Matchday 2: May 1, RSL vs Sporting KC

1. First and foremost. I'm not eating crow just yet, but I'm looking at this 2021 RSL Menu and that crow is starting to look mighty good. Kudos to Freddy and the team. I'm looking wrong, very wrong, based on these first two games.
2. Which, to give me credit, is just that. 2 games. 180 minutes. In those 180, there was plenty to be worried about. We were the lesser side in Minnesota for much, if not all of the game. In this one, we started really poorly and SKC put us down because of it.
3. I'm not quite sure what the defensive shape/response was to the goal, but I really hope the club has invested in that video review capabilities that KB wanted because the entire backline needs it. To start, Ruiz is ball watching as the ball moves to Pulido. He is their best player and who should be picked up first. That he is so open screams to a bad communication between Glad/Silva and Ruiz.
4. From there it is a 3v2 for SKC, but they aren't at a full sprint. RSL has Toia and Herrera recovering, with Ruiz as well. If the lanes are filled right by Glad and Silva, this is a non-chance. However, what happens next is the opposite. The ball finds Shelton, who takes a couple bad touches, but neither Silva or Toia really close the space enough. Glad doesn't close down on Busio - which I can understand a bit because Pulido is still running - but he doesn't really tighten the space much. When the ball leaves Shelton's feet, all 4 RSL players in that space (Silva, Toia, Glad, and Ruiz) watch the ball. It's a bad pass, too, it must be said. Shelton chopped it. Busio does a clever dummy which highlights that Herrera didn't continue his sprint recovery to pick up Pulido and that Glad didn't step to either player. Pulido cooly hits it to the far post. I'm not sure why Ochoa commits to his near post so soon, but I don't think it much matters. It looks bad because SKC had a 3v2, RSL got back to have the advantage at 3v4, but never really filled the lanes or pick up the most dangerous player (pulido) in the attack. Kudos to SKC for taking the play, but really bad defending from RSL, as well.
5. On the flip side, the Kreilach goal showed some really good soccer from RSL. It starts with an underrated ball from Glad into Ruiz. Glad has to fit that ball between 2 SKC defenders with another coming behind Ruiz. It would be understandable for Glad to make a lateral pass to Silva here but instead he pushes it forward and breaks the first SKC line. That's a really positive sign. Brody's reaction to start sprinting once Ruiz receives is awesome and shows good movement. We're lucky that SKC didn't somehow cut out the space. They have 4 guys in the space but nobody wants to cut it off. Credit to Ruiz, it's a very well hit pass. Similar to the pass from Glad, the first touch from Brody is underrated. He takes that ball in stride, with defenders closing, and puts his first touch into the right space to cross. It keeps the attack moving forward and doesn't make anyone have to adjust their runs. Speaking of runs, an interesting thing you'll see on the replay is the position/runs of the attacking players. Rubio and Rubin made essentially the same near post run. SKC bites on it and commit 3 defenders to those two. Kreilach smartly swings his run towards the middle/back of the goal about 10 yards out. This is what Kreilach was sold to us as and when he is at his best in attack. When he is the point guy making the first, or even second run, he isn't effective. He gets picked up pretty easily. Being the 3rd or 4th run into the box, though, he can slip into gaps and punish the ball-watching. Equally impressive on this cross are where Rusnak (top of the box) and Toia (top corner of the box) are. If this chance somehow gets saved or misses Kreilach, we had 2 guys unmarked ready to score.
6. I don't know how Julio missed his chance to start the second half. It's honestly more impressive to miss that, especially in the way he did, than to score. The run by Rubin on that chance is really basic but something we haven't had with the Kreilach as the point experience that it looks amazing.
7. Speaking of Kreilach, we saw another moment of what he was sold as highlighted in the second goal. He receives the ball about 50 yards from goal and turns and drives into the space, pushing the SKC defense back. I don't expect him to dribble players on a regular basis, but the skill he showed on the ball in that play was really impressive. Stuff you'd expect from an attacking mid. Stuff we don't see from Rusnak. SKC's defense looks really bad on the cross and goal as Rubin is somehow unmarked despite there only being 2 attackers (Rusnak and Rubin) to the 3 defenders. To compound it, the SKC defender tries to head the ball away despite it being way out of his reach, which gives Rubin that much more time. Rubin's first touch is a little heavy, but pretty good. The SKC keeper comes out really hard and I think actually makes the finish easier in doing so - at least on the near post - as he covers the middle at the expense of the posts. Credit to Rubin.
8. Brody makes a run in the 56th minute - its in the highlight package - that is top level stuff and could fundamentally change this team. He receives the ball just off the sideline about 30 yards from goal, and dribbles all the way to the opposing 18, in the middle. He honestly out-ran the rest of the team in doing it, which is insane to think about with where everyone was at. If we can get that out of him more, this team's dynamic can completely change.
9. I don't understand what the SKC defense (and GK) were doing on Rubin's goal but I'll take it. Yes, Rubio makes a really good run and shows good skill on the ball. But it's a 1v4 and he never actually got behind any of the back 4. He pulled the CB over, the RB was on skates, but he never gets behind them. The GK gets beat on his near post from 20 yards out on a low driven shot. It was one that, if we conceded, I'd be livid.
10. That said, Rubin showed some incredible confidence on the ball not only in that play but overall. He is growing on me even more than last week. He's nothing flashy in how he plays - this was the sum of his trick bag it looked like - but he works his ass off. That'll cover a lot of gaps
11. The injuries are really a concern from this game. I hope they are what they're being sold as - cautionary. Without Everton, Herrera, and Julio this team will be exasperated. Brody came on and had a hell of a game, no doubt, but expecting that from him will be setting us up for disappointment. Without Julio, we just don't have speed and Meram - for all he does as a depth option - should not be starting anymore in MLS.
12. The spine of this team is what is surprising me the most and giving me the most reason to be optimistic. Ruiz, especially, has continued his form from last year. In some ways, he looks even better. The diagonal balls that he plays to switch play, while keeping pace, are massive.
13. I was underwhelmed by SKC. Similar to Minnesota, they were billed as a playoff team and one of the players in the west. They didn't look like it. It's early in the season, I get that, but they were slow in a lot of phases and sloppy.
14. This next game is a big big one for Freddy. Keeping a consistent run of form was completely absent last year. It didn't matter the quality of the opponent. The tactics of San Jose will expose a lot for RSL - they have for every team that SJ plays - but I think they actually could give RSL some unnecessary advantages. I do fear that, with a man marking system, that a player like Ruiz or Luiz (if he plays) will get frustrated and pick up cards.
15. All in all, this is 6 more points than I thought RSL would have at this point. This game was much easier on the eyes than the Minnesota game, too, so that's a plus. I'll be in attendance for the SJ game. My first time at the RioT since the NYRB game last year. I'm excited.

 

thats how good the run was from Rubio...
Yeah, that should be Julio.