P/I/P Match 23: Revs @ ORL, Sat 8/6/22 7:30p [R]

Wilf didn't whiff this time.

 

I think it was more than luck - I think we controlled the game (after a rough first 15-20 minutes or so) and made them work harder than us. Our spacing and short-passing was cleaner and crisper than it's been all season and we forced them to do more chasing and have to work harder to get the ball back.

 

Pato missed 2 great chances from the top of the 18. 1 missed the next barely and the other hit the post. Petro is great, but im not sure he saves either of them.

Meanwhile on the wilf goal 2 Orlando players collided to allow the ball to squeeze through, their back 6 were visibly arguing with each other about what they needed to do. Im not sure these are things that are repeatable against opponents that arent actively beating themselves. We need attacking players in attacking positions on the field to reliably score goals

 

I don't think anyone thinks we are going to see a sustainable winning streak, let alone any shot at MLS Cup, if we don't get the tip of the spear on the field. The longer Borrero, Bou and Vrioni are out, we are toothless. They are highly unlikely to put many more three spots on the scoreboard if they have to rely on the likes of Polster, Kaptoum and Kessler to supply the finishing touches.

It was a nice night. That's all.

 

I am sad that I cannot keep my delusions of grandeur alive.

 

Of course we're not going to be getting 3 goals from typical non-scorers every game, but it's also notable that each of those players had been scoring below potential - you'd expect Kessler to get a couple of goals a season if he's coming up on corners/free kicks; Polster and Kaptoum should score the occasional goal.

But, for them all to score in the same game, that was pretty shocking ... or, possibly the whole team was aware of the fact that they were going to need goals from other sources, so they were looking for their offense more than they usually would - in Polster and Kaptoum's case, I'd think that was very likely.

It often becomes too easy for a team to rely on its scorers to do the scoring, when they can be a much more dangerous team when everyone is looking for that opening. I think Polster's goal was a direct result on Orlando being overly fixated on Gil (naturally) and Rennicks (the lone forward).