Now that's the way you close out a game. We haven't done this since the early days of Findley/Yura - take a 1-0 lead late, then break upfield and get a second in stoppage.
Like it. Savariono could have taken a shot and make it, but he opted to pass to silva for the higher percentage goal conversion. More of this please
Savarino tracked up and back all game long. He played a massive game. Six Homegrowns on the field tonight for us, and five for Dallas. That's impressive.
His best game, by far, this season. He probably saved 2 goals defensively and was hard for FCD to handle offensively.
Six points in four days against the top two teams in the West? Yes, please. The friendly against Frankfurt is terrible timing for a tired team. We play Minnesota and Colorado next, and that's where our attention should be so we don't slip up against teams we should beat.
Did not expect the full 3 points tonight but credit where credit is due. More impressed with this game than the KC one, felt very professional. Sure Dallas was gassed and started with reserves but even once the changes were made and they controlled the game I think the team had the right attitude to weather the storm until Sunny was subbed in.
Dallas brought out the big guns for the second half and nearly made it work. We could not get any control of the ball for the longest time for 20 to 30 minutes. But, Sunny comes in and the exhaustion of the Dallas players combine such that the game turned on its head. Then, smart selfless play leads to the clinching goal. This was a game of survival against a team with serious capabilities to score. Savarino was magnificent. Saves off the line, running all over the entire field, selfless pass to earn the clinch with an assist. I don't discount the contributions of Silva. Even without scoring the goal he was creating problems that Dallas had to respect. Baird was off his game and not threatening FCD much. I'd say it was Petke's best managed game, also. All the subs made big contributions. Not only Sunny and Silva, but also Herrera who made the initial pass that released Savarino.
I thought it was funny that we played Herrera at LW while Brooks was playing RB. They were sort of playing each other's position. Kinda reinforces that Petke really does see Brooks as a RB. He very easily could have had them swap spots.
I thought this was the best game played by RSL all season. They looked confident and composed for much of the game and kept FCD from having any real chances for much of the game. Great play by Sava and finally some unselfish play to put the game away. Credit FCD for trying to make it a game for about 15 minutes in the second half but RSL was able keep them from flipping the game in their favor. Nicely done.
Nice to see Savarino square a ball instead of taking the 15 degree shot - hopefully it'll rub off on Silva. Sunny definitely did help salvage the second half - KB, Rusnak and others were dead on their feet. But you know who else stayed semi-fresh? These young outside backs. They're not perfect or mistake free but they're fast and athletic and creating in the attack. The season's gotten better the more Sunny, Baird and Acosta have played, and once Silva came back at CB...and Lennon's gotten better in the meantime. Kinda shows where the weak links were.
First off, I will not be in the habit of creating threads. 2nd, Savarino killed it tonight. Assist. Saves. Defensive effort and keeping his head up going forward. The whole package. 3rd, Plata is probably on his way out if he didn't see any playing time. 4th, I thought for sure we were going to lose when KB/Kreilach both started. 5th, Sunny for Bofo changed the game in our favor in the 2nd half. 6th, from my angle at the stadium, it looked like Bofo completely dove. Many of us in 26 agreed. Coming home and watching the replay... clear penalty. Reffing is hard. 7th, Luis Silva did really well this game AND last game. I think his performance has more to do with how everyone else interacts with him. He's a great option off the bench. I'm fine keeping him as an off-the-bench player, especially when we need to CLOSE a game. If we're behind? Meh. 8th, I know we may have Ortuño and Movsisyan still on the payroll, but we gotta do something about our striker situation this transfer window. (or not.... if we can't make it work under the cap?) 9th, Baird wasn't much help this game other than wearing down FCD's defense. 10th, Lennon is fast, but apparently not as fast as Rusnak thought with a number of cross-field-switches upfield to him. 11th, Our defense still isn't great, but it is WAY better with M. Silva and Glad both being healthy and getting comfortable with each other. 12th, I've gotta give it up, Uinta's RS Ale is pretty damn good. 13th, Everyone must have been burnt out by the game on the 4th. This game was poorly attended, yet probably the most satisfying game I've seen. 14th, The game I saw in person before this one was the San Jose game. That was one of the WORST home games I've seen since Rice Eccles and Ellinger days. What a juxtaposition! 15th, Done.