First Half:
As the crowds were still finding their seats, the game got under way with a storm from the south west moving in. As the storm crept in, the play continued to rise and rise. RSL was looking to posses and LA was looking to play a high line both defensively and offensively. I have never seen a team have their forwards so far forward from the opening kick. It made the game tight and required every player to know what he was going to do with the ball and be very technically sound. RSL was, with no surprise really, the better team when it came to this. LA was contempt with a few passes and then looking to find their forwards on a through ball. On the other hand, RSL was playing their wonderful and attractive possession soccer. The holes that usually come, however, were not present as the LA defense was very well organized. I have to tip my hat to them, they were always in the hole that RSL was looking to exploit it seemed.
After 12 minutes, however, that storm finally made its way over the RioT. With lightning striking just a few miles away, the game was rightly paused and the players sent to their dressing rooms. As the half hour or so break went on, the stadium filled (at least outside of the seats). Once play resumed, the nearly sold out (or possibly all the way sold out given some seats weren't available) crowd gave the team a rather awesome ovation. In what had to be the most watched RSL warm up, the crowd was fueling the fire of the match. It was awesome. I think it might be a good idea to delay the games a half hour every time so more people are there for the opening kick. The atmosphere was electric.
As the first half resumed, play quickly got back to where it was. RSL controlling, LA looking to defend well and counter. For about 10-15 minutes LA weathered one of the best RSL storms I have seen this year. Passes were crisp, movement off the ball was superb, and players were smart with the ball. However, LA was right there every time. Even if it was a last ditch tackle or save, they seem to be able to parry it away or concede a corner. This was the one frustrating part of the first half for RSL. They had numerous corner kicks, some came in back to back succession, but we simply couldn’t find the net. The ball would land inside the 6, but still LA was there to push it away. As the first half ended, I had to think that was possibly the best scoreless half of soccer I have seen in quite some time. For those people that complain that a 0-0 game is boring, show them this game. Great defense and great offense were on a collision course with the D doing just enough. It was a beauty to watch as a simple fan of the game.
Second Half:
Sadly, the second half showed that these teams were on short rest. Outside of a quick burst in the opening couple of minutes, the play was sluggish. You could tell RSL was on their 4th game in 2 weeks and that LA was have a rough time with the altitude. Because of this, sadly, we saw a huge drop in play from about the 50th minute to the 70th. For 20 minutes, play seemed stagnant and really was quite boring considering all the hype of the game. However, come the 70th minute (with a few subs bringing on fresh legs) the play changed. RSL, once again, was heavily on the attack. LA, once again, was also playing tremendous defense. Nothing seemed to work offensively in terms of goals for RSL. They were throwing numbers, whipping in early crosses, having a couple outside looks, but no results. Donovan Ricketts, in fact, was hardly tested there for awhile. Then came the moment of the night, the controversy of the night, and possibly the biggest goal in the MLS so far this season. Javier Morales had turned it on, he played in a ball to Campos and RSL was pushing numbers forward once again. Pablo settles outside the box, looks around for options, decides not to slot Javi in on his left and instead cut back to his right. In the process, he takes a heavy touch. Javi and Sabo continue their runs into the box, now well offside’s. Campos touch leads him into the LA midfielder Stephens. As the two go in for the tackle, Stephens wins. However, I think he and all of LA wish he wouldn’t have right now. His tackle sends the ball directly to Javi's feet, alone in the box just 12 yards away from goal, the far post screaming for the ball. Javi, without hesitation or second guessing, fires the ball into the far post. A beautifully struck ball that no keeper in the world had a chance of getting. The crowd erupts, the LA players are furious "he had to be off!!!” However, thanks to the wonderful video replay, we can see that he was not. Sure, he was well behind the second defender, but the ball was NOT (I repeat was NOT) played to him by an RSL player. The AR on the west side got the call right, kept his flag down, and signaled for the goal to count.
I think I could write a whole post or two about that single play, about how it shows improvement in officiating, how RSL has been burned on that play two or three times already this year as other AR's dont understand the rule. But, last night, the guy got it right. From there, it was the all too familiar hope to end this game performance from RSL. However, unlike previous versions of this team, RSL last night took those last 10-15 minutes and still was the better side. LA had to push, and thus the backdoor was open. RSL was doing all it could, while also not exposing itself, to exploit this. The center signals for 3 minutes of stoppage, a fair amount given the subs and goal. However, come 4 minutes over he still hasn’t blown the whistle... then, just as the crowd was forming a group to go after him, he blows the whistle. Glorious, memories of Seattle came running through my head, I couldn’t have been more ecstatic and neither could the 19500 people there. It was a beautiful night of soccer, even if it wasn’t the most impressive game.
Player Ratings: (1-10 with 10 being amazing)
Rimando: 8
He came up big when he had to. His save in the closing minutes was simply brilliant. He had a few scary moments of what is now known as the "flying Rimandos" but he kept the clean sheet. Great game from the midget between the pipes.
Beltran: 8
I didn’t quite understand him being the sub. In my opinion, he had, up to that point, had a better game than Russell. That is in the past though, and obviously wasn’t something that hurt us. Beltron, as the SG's rightfully call him, is more than meets the eye. The dude is great, has a solid touch, and plays much bigger than he really is.
Olave: 8
Good night from the verb known as Olave (again, credit to the SG's). He had to be big in the back and limit the mistakes to practically 0. He did just that. Jamison has been a rock for us in the back so far this year.
Nat: 9
The captain stepped up big. Taking an elbow to the face late, he just kept playing. Borchers has slowly grown on me, and now I truly appreciate his presence out there. Truthfully, he has been the most consistent part of this squad since his arrival. A great find by our coaching staff and front office.
Russell: 7
He had the worst night of the defenders, and truthfully, he had quite a good night. He is the veteran leader in the back that seems to always find a way to involve himself. My only complaint with him is his consistent decision to make a back pass. In fact, I have now given him the nickname Robbie "back pass" Russell. Still a good game, solid in the back.
Wingert: 8
Came on and showed that he hadn’t lost a step. Wingert is, in my opinion, the best of our outside back crew. The guy is composed defensively and will punish you offensively if given the space. Can’t wait to have him back in the starting XI regularly.
Grabavoy: 8
Brilliant game from Ned, proving that he can play the holding spot much better than a certain Alexandre. The dude is the older version of Johnson in that he never seems to stop running and will always lay it out for the team. One of the most underrated pieces of this team, Ned is a very valuable asset.
Johnson: 8
The 12 year old kid (he looks like it, admit it) played very good last night. I love his hustle and his willingness to work on both ends of the pitch. If you have a younger sibling or a son/daughter coming into the came, tell them to watch Will Johnson's effort. Not a single coach will tell you they dont like that.
Williams: 8
Andy is simply the man. I love Bomma and his cheeky play. He never seems to lose the ball, even if 3 guys try to take it from him. Someone needs to make sure he doesn’t put Velcro or glue on his shoes, its getting ridiculous out there. I wish he was a bit younger, but at the same time, his veteran leadership is very valuable and his experience in this league is very obvious on the pitch.
Warner: 7
Came on, did his job, and was very good on the offensive side of the ball. My only complaint with him is that he doesn’t have quite the skills on the defensive side of the ball as he should. I believe he played the attacking mid role at UP, and it shows in his lack of defensive awareness and fight. With that said, he is by no means awful. The kid works hard and is a great sub for us.
Sabo: 7
Sadly Sabo's run of getting an assist or goal ended in DC and continued against LA. He seems to get frustrated at times and be a little rushed. However, he, Espy, and Campos made the LA have to be composed. I love his work in tracking back for the ball and distributing again. The "deadly triangle" of he, Espy, and Javi is HUGE for this team.
Espy: 7
Speaking of Espy, he had a bit of an off night given his standards. He still did well to get into space, use the width, and beat players, but it still wasn’t that crazy Fabian we all love. I think he will benefit greatly from this break as he can get his body back to 100% and be ready to go against San Jose on the 25th.
Campos: 8
It is strange to me that he was the best forward of the night, but given how the game picked back up once he came on, its hard not to give him credit. The guy showed that it’s ok to be slow and big so long as you can do the work and keep the ball. He was a thorn for their defense as he and Sabo were both capable of winning balls in the air late on.
Morales: 10
I hesitate to give the 10 out. I reserve it for play that makes you just sit in awe. While it might be a little generous, Javi did the work last night to earn it nonetheless. Morales was everywhere, and he had to be for us to be successful last night. His goal was the product of both luck and pushing forward. He is a brilliant player that showed he was still mad about the MLS Cup from last year. Love the guy; he honestly could be MVP of this league.
Team: 8.5
It was going to take a superb game to knock of the Gals, and RSL delivered. Well played, JK made all the right adjustments, and the better team won. Well done RSL.
Cheers,
15 to 32
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