I've heard Pablo talking about how to adjust to teams trying to take advantage of what RSL does while trying to integrate new players. Whatever it is, it's not right yet.
It’s very likely a prisoner of the moment type thing, but it feels like anything less than 6 points the remainder of this week is season ending. Sure they still might finish in a playoff spot - it would be a spectacular finish to not - but the play on display right now feels so incredibly one dimensional and porous on defense
How much of that is square peg, round hole? They have brought in several new players, but is it best to keep the same formation and tactics? As has been mentioned, there's been lots of time without many games with lots of new starters. Surely there's a way to figure out the best way to take advantage of the best players strengths?
Think there needs to be more asked of the club not scheduling friendlies. Allowing Mardzuk to go on international duty days after he got here was ridiculous too. Especially since it was youth team not full national
Yeah I was shocked to hear he played for the U21 team over the break. The dude needs time with the team.
The team hasn’t been the same since Chicho’s head injury. That’s when their form dropped off and we realized how much RSL relies on Chicho. He also hasn’t been the same since the injury and I’ve wondered if he’s dealing with any post-concussion symptoms.
Because it all happened around the same time, I have similarly wondered about the suspension - who it involved, what in entailed, and if that has impacted the team.
I told my wife during the game that Brody looks like the guy that comes out and tries to get you to replace your air filter when you get your oil changed.
There is something wrong with this team. They started so well and seemed to have incredible chemistry but that has all disappeared quite dramatically. It all seemed to be coming apart before Gomez left as well. The Chicho injury and then the suspension can't have helped any of what we see on the field. If he was suspended for actions inside the team that could be a big reason for how the chemistry has gone away. I don't think that anyone is really free of blame either. Pablo and the coaching crew have to share some blame. They have had plenty of time to get new players acclimated to at least play better than they have shown so far. This team has really regressed impressively. I'm fine with Beavers starting but he's not an improvement over MacMath at the moment. He is younger so there is that. I guess. For as big and long as he is he sure has a hard time getting down to either his left or his right and he gets beat near post like nobody's business. His distribution is sorely lacking and needs a ton of improvement but he is only 20 or something. I like what Brook brings and Marczuk looks pretty good too. I was surprised that Brown didn't do better and that RSL looked a bit better with Hidalgo in there as the sub. Diogo has not found any sense of place on this team to date but I don't really blame him, yet. Chicho is a shell of who he was to start the season but with injuries, suspension, etc, who would be still on top of their game? Some of this has to be coaching. The RSL of the first 20 games of the season was a dynamic and unselfish team that played for each other, at least that's what it looked like. Now you have players pressing all over the place. Especially up top. Unforced errors all over the place. There were moments of hope early in both halves but not enough to suggest that they had any chance of winning this game. I know this is heresy but I think that the Justen Glad experiment may need to be over. The Kreis stuff about putting it on the players may backfire, as suggested somewhere earlier, but I couldn't help but think that he might be on the list of players that need to step up a bit more. They could figure this all out, thought they would in Houston, and get back to being a team better than the sum of their parts, but time is really running out. I think the players have a lot to do with whether they do or not but ultimately if your claim to fame is being the "Player Motivational Guru", then a lot of this is on Pablo and crew. All I have to say is get if figured out.
I know Houston kind of has their number, but Houston was only 4-3-6 at home before this game. The fact they lost 4-1 to that team, is pretty telling. This RSL team has multiple issues. There's about 30 days left in the regular season. 4 of last 6 are at home, which should help, but they aren't guaranteed a home playoff spot the way they are playing (haven't looked at the standings, trying to watch Hell is Real and El Traffico first).
Post game thoughts: 1. Pablo didn’t get to the press conference until like a half hour after the post game show started. I imagine he lit the fellas up 2. There is a weird trend lately that only Pablo does post game after a loss. Doesn’t speak to what Kreis said. I had expected chicho, as captain, to be out there. 3. Local media sucks major ass in covering this team away from home. The post game was Trey and the radio guy, Alex, asking questions. That’s pathetic
Point 3, there are very few teams where this is not the case. Local media, and MLS coverage in general, is woeful. Hard to pin that on just RSL.