Midweek games are the worst. Well, the second worst. Mid day games are the absolute worst. The energy in the game was noticeably lower than it should have been and the sharpness of the players was less than ideal. I was intrigued by Martinez at the 9 with Kreilach underneath him and Plata/Lennon at the wings. It was a different look for us, as Plata and Lennon aren't the same type of player as Sava and Rusnak, at all. There were parts I liked and parts I didn't like. We didn't feel anywhere near as dangerous in and around the 18 for sure. I think it's a bit harsh to pass any judgement on Martinez in this game. He showed some good things, struggled with others, as should be expected. I thought he wasn't half bad in the air, so that criticism surprises me. He certainly put himself in some dangerous positions that deserved better service - especially the one from Plata in the second half. Though it was a massive change when he and Plata came off, thats for sure. Bofo was lucky in a lot of sequences, but showed the hunger that earned him a starting spot at the start of the season. Savarino is a straight game changer. Watching him on the ball is special - I think we're now past the time to move him before the season ends, but he should be the guy Waibel looks to cash out on in the winter. The first 20 minutes of this were rough, to say the least. KB and Everton had some really bad moments and I'm still not sure how Everton got out of a yellow on the tackle he made after his 60 yard sprint up the field. In CCL that kind of tackle can get you sent off. Our higher than normal line would have been punished by a pacier forward - though I doubt we play that high with a forward with more pace, so who knows. Still, SJ got in behind us with far too much ease, especially in the first half, for my liking. Though, somehow, this team hasn't been scored on in 3 straight games. Since the LAFC beating we haven't conceded, which is a weird thing to say because I haven't thought our defense has been overly amazing in that span. We've done just enough, though, and had some lucky bounces (which you certainly need and earn). San Jose was a shell of themselves in this game with their absences. Eriksson was a hack in the middle - I'm still in shock that he and KB didn't just start fighting. Those two were exchanging words ALL THE TIME. Especially after the goal. Kreilach scored and it was great, but how many headers has that guy missed this season? He can't be the number 9/aerial threat and miss as much as he has. This one he at least put on frame, but the GK was saving that with his eyes close as it was literally right at him. Lennon had a pretty good night and, like others have said, I think the Herrera pairing is why. I still wouldn't pick him to be a forward over Rusnak, Savarino, and probably even Bofo, but he did a really good job in what was asked of him. Nicky had a solid night coming off his line, didn't really have to do anything amazing in the goal itself. Major kudos to Freddy for not only making a sub before the 70th, but making a double sub that really changed the complexion of the game. That was what won the game, IMO, as it gave those guys more time to impact the game. Kreilach goes down too easy and he's starting to not get calls he deserves because of it. The one that caused the "ref you suck" chant was certainly a foul, but the ease at which he goes down is infuriating. The weekend game is massive. A draw gets a point that not many expect, while keeping Minn at bay. I'm not holding my breath that we'll get any points, but it feels like a momentum making game for both teams.
Portland game or not, we've given up a 2010-esque 8 goals in 14 games. That was the season we only surrendered 20 goals in 30 games; the pace over the last 14 is actually ahead of that. This is a jaw-dropping defensive run.
Oh for sure, our defense is good. FiveThirtyEight has our defense rated the highest in the league. Unfortunately they also have our offense rated one of the lowest in the league. Guys like Rusnak, Baird/Bofo/Plata, and even Johnson really need to step up their game if we're going to go far in the playoffs.
An interesting thing is those metrics is our 97% chance of making the playoffs, yet absolutely nothing on a first round bye. The only team with a probability listed of a first round bye in the West is LAFC - shocking.
A nice aspect to this defense is that it hasn’t been the same starters out there for every game. Since July 3 (and including the Tigres match) we’ve started 3 wide backs and Herrera has played both WB positions, 5 CBs and 5 Mids.
There is only one way to rate his performance in this game - extremely below average. He showed that he does not yet belong as an MLS starter. He was extremely awkward. He did show some flashes of speed which may be good going forward. Overall - poor touch, poor aerial game, and especially poor dribbling and passing. He lost the ball easily multiple times. The good news: He's a young player, playing in his first MLS start, so it's both not surprising and cannot be held against him as what his future in this league will look like. I wouldn't take this game as an indicator of what he'll be about in the future. My biggest concern is that this was a key match, and despite being short-handed due to int'l call-ups, him being in the starting lineup was a huge mistake and could have been costly. There were better options available (aka Saucedo and Savarino who changed the game once they came on). Fortunately, RSL did not concede points as a result, but to me this is a black eye on Freddy's resume.
Savarino played for Venezuela literally the day before, and by all rights should not have been in the 18 - but he insisted he wanted to play. He flew in from Tampa and dressed for the match. Saucedo is another question.
Saucedo does what he does. Has a couple good games, scores a couple good goals off the same shot, then defenders remember who he is and he disappears. Wash, rinse, repeat.
we must have watched a different game - your assessment of him is like he played with a blindfold on. Bofo doesn't play the 9, Sava was lucky to get the minute he did. Freddy managed the game well enough to win. At the end of the day, thats what matters.