Unless he has an injury, this is extremely worrisome. To not start is one thing, but to not dress is another.
So I’ve watched about half of the preseason and my assessment would be the following: No noticeable improvement. In fact the defense looks a bit worse and what they are trying to do on offense is still a bit of a mystery unless the offense is going to be hopeful balls over the top time and time again and the occasional counter attack on a turnover. Portland is definitely a much, much better team and honestly better coached without question. WITHOUT QUESTION. Also, is the new DP in the dog house already? Ortuno 2.0? EMBRATSU
The team looked pretty bad in all segments of the game. We actually had some shots in the 2nd half but it seemed like every one was directly at the keeper. I have to hope the lineup tonight isn’t what we will see in Game 1.
I didn't catch it all but they did mention a scrimmage or something that was played today as well that could have played a role in who played and for how long today. Petke's unwillingness to sub early is perplexing and annoying. I'm going to bet there have been studies done to see whether or not it's beneficial to sub early or when it's optimal to sub in a match. Subbing in the late 70's to early 80th minutes can't be that beneficial and hasn't seemed to have benefited RSL much during the Petke era. Kyle just gets exponentially slower with every minute played. That hack Chara was running by him like he was standing still in the late stages of the game. Surprisingly, or not, Everton doesn't look much faster. hashtag sad. There were a few good minutes where RSL looked like they were in control in the second half but how much of that is playing down two goals to a team that doesn't fear you in the least. I would lay the odds at Petke not finishing the season at 50/50.
It can't be that much different can it? For all of this talk about RSL being deep at every position by Dunny and others I don't know what they are looking at really. This team is full of some quality players but that was just barely good enough to squeak into the playoffs last year. Can't be much more hope than that at this point this year. The Glad and Silva pairing was sliced and diced all night. It was hard to tell who had more silly giveaways Justin or Marcelo. Herrera was just used and abused by Polo with Brooks not really fairing much better on his side either. The midfield might as well have a show in Vegas because they disappear more often than any magician I have seen lately. If Baird is the starting striker this year again then this team is in some serious trouble and if the new guy doesn't pan out Waibel has to be in trouble. They do show glimpses of spark but I wonder how much of that is just Sava, Damir, Rusnak and anyone else just taking matters into their own hands and trying to make something happen. Not much really seems to come from a cohesive game plan or tactics other than countering and balls over the top again and again and again. Next Saturday can't come soon enough. Hopefully we're not thinking that about the end of the season in June. EMBRATSU
I wonder if the defense looking bad is a direct result of KB/Kreilach. KB is practically a traffic cone anymore, and Kreilach isn't a good pairing with him. It's never good to be constantly under pressure and trying to cover for the midfield.
Kyle has me very concerned. He is resorting more and more to lunging tackles that one, show how much he has slowed down, two means he can't keep up or is out of position and is trying to cover for that, three he then is out of the play if he misses and four means some dangerous tackles that lead to yellows, reds, and set pieces from dangerous positions for the opponent. But other than that he looks good. What's the record for the longest a team has gone without a red card because RSL didn't have one all of last season. Knock on wood.
Kreilach has been playing in the attack. Luiz has been the one paired with KB. I think the midfield as a whole leaves the defense high and dry at times. But it's not just holding midfielders, it's also on the wingers. The club struggles to deal with through balls in transition and at times cant relieve pressure. The lack of pressure on the ball by the midfield on transition is part of the problem, and the inability for the midfielders to find open spots on the field to help relieve pressure also contributes.
I'm kind of casually following them. From what I've gathered: Soto is a regular with the Hannover U19s, and is among the goalscoring leaders in their division. He played with the first team in some friendlies over the winter break but doesn't seem to be on the cusp of a first team appearance. Ledezma and Booth have only recently become eligible to play for their respective teams due to immigration issues. I don't think either has played in a match yet. I'm not aware of any other alumni playing elsewhere, at least not players who'd be strong candidates for the first team. Guys like Christian Herrera, Seba Des Pres, Kainoa Bailey have played elsewhere (though Bailey is trialing with the Monarchs now).
Re: Petke not subbing - I'm fine with it here. In a regular game, yes, he should sub. But this was the last game of preseason and a big thing that needed to be asked of the players was to put in a 90min performance. All of them. Waiting to sub is perfectly ok by me for this one.
Just got this in my inbox: REAL SALT LAKE TOWN HALL MEETING MARCH 4! We are pleased to announce the 2nd Town Hall Meeting/Chalk Talk at Rio Tinto Stadium with RSL General Manager Craig Waibel. Our 2nd Town Hall meeting will be held on Monday, March 4th at 7:00 p.m. in the Interform Club on the 2nd floor of Rio Tinto Stadium. Free parking for the Town Hall will be available in the west parking lot. In order to assist us in our preparation, an RSVP is REQUIRED for you to attend the RSL Town Hall. Please "RSVP" below to reserve your seat and include the total number of people in your party with your RSVP. The deadline to RSVP is Friday, March 1st. We look forward to seeing you there! TOWN HALL RSVP
some good irony: if you click the hyperlink to register for the event, the name of it changes to "Chalk Talk". I have a fairly basic understanding of the dynamics of a coach and a general manager but I'm pretty sure the coach should be doing something under that type of heading.
I've only seen him in a couple of matches, but RSL promoted Portillo adding another #6 to the mix https://www.rsl.com/post/2019/02/26...yEOIKUvNBhy3JtlXqVoNhQqCv93401UokWYX2-ovJmVTg
This bit seems a bit disingenuous - Yes, Chris Schuler was a monarch for a while, but since he was RSL before that I don't think RSL can really claim he was developed by the Monarchs. (Also interesting that only 3 of the 8 are still with the team.) ((Also interesting that the list 7 of the 8, and that Velazco was one of them ... makes you wonder about the missing list member.))
the schuler part made me laugh out loud at my desk. This rate of success if pathetic, even with Schuler's number listed, and it becomes that much worse when you scratch the surface. I'm really hopeful with the Monarchs shift of identity this year under Martin that things improve between the two clubs. You know, so I don't have to say that they're two clubs, for starters.
The one unambiguous Monarchs success story is Danny Acosta. He played a full season on loan with the Monarchs at age 18, improved a lot, and then contributed a lot to the first team at 19. So with one success story in 2016, the Monarchs then go the exact opposite direction and exclusively sign veteran players for 2 years, and then wonder why none of them really made an impact for the first team.
I liked the way Portillo pushed the game in the preseason minutes he played. I think him a good bench option for sure.
I struggle with Petke. His tactics seem to get worse over time, he makes player selections that are weird, he forgets he has subs... but the dude is so damn candid on camera that you can't help but like him in a way. Watch this.