was lacking in the final touch once again. It's time to bag the idea of Jaime contributing this season. It's just not happening. He doesn't have chemistry with these guys at all and you can't waste time/minutes/chances on it during this point of the season. He should probably still be on the bench (no offense, Sandoval) but he shouldn't be counted on at all. He doesn't have the flow of the team down and it's not going to come in two games. Findley continues to be one of the most frustrating players to watch. You can see glimpses of what he could bring, but it always seems to be 40+ yards from goal. Once he gets in and around the 18 he just doesn't do it. It's like he sacrificed his scoring touch for a first touch in the midfield. It's great when we're building up to a goal, but that's not his job. The dude needs to score. Beltran looked like a guy who hadn't played in a few games. His decision making was slower than the game and he got punished for it occasionally. Still, he was a lost better than Rich Balchan (low bar) and was coming out of it towards the end. I think a game or two and he is back to the Tony we can rely on... defensively. KB's dummy on Grabs goal deserves something. It won't got on any stat sheet, but without it I don't think the goal goes in. How the hell does Vela, one of the shortest dudes on the shortest team in the league, knee the ball in, off a corner, inside the six? Busch, you suck. Don't, under any circumstances, go watch this on the league website. The crowd noise they piped in is like nails on a chalkboard. ESPECIALLY on the goals. Yeah, the RioT just keeps the same level of noise before, during, and after a goal. God, how are we in 2014 in this league and that is still happening? The second half of this one was the most boring half of soccer I've watched at the RioT all year. I remember looking at the clock and seeing it was the 60th minute and saying "how the hell has only 15 minutes gone by?" It might not neccessarily be a bad thing (hey, we won and got a clean sheet) but good god was it painful. Though, the price of admission was made early in the first half when the SJ defender somewhat successfully pulled of a bike inside his own defensive six, while sprinting towards his own goal, and clearing for a corner. That was one of the most athletic things I've ever seen at the RioT. Playing like we did in this game won't get us a win at Portland. There were parts of it that could be used - like our defensive shape in the second half - but not much. RSL has a lot to work on this week when they go look at film if they want to get anything out of this road trip. Credit needs to be given to JeffA for a solid game. Didn't have to do much, but a lot of that was because of his direction. He was solid between the pipes. @goobx1 I love your massive flag. A word of advise, though: When you were wrapping it up at the start of the second half you didn't wrap it all the way. You just wanted to be done with it so pulled it in with still about a third of it to be wrapped. Dude, that is how you get kids.
Thanks for the mention and with my oldest being almost 27 and my youngest 13, going on 27 with a couple in between, I am ALWAYS mindful of how kids are made.
An ugly win is still a win. I understand that Jaime isn't going to contribute much or at all this season. Usually it takes a transfer a year to get accustomed to a new team. However, I'd still rather have him in the game than Findley. Sabo and Plata are obviously our top two guys up front but I'd still pull Jaime off the bench before Robbie. I've not been impressed with Findley at all this season. Vela was on point the other night. I really liked what I saw with him at the top of the diamond. Let's see if Cassar is more eager to put him in in that role in the future.
Our forward situation is really quite perplexing. The obvious pick is Plata. That guy should start every game that matters no matter what. That is a given. After him, though, it gets really murky. Saborio: on paper this makes the most sense. However, the rust is palpable. He seems to be channeling his inner Sandoval with how many attacks he kills with a poor touch and lack of speed. Maybe he can right it quickly, but I'm doubtful. You have to remember, this guy hasn't played in like 3 months. Now he is getting thrown into the part of the season when players are supposed to be peaking - not rounding into midseason form. Findley: For a guy that is really fast he never uses it. I don't know if it is that defenders simply mark it out or that he/we don't try it. You go watch highlights of a few years back and it seemed he always had at least one 1v1 with the keeper a game. I can't remember the last time that happened. Further, the guy seems to have developed a first touch in the midfield at the expense of a finishing touch. How the hell did he shank that open shot from 8 out in this game!? Jaime: Too new to the system to contribute. He isn't the kind of player to put his head down and beat a guy with skill and his feet. He relies on others to help build. That is a good thing with how we play. However, he has no chemistry. His idea of where the ball should go and what the other 10 players are doing is vastly different. Especially when he gets the ball on the right channel. He has lost the ball in that space between the 18, midfield, and the touchline more than anybody. Garcia: I want to buy the kids hype, but he is reminding me of Findley. He'll do things in midfield that make you go "where the hell is that around goal?!" I thought that with a goal or two things would start working again for Olmes. Now it just seems like a brief lapse in his poor performances. Sandoval: Came in last in this rating list despite having a 3 foot gap on the rest during a through-ball RSL is in a situation where they need to put 4-5 forwards in the 18. Not because we have that much talent but because we don't know who is going to perform so we need more options.
Seems like after ONE bad game (a game in which pretty much everyone was crap, mind you) many of us have suddenly decided that Sabo is so coated in rust that he'll not recover this season. Remember, he's played a total of 165 minutes since returning from injury - that's less than 2 full games. I think we've got to give him a couple more games before writing him off completely. Jamie's situation is tougher, though. I'm not sure he's got enough time to get familiar with the system this year. Still, I'd bring him off the bench before Findley, I think.
Sooooooooo.........should I just skip watching this game from the archives? Been a freaking crazy week for me, just got back into SLC tonight, forgot how shitty that drive from Portland is.
I hope Velasquez continues to develop well. I feel RSL (and MLS as a whole really) lacks a lot of technical players who, when unable to hit the deadly place, will try to take players on 1v1. That is my favorite part of soccer, and the most entertaining part of the game to me personally. Watching players display their skills. If Velasquez continues to develop he won't only be a good player for RSL, but will be a joy to watch. On the other hand I kind of wish RSL would have sold Gil last season. I haven't completely lost hope in him, but he just isn't working out well. It's nice to see Jaime is keeping up with the tradition of RSL players having a horrible first touch. That's my main concern. He obviously isn't in sync with the rest of the guys, and lacks chemistry which is understandable. After more time he'll be fine. I am a bit concerned with his first touch, and the inability he has shown to score 1v1 with the keeper. That's something that he as a professional soccer player should know how to do regardless of with whom he is playing. I don't have a problem waiting to see him develop though. Overall the result was more than I expected considering the lineup. A few more goals would have been nice. It would have also been nice if the ref would have just called it in the 60th minute because it was obvious neither team wanted to score at that point, and it was quite obvious the only reason either team took the field the second half was to see how bored they could make the audience.
Sure we do: there's two more games left in the season. Now, if there was another forward on the team who could do a better job than Sabo in those two games, I'd be with you. But as it is, I think Sabo will perform at least as well as any other forward on our team in those two games AND he can round back into form. Really, the big difficulty is this: Our biggest priority right now should be avoiding the play-in game. But priority #2 should be getting Sabo sharp before the playoffs. Those two priorities might be at odds with each other if there was another forward on the team who could do a better job than Sabo in our last two games to help accomplish priority #1. But since there isn't (IMO), you play him and hope for the best.
I'm sure we'll see Plata/Sabo starting as usual, and possibly rotating Findley in vs Portland, and Jaime vs Chivas. I don't know that we'd see one of them getting all the sub minutes, since neither has really impressed. I think Jaime will eventually come good, and hopefully it'll be soon like Findley showing up for the playoffs.
good post it is a very strange situation we find ourselves in. Here is an idea: with the showing of Vela this last week, would a 4-5-1 with two AM's be better than a rusty Sabo? I wish we had more time in the season to try it. Think of what the team could do with Vela drifting to the right and Javi to the left while Plata made his runs
That Gil doesn't even seem to enter into this scenario is a concern to me. Didn't someone mention in the Lagerway thread that he seems upset by the use/treatment of Gil. Perhaps that was just by Klinnsman, or maybe Cassar as well. I don't know. However, it does seem that he is either under-utilized or that there is some ongoing issue with him. Playing time just doesn't seem to match up to the hype.
the playing time matches up to what he produces. The kid stands out among players of his age. However, once you put him on the field with full professionals he tends to get lost. This is why a guy like Mulholland can jump him.
The frustrating thing with Gil, is if/when will it all come together? He looks great in spurts, then spends 3/4 of a match doing nothing. This formation may just not suit him at all, and he'll never actually make it with us. Or it'll be the case of needing to wait a few more years until it all comes together. Maybe it never will. I think it's just more frustrating because of how much he's making. When you see what he makes, you expect results. It's why you see more complaints about players like Gil or Findley, because the salary isn't matching the production.
and the "few more years" argument is a bit off, to me. The kid has been in our system for like 5 years now, no? This isn't your typical American sport. Your peak isn't in your late twenties. The top players in this sport have their first big moment in the early twenties if not late teens. It's time for Gil to produce. If we're being honest, he actually seems to be getting worse instead of better. Aren't his minutes down this year?
Fair point. Usually the big name players are already doing better and while not at their peak, would likely be near that point within the next couple of years. I think what makes Gil's case hard, is that it's clear he's not the right fit to play the side of the diamond. He actually doesn't look too bad when he's at the AM spot. I think if he wants to further his career, he's either going to need to go somewhere else, or really push for more minutes up top, which will be hard to do unless we give Javi reduced minutes.
I think Gil will get traded or moved someway. I don't see him with RSL next year. Maybe NYCF would be interested.
It kind of reminds me a little of Freddy Adu. Plenty of hype and glimpses of what he could've became, and it never quite happened.