This first road game is, in my opinion, the most winnable for RSL of their three road games through the rest of August. Toronto is a cellar dweller that is nearly already eliminated from playoff contention with 3 months left in the season. They have made drastic changes to the team and coaching staff yet remain near the bottom of the incredibly weak Eastern Conference. Confidence in the team making the playoffs is dwindling by the hour, it seems, and the focus has quickly (and understandably) shifted to their play in Champions League.
Yes, it's quite painful to see, but TFC is back in CCL this year. Playing in Canada has HUGE advantages in this regard. This does come to the advantage of RSL, though, for this particular game. Toronto has a road game in Panama City just 5 days following this match. That game is very pivotal in them finishing in the top half of their group. Getting road results is what typically separates teams in group play. So long as you get full points at home, one or two road points can see you through to the next round. Thus, TFC would likely want to get those road points out of the way right off the bat. If I was in their coaches position, I would highly consider resting my best guys this weekend in preparation for the big match ahead.
It is very unclear if this will actually happen, though. Mathematically, TFC is not eliminated from the playoffs. They are lucky to be in the East where a 3 game hot streak could easily put them right back in the playoff picture. I wouldn't be surprised to see Winter (TFC's head coach) save his best guys for next week, but it might be still too early in the season for him to get away with it and not get a lot of heat from his front office and fans. RSL should go in expecting their best XI to be out there and nothing less.
For RSL, the key to this match is rather simple: build off of the New York home performance. Against the Red Bulls, RSL showed signs of working as a unit again. In that two game losing skid RSL experienced one thing that was very noticeable was the amount of individualism being practiced as opposed to the team, as a unit, working together. This changed against New York as RSL pressured them and attacked them collectively. To get points at Toronto, they will need to continue this trend and even do better with it.
This means, and it's been stated by players and coaches constantly this season, that RSL has to focus on team defense first. A higher line, a team defensive effort starting with the forwards, and a high energy rate will be the first step to RSL playing well. If they execute this first key step, then the second is easy to achieve. With that high line RSL wins the ball higher into their attack, has more space to work with, and has more players into the attack. We saw it against New York and we should hopefully see it against TFC. Team pressure, team attack, and team win.
The best XI players for RSL, for me, would be as follows:
GK: Nick Rimando
- Big between the pipes. We didn't call on him against New York too much, that might be a bit different this match.
RB: Robbie Russell
- I have no problem with Tony Beltran playing, however the play of Russell against New York was key to our attack. His crosses are the best on the team, hands down.
CB: Chris Schuler
- He put the two bad games behind him and had a solid night against New York. Hopefully this continues against a decent TFC front line
CB: Nat Borchers
- Our most consistent player has to be just that, consistent.
LB: Chris Wingert
- The more he gets into the attack, the better we are playing.
RM: Andy Williams
- A full weeks rest was much needed for Andy. He should be ready to go and looking the skillful guy we know he is
CDM: Kyle Beckerman
- With him going the full 90 against Mexico on Wednesday he could be in need of a rest. Jean Alexandre would be my replacement. I hope Kyle has the ability to start, though, as he tends to be the glue that holds us together in the midfield.
LM: Will Johnson
- Johnson in Canada = playing well... or that's the hope. He hasn't had his best games recently, hopefully he takes a more composed role this game and plays solid for us on the left side.
CAM: Luis Gil
- The kid was tremendous against New York, I'd love to see it continue at Toronto. He'll have some better midfielders in their defending him, so the test will be tougher. I think he is up for the challenge
FW: Fabian Espindola
- When Espy plays as part of the team he can be one of our best assets. When he tries to do a bit too much himself, he can be the part of the machine that ruins it all. He is more the first than the second, but we tend to remember the second much more.
FW: Alvaro Saborio
- Against TFC Sabo should be able to do his trademark post-up game. Their center backs simply aren't as skillful or talented as the others we have played in recent games. I honestly think Sabo could have a huge game against these guys, they wont know how to handle his size and aerial attack.
Key Player for RSL: Luis Gil
- Dude, he's only 17! Gil will have a target on his back for this game. Not only from the TFC midfield and defense, but from the watchful eyes of RSL supporters. His game against New York was superb and people want him to be the next big thing; that's a lot of pressure. How he will handle it is to be seen. If this season has been any indicator, though, he'll take it in stride and continue his hard work.
Prediction: RSL 2 - TFC 0
- Goals from Sabo and Espy
It's a roller coaster watching this team and trying to predict what will happen. The last game always weighs far too heavily in my predictions, but it is what it is. I think this team is very capable of getting the full three points in Toronto - something we have never done. If the past 6 games are any indicator of how the game will go for RSL then whoever scores first will win. In each of the past 6 RSL matches, the first team to score wins and shuts out the opponent.
FORZA REAL
Cheers,
15 to 32
No comments:
Post a Comment