It appeared to me - many in our section actually - that there was an intentional handball from a player on the ground that started the sequence that led to the PK, but in fairness it was hard to be certain at full speed. Did anyone catch that, especially on a replay? Unfortunately the highlight clip starts a bit after that.
Was at a concert in Deer Valley so couldn't attend or watch on tv. Followed on a score tracker. Was pretty excited at halftime. Was disappointed to read the final score. Well, I never expected to get a result tonight, so it’s not really one of those killer lost opportunity games. Colorado will be one of those gotta-get-3 games.
This game was crying for Sam Johnson from the start with the pressure that LAFC was putting on RSL. He definitely puts more pressure on a back line than Baird. Yes Baird got 2 goals against a crappy FUKC and a late on against Seattle but neither of those teams compare to this LAFC juggernaut. At the very least Johnson was subbed way too late. That was text book on how to give away an opportunity to win against a great team when you’re up a man. Everyone seems worried about the outside backs for next week. Why? We didn’t seem to need any for the last 10 minutes or so in this one. Maybe Freddy goes with the old 2-3-5 or something. Or what the heck 2-2-6. Should be interesting.
Really no other way to characterize this than a missed opportunity. I, and I assume many others, expected this final result. However, when LAFC went down a man it felt like RSL failed to pounce. That gave LAFC some life and like the quality club they are, they took advantage. It's important for RSL to take advantage the rest of the way through this season. They'll need every point they can get, especially with the sh!t playoff format that Zlatan is such a fan of.
I look forward to next season when RSL clears some roster space for players that will actually contribute to the team. More specifically, I'm looking forward to Jordan Allen, Tony Beltran, and Luke Mulholland to no longer be with the club so that RSL can use the roster spots and cap space for players who, you know, are available to play. As they say, an athlete's most important ability, is their AVAILability. And those three are complete drags on the roster because they lack that ability - and all three of them have essentially lacked that ability for 2 seasons (or more) seasons. Allen hasn't played since the start of 2017 (113 min since 2017). Beltran hasn't played since the end of the 2017 season. Mulholland hasn't played since two playoff appearances in 2018 and has just four appearances since 2017. RSL's has little depth for these big three-game weeks, and these three occupied roster spots of dead weight is a big reason why.
Don’t stop with those three. Nick will be gone. Sad face emoji with an it was time face emoji. I would add Kyle, Bofo, Baird,Toia, and possibly others. They also won’t be paying Yura and pool boy anymore, right? This season has been a throwaway from the start. Next season will hopefully have a fresh approach with new players and a new EXPERIENCED head coach.
Wait! Move back from the ledge! Breathe! RSL lost, but RSL lost to the best team in the league. A team who has a +40 GD (actually, +42 but I digress) and is leading the Western Division, the SS race and is expected to win the MLS Cup. It's not like RSL lost to Vancouver or Colorado. If you really want to jump off the ledge, wait until next week. If RSL loses at home to Colorado, then we can all jump together.
Point taken but I jumped a long time ago. They almost had me back last night though, ALMOST. LAFC is a great team and it was painfully obvious just how much better they are as individuals and as a group than RSL. They were slicing through and down the right side all during the first half and it was almost like they were toying with RSL. Still a bunch flopping bitches sadly, but I digress. After watching the first half at the game and thinking how lucky RSL was to not be down by 3 goals and if they play their cards right they might get a result if they can stay tough in the second half. Then LAFC got "Toledo'ed" and I thought, holy crap, this is RSL's game to win and 3 points to take. If they do that I'm back. I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt and just go hog wild with pollyanna fandom. But then Herrera. Red card, PK, and subs that would make Mike Petke scratch his head. LAFC is, without a doubt, the best team in MLS and maybe ever in MLS but that is NO EXCUSE for how RSL gave that game and a result away like they had never been in that situation before. Oh wait, I guess Freddy hasn't. For all of the love our young guys get lets be honest, they ain't that great. They're play in MLS on mediocre teams that everyone crosses their fingers will make the playoffs good. Take Baird for example. He couldn't get behind anyone last night and when he tried they had no problem staying with him. He did have a nice run that ended up with about 4 or 5 too many touches and shot Bofo'ed over the bar. Baird goes weeks and weeks without scoring, scores a couple against a very crappy FUKC team and then gets a stoppage time goal against Seattle and he's back? Wrong. That game last night was screaming for Sam Johnson. A player with real speed that could get behind that back line and at least make them think. With all the pressure LAFC was applying there was no outlet. With Sam there is always the possibility that a clear out from the back will find him. Baird, not so much. If they weren't going to start him he should have come in at half and definitely much earlier than he did. I think you could break down RSL fans right now into two different camps. The ones that see RSL as the team in the first half last night and those that see them as the team in the second. That's me. They had a chance to win me back for hope this season but they'll have to work a little harder.
I agree with goobx1. This loss was more frustrating than the 4-0 thumping from DC earlier. When LA went down a man, the game was ours to lose. And we lost it. We lack that killer instinct.
I really wanted RSL to show me they could score at home against LAFC last night. There were definitely things to be frustrated with, but I am willing to believe they’re a decent team dealing with schedule congestion and rotations. I will be noting, though, how LAFC deals with their 3-game week to compare. So far, so good for them.
As a side note.... RSL would have tied the MLS record for consecutive home games without being shut out of they would have scored. I read that on one of the social media stories. Bummer
I thought Baird was getting behind LAFC plenty. But rarely saw service. I noticed this especially after the red to Zimmerman. It was like Blessing knew service wouldn't be coming to Baird. And then when we finally went with Sam, the service was infrequent as well. Sam really should have been subbed on immediately following that red. I get that it was early on in the half, but we needed that speed to really attack LAFC and get them off their front foot. We never did. And eventually we got worked. Side note and unrelated. On Herrera's red for DOGSO, he couldn't make a play on the ball because Vela wasn't making a play on the ball. The ball went right and Vela went left into Herrera who was trying to go right to get to the ball. But Vela knew he was between the ball and Herrera and played for the penalty. Herrera couldn't play the ball because the contact Vela initiated kept AH from getting to it.
I had to dvr the game and am watching it now. After Zimmerman was red carded LAFC had nothing offensively until that quick counter, off the midfield give away, which resulted in the PK.
Dunny agrees with you. He felt Herrera made an honest attempt to play the ball and should have seen yellow rather than red. Had that happened we would have still been a man up.
Totally agree on Vela not playing the ball and instead playing Herrera. He dove right into him. Pretty veteran move if you ask me.
Also agree on Vela playing Herrera but you're playing with fire anytime you put your hand on the shoulder of an attacking player inside the 18. Herrera got burned.
Just gonna pop in for a second, went to the game last night, the only word that comes to mind is opportunity. I'm not going to sit and pretend like I had any hope that RSL would win, but what frustrates is failure to grasp opportunity. The first half was what I expected, mostly LA, but RSL held their own. When LA got the red card I wanted to see one thing and only one thing, RSL seizing opportunity. From the moment a team loses a defender on a red card you need to do EVERYTHING in your power to keep the ball and move it as quickly forward as possible, put that team under immediate pressure ewhile they lack structure and organization. RSL failed so badly in the minutes after the red card to do anything that resembled organized soccer I told my friend we would give a red back to them and make this an even game, ultimately losing. The strategy by RSL and the coaches following the red can only be described as abject ineptitude. Juarez should have made one singular move within minutes of the red card, bring on Sam Johnson, move Kreilach into the midfield, and take off Beckerman who was on a yellow. After Everyone got his yellow he should have been immediately pulled for Saucedo. We desperately needed Johnson's attitude and aggressiveness for 30 minutes. RSL also needed to switch gears completely, instead of lobbing balls up the wing for Lennon, Savarino, and Baird to love up onto and cross in we needed absolute possession in the midfield with through runs up the gut by Baird, Johnson, Savarino, and Rusnak. Both Plata and Saucedo should have come on 10 minutes earlier. After RSL went up a man they fell into the classic "LA looks like they're the ones up a man" problem, RSL had absolutely zero idea how to play with the strategy. It sucked watching in person, I need without a shred of doubt that we'd get a red card and eventually LA would win.
Props to Freddy in his postgame comments by acknowledging his management when the team went up a man wasn't the best.
Baird even commented on that. He said something like it was refreshing to have a coach with such transparency in the post game to put the onus on him. I don't know if that was an intentional dig at Petke, but I thought it was interesting nonetheless.
Well, although RSL lost this weekend, many other results went RSL's way and we are still sitting in 4th place in the West above the home-game playoff line. Dallas tied Montreal, 3-3, Portland got shutout at home to Atlanta, 0-2, San Jose lost to SKC, Colorado and Houston tied 2-2, LAG and Seattle tied 2-2 and Minnesota didn't play. So there's Snow White (LAFC) followed by the seven dwarfs (Minnesota, LAG, RSL, Seattle, San Jose, Portland and Dallas). As of right now, looking into my crystal ball, I would say that Dallas is toast and RSL makes the playoffs.