RSL 2025 In-Season News Thread

LAFC helps out by beating SJ 4-2. I don't think they'll be so kind on Wednesday.

 

I love it when this thread gets mixed up with the game day thread.

 

As the person guilty of it like 90+% of the time I take joy in seeing others fall victim

 

Austin just won on essentially the last kick of the game at home against Seattle. At 44pts, they are pretty much a lock.

 

It's crazy that RSL is sitting just 3 points out of a playoff spot and yet it might as well be 20. They also look like a team that has kind of hit the wall and quit. It's like they aren't standing on their feet if you get my drift. lol

Four games left how many points can RSL really believe are possible?

The two home games for sure. Pablo says that they are must wins. I think he is correct. Just saying.

Austin at home. Austin has been playing really well but we could see a rotated side considering that they play in the US Open Cup against Nashville on the follow in Wednesday. They finish with St. Louis, LAFC, and then San Jose. They could stick it to RSL and then rotate at home against St. Louis but I would imagine we might see a side that could help RSL find 3 points.

Colorado at home. The Rocky Mountain Cup hangs in the balance of all it's glory as RSL needs to win by multiple goals if they want to win back the cup since they lost earlier in the year 1-0. This could be the entire season for the Claret and Cobalt. I'm sure that the Rapids would love to keep the cup so this should be quite the challenge for RSL to get points. The Rapids just lost to FCD and have Minnesota, RSL and then finish with LAFC. They probably need more than 3 points to keep a playoff spot so that could be tough even if they beat RSL.

Seattle away. They are fighting to stay above Austin, who beat them last week, and have Vancouver and Portland at home before hosting RSL. May be a trap game for them but if RSL drops points in the two home games this might be an LAFC repeat.

St. Louis away. If RSL wins their two home games, IF, then even with a loss in Seattle the playoff could come down to this game for RSL. They would be sitting on 41 points and depending on what FCD, Houston, Colorado, and San Jose do it could make for an exciting decision day.

Houston and Dallas seem to have the best odds of making the playoffs if you ask me.

Colorado might only pick up 3 points in the last 3 game with Minnesota and LAFC with RSL sandwiched between them. They could really drop all 3.

San Jose has San Diego and Vancouver away and finish at home to Austin. They have been dropping down the table all season and should flame out spectacularly for the Bruce.

It will be a smorgasbord of crappy MLS teams, Colorado, FCD, Houston, San Jose, and RSL, fighting for the last 2 spots with Portland working to not fall into that heaping mess of ineptitude.

Should be fun.

 

Anyone else catch the new episode of the RSL Show? They say they saw this season coming and are patting themselves on the back. That's not what I remember them saying at the beginning of the season.

 

They can say whatever they want right now. They very much ebb and flow with social media opinions of the club. That’s fine.

if they’re putting pressure on the club that’s fine too

 

I stumbled on the RSL Bros podcast. Great branding…

makes me appreciate @goobx1 and the actual research you guys do. These guys are supposedly at practice and games a ton and sound like they might be part of the coaching staff

 

They are some good guys. Marcos is at practice frequently. Christian may go but I haven’t seen him on the day/s that I have gone, and the other one, Allen?, has kids and I haven’t seen him at a practice or games. I think he is big in to reffing if memory serves as well as their dad. Marcos and Allen are brother and Christian is a cousin. Marcos and Christian are at the games in the press box every game.

Marcos was with the RSL Season Pass for a bit and then moved on to start their podcast.

I don’t listen much to other RSL podcasts. I probably should but I don’t want to have what they do bleed into what we do but perhaps I should listen more and steal the good stuff. lol.

I did steal/quote a couple great posts from here in our last episode. One from 15 and one from JLaw if memory serves. Also invited folks to come join us here.

A little bit of TMI but thanks for the mention.

 

Minnesota managed to tie Colorado. Sadly they didn’t win.

Houston lost to Nashville.

San Diego is somehow losing 1-0 to San Jose, AT HOME!!! Still a whole half to play.

Portland, at home, is up on Dallas 1-0, but still a whole half to play.

So, mixed results tonight.

 

Our win at San Diego is one of the weirdest results of the year

 

Bad result: SD couldn't score at home against SJ, crazy.

Slightly bad result: Julio scores late to get Dallas a point.

 

I don’t see how we make playoffs without 6+ points
This is shaping up just like that year we won at SKC late and somehow had amnesia about how terrible the rest of the season was before it

 

We’re in 11th place. One point from 9th and 3 from 8th. We have a game in hand over 2 of the 4 teams we are competing against for a playoff spot. The Colorado match coming up will be huge. A win will bring us even with them while maintaining a game in hand over them. SD goes to Houston. SJ goes to Vancouver. FCD hosts LAG. The unknown is how much Vancouver and SD will rest their starters as they will place no lower than 4th. I guess it depends on how much they want to fight for a home match against the other 3 top finishers they might face deeper into the playoffs. LA will probably fight hard to not finish in last place.

 

https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/phil...-fc-cincinnati-miss-out-more-from-matchday-37
Just when we think we'll get some insight from Doyle on this team, he just points out there's not much to be gained from watching them beat a B team. Still, like he said, we're not the CRapids.

 

I kinda want to go through all his weekend recap analyses through the year and see how much ink he spent on RSL. Half the spiel about us is about LAFC and Colorado. Granted, he spent even less an Austin.

 

I mean, can you really blame him?

 

I can see where his angles would need to be LA and other big markets related, but I don’t know why Colorado would be one of them.

 

Doyle is historically more likely to watch RSL and write about them. He has good insight about what teams are doing/trying to do. That's why it's been frustrating the last few years when we don't get his insight, especially when we're trying to make sense of what we're seeing on the field.

 

I’ll come up with something…

I watched a good deal of the Cincinnati v Orlando game on Sunday. I’m on record saying I wish we would have nabbed Noonan when he was available instead of Pablo.

HOWEVER… despite having several real great players, they were victim of the same slow, plodding build up that has become hallmark of RSL.

I think if you read Doyle’s assessment of Cincy’s “Achilles Heel” that much of it applies to RSL. Lack of quality shots, and allowing a good deal of quality shots. The big difference is they have MLS-elite talent all over the field, and they hold onto 1goal leads. But Doyle is critical of their lack of cohesion. Outside of the first half of last year, that definitely applies to us.

 

I think that this speaks to something I truly believe and that is the league is outgrowing coaches like Pablo. If Noonan has similar issues like you mention that only helps my point. I'm not suggesting that players can't be coaches just that the pipeline needs to be a bit longer. More time as an assistant and maybe some time coaching outside the US if that is even possible.

The league is growing, the game is growing, the style of play is evolving and I don't know if some of the coaches can keep up. I certainly don't think that Pablo has or is keeping up. Talent is definitely a factor for sure but that is not always the answer either. There is a reason that Jason Kreis is out of coaching. I think the game was past him. His more dictatorial style, assumed, didn't work with players coming in from outside MLS and maybe he just couldn't keep up with the league as it outgrew what worked for him in the past.

Lots of coaches from outside the US have come in and bombed spectacularly as well. MLS is a different league for many, many, reasons. Travel, style of play, lower talent levels, salary cap, and more, so I get that's not a blanket answer either. I do think that the league is at a point where you definitely need more broadly experienced coaching talent and coaches that may not be wed to a style of play or system.

For RSL I do think that there is some talent on the pitch but I don't know that Pablo is getting the most out of this roster. If not or Cabral carrying this club for 30 games it might have been curtains for Pablo. If not for Luna and Gozo it might have been curtains for Pablo.

I don't know what the answer is but I don't think Pablo knows either.

 

Well decision day wont be very exciting this season, at least in the East. All of the spots are decided except for jockeying for positions.

In the West it will probably go to the final day, at least for those coveted 8-9 spots. 1-7 in the West are pretty much set minus a big collapse from Austin and Portland tied to clubs like Colorado, San Jose, FCD, and RSL, winning out. Could happen but don't count on that being the case.

The last two playoff spots in the West have Colorado in 8th on 40 points and San Jose in 9th on 38. They both have 2 games left so 46 points possible for the Rapids and 44 points possible for San Jose.

RSL has a ceiling of 46 and FCD at 47 possible.

A win for RSL could really make it difficult for Colorado to stay in contention. They follow up RSL away to LAFC. Tall order.

San Jose has Vancouver away and Austin at home. Stout competition to end the year. Both of the those clubs could be looking to improve their position making it tougher for San Jose to get points. They could also be setting themselves up for the playoffs if they are content with the spots. I think the former more than the latter, at least for this weekend.

FCD is home to LAG, then away to LAG, and finishes away to Vancouver. If they get 6 points off the Galaxy that should do it for them.

I do think that the 2 clubs that get to 43+ points between the 4 make the playoffs.

Those last two spots should go down to the wire but without a victory on Saturday RSL's playoff hopes drop to the mathematical and expecting to get two road wins to end the season is a bit much. Especially if you couple an RSL loss with an FCD and San Jose victory on Saturday. That would leave RSL 5 points out with 2 games to go. That would be turn out the lights the party is over time. If only we had more moments? If only.

Houston is out there as well but they can only get to 42 points and that just isn't enough. Knock on wood.