Wow, the CR gave SJ zero time. 6 minutes, but didn't add any for the goal scoring or the substitution.
The Salvarino Special. SJ looked like a totally beatable team of we just applied ourselves a smidgen. Settle for a draw I guess.
I was hoping for a win. RSL should be the better team. In the end, a draw on the road isn't bad. I just hope the organization sees more than just a road point. This team needs reinforcements, and not just ones coming back from injury.
I'd add Rubio being positive, both on his shot and on the play in stoppage where he tracked way back and stole the ball from Gregus to set up the last offensive chance.
Gotta say, I’m over the Córdova experiment. Rubin was at least active. Oh! Meram just threw him under the bus without naming him.
Change the formation/tactics and get this guy in the middle of the field for 60+. Not much else is working lately.
They asked him what went wrong and he immediately and emphatically said “Gotta finish our chances!” Nothing about the cheap giveaways. Herrara and MacMath should get assists for this game. Just want to end on a positive for tonight. What a lovely goal between Brody and Loeffelsend!
This one kind of feels like a loss. How do you miss something that should be so easy? It's like Cordova thought to put it to his right foot, then mid thought went nah I'll shoot left. It looks so insanely awkward like there was no commitment to hitting it
Id be curious to hear the tone of folks if cordova: 1. does make contact but Nathan still saves if (he had recovered insanely fast) 2. Hits the ball even worse and it beats Nathan to the far post 3. Scores but VAR says he was off (this was never discussed anywhere I saw and I thought it looked tight) not making excuse for cordova. He was poor in a lot of the game (as was most of rsl). Just found it curious how much vitriol he gets compared to a guy like macmath who got a hockey assist on the second sj goal
I’ve defended Còrdova too. It just seems that for the salary and international spot, I think we could and should do better. We have him on loan this year, right? Then we’d have to buy him out which might make him a DP? It’s in that context that I’m disparaging.
I’ve seen enough similar situations in other leagues/sports to be confident that the ownership is dictating this. The kid was shipped to AAA to get playing time and development in hopes that he can contribute for the Bundesliga club. The only thing that could keep him from being the regular starter for the remainder of this season is injury. Like Pippin gazing at the Eye in the Palantir, I see Cordova probably starting for RSL again next season. The options for Augsburg are to continue this loan, loan him to someone else, trade/sell him, try him again at Augsburg, or release him.
I still have patience with Cordova, he's trying super hard, he has all of the physical tools, he just seems to be over-thinking and zigging when he should zag - I really like the speed presence and pressure he applies much of the time. He wasn't responsible for giving up two gorf goals, for slipping all over mis-trapping and not being able to possess in midfield and the back. It was a bit of a weird game. I admire the fighting no-********ing-quit-in-them spirit that provided a draw.
So that was a game. I still think that a real problem with this team is still smack dab in the middle. By the end of the first half RSL had a whopping 27% possession against a team almost as bad as SKC. As bad and sloppy as RSL played how much of that could be put down to tactics or the lack of a change in tactics? Luna came in and totally changed the game IN THE MID FIELD practically all by himself. I thought that this game was screaming for a 3 5 2 or something. Definitely not BESLER. WTF? Was the guy even in the game? I am still on the Cordova bandwagon but the guy needs to sit a minute and come in as an early sub for a game or two. Take the pressure off and change up the dynamic for him a bit. I can see how people have lost faith in him but I have no faith in Rubin so it is what it is. I would suggest that this game might be a bit more on Pablo but perhaps the team would have sucked regardless. Maybe found a couple other ways to gift SJ some goals. Also, this isn't an MLS Cup winning roster by any stretch of the imagination. It's barely a playoff team if they can't figure out how to not give away goals. The rah rah has worn off a bit because to overcome a talent and tactic gap takes a lot of energy that can't be sustained all season. I'm pretty sure they can round up some more rah rah as they get closer to the end of the season and end up just over the playoff line but it won't be easy. That's for damn sure. Especially if this transfer window closes without some type of motivating transfer. Some 5'5" Argentine midfielder just ain't gonna do it.
A real trend with RSL this year is disappointing results in games for which we start - I hate saying this, but I'm going to say it anyway - below average MLS starting talent, in key central roles. It's not just Besler, he's a good soldier, he's done solid things, but he doesn't have a next gear, and that's what wins games.
I honestly don't mind if Pablo goes into a game like this and says: "you guys can have the ball, we'll hit you on the counter". I think the modernization of the game has made a simple percentage breakdown of possession meaningless. I think Pablo leans on Ruiz so much (he leads the team consistently on possession stats) that he went with a gameplan of sit in and counter. When it came to execution - what stood out to me in the first half was that SJ had loads of possession but really didn't do anything dangerous with it. In a weird twist, it felt like the games of bash brother's vs diamond days of SJ v RSL. Not in a literal translation of them having pretty soccer and us relying on an aerial threat (if only we actually had one....). This played out in the RSL goal almost perfectly. It should have been played out with Cordova taking the lead. Once SJ went ahead in the second half, though, Pablo knew he couldn't keep the same setup. There wasn't enough time left in the game. The change was to then bring in Luna to get on the ball centrally - a space pretty much vacated by RSL for much of the game previously - and then utilize the pace of Julio to stretch. Long story short, I wouldn't blame Pablo for this result. I wouldn't blame him for the gameplan, given he lost his "talisman" in the middle. I think the draw was possibly flattering in the flow of play, but I also think it was fair in the actual chances created. Hell, if not for MacMath deciding to kick the ball right to the best player on the field for SJ in their attacking third, this game had the ability to be a win for RSL.
This is a different point than this individual game. I know you're saying that, but really want to emphasize that the way RSL played in this game vs the way this roster is constructed are two different conversations. One certainly dictates the other, and it feels weird to talk roster build in game threads... but what else are we gonna do?
Also, we’ve had poor results when Glad didn’t play. There’s really a mix of contributing factors, isn’t there? Poor finishing, midfield depth, reliance on Glad in the back, Pablo’s strategy vs roster construction…
It's both. Gameplan mirrors personnel. The drop off from our starting two central mids is notable. See this game, or Colorado after subs.