USOC Game 1 - RSL v LAFC. Tue, June 11, 8pm MT

Game 1 of... probably 1.
Do we care? Does LAFC care? This seems the easiest of paths to a cup and yet every year the same excuses are trotted out. But the league! Won't anyone think of the league!

With the U23s training in Herriman, do we have access to the 4 players in camp with them? If not, things get pretty interesting lineup wise.

Rusnak Baird and Savarino are out. Anyone else? Assuming we don't have access to the U23 players, I'm not sure how to make a starting XI, let alone gameday 18, for this one. Should be a sight.

 

this is.... par for the course in so many ways

 

1. I took my son (3 years old) to this game because the kid eats hot dogs like they're the most important part of a balanced diet. He had a blast. Never seen a kid so happy to eat a boiled stick of "meat"
2. The crowd for this one, at the anthem, was ridiculously small. It grew as the game wore on, but man nobody wants to come on time to games anymore. In fact, it has gotten worse and worse this year. Midweek doesn't help, sure, but wow.
3. Oh, and LAFC traveled some great fans for this one. Or at least got a bunch of LA transplants to go have some fun with them. I was jealous. They looked like they were having a really fun time. With my seats position in the stadium I can do a comparison of our SG's to the travelling one's pretty easily. It was funny to be able to hear clearly the fans almost 4 times as far away compared to the ones right next to me. But hey, we got big drums!
4. The game? I've gotta talk about the actual game? Man, ******** this game. I had mixed emotions about the starting lineup. There is zero schedule congestion right now so putting out starters was a logical decision. However, if this club isn't going to give the younger guys a chance at the Monarchs then this is their opportunity. Instead we've got KB and Nicky playing and... I don't really know.
5. If I didn't know any better, I'd have said that it was cool the lower division side got to host a game in the tournament. We were so outclassed in every area of the game. LA wasn't even trying that hard and just simply dominated us.
6. I'm really happy we shipped off Acosta to Siberia and brought in Donny Toia. With all that experience at getting ran past he doesn't have any real heart or desire to try and improve. This is the type of player we need, not a young guy trying to get better.
7. Has Brody improved since he joined the team? He seems to be the same player. What exactly happens at the Monarchs with him? I can't bring myself to attend a Monarchs game because I'd likely get kicked out for yelling at the team/club officials. But really, he's the same player we saw... what, 3 years ago? WTF is happening?
8. Marcelo Silva suuuuuuuucks. He didn't score an own goal but the dude suuuuuucks. Why did we keep him around again?
9. Holt is young and makes young decisions as a CB. I'm willing to give him some time, if only he could, you know, actually play for a developmental side or something.
10. KB should have got a red card in this game. I think the ref forgot that card was an option or something. And for all that is said about him being the "leader we need"... nah man. You either die the hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain. KB is a liability and it's only getting worse. And whatever "leadership" or "intensity" he used to bring, he's now doing the opposite. This team never looked like it cared and he should be the one leading that way, if all those justifications to keep him around are true.
11. Speaking of which, Rimando looked bad in this one. Vela's goal... it wasn't well hit, at all. Rimando literally jumped OVER the ball. Just wow. Then when Ramirez tried to chip him, what in the actual ******** is Nick doing? The second goal for LAFC (which good god was that bad from the center backs and center mids) he pulls a Tim Howard and jumps before Nguyen has even planted his foot to shoot. Then the third one... he makes a soft save and is punished for it.
12. It would be easier for me to talk about who played well in this one because of how few players that would be. I liked a lot of what I saw from Schmitt. Not a perfect game by any stretch of the imagination, but he had our best chance that, if not for a hell of a save, would have somehow leveled the game... and that's it. Johnson is proving to be a slightly more talented Robbie Findley with how awful his touch is. Kreilach was on the field? Baird had moments of great runs and then moments of Baird touches. It was just bad
13. One player I want to highlight is Everton. Since coming back from injury he has looked a half step slower and makes some really weird decisions on the ball. And off of it. How that scissor tackle that got him a yellow wasn't a red is beyond me. I guess we don't have VAR in the USOC? That was red all the way.
14. Overall, what a fitting way for this team to bow out of the USOC. I don't care if LAFC wins, we would have lost to any team last night. RSL never looked dangerous or, more alarmingly, like they gave a ********. It looked like we interrupted their vacations, honestly.
15. Oh, and the part of our coaching manual that says you cannot make a sub before the 60th minute and god forbid you use all 3 before the 80th - ******** that. I wanted a triple sub in this game from Juarez. That he not only didn't go more for it with subs, but then only brought on one kid and put in Onuhoa... I was lost for words.

 

being treated like shit by your hometown team and shipped off to Siberia will do that to you. I had really hoped he would find his way in Orlando, but that's a pretty massive ask of the kid.
His recent shift to the Honduras national team speaks to a kid trying to find someone who appreciates him

 

After the second goal I was seriously cheering for Vela to do something cool and embarrass our backline. He didn't care at that point and was fine just passing and relaxing.