Post RSL @ Kansas City

One word can sum up the night that RSL experienced in Kansas City.... "wow".
For the first time in a LONG time, RSL stole points. Yes, you are reading that correctly, RSL stole points from an opponent. The bad play wasn't punished as it always seems to be, unbelievable to say the least. Lets take a look back at what could be, potentially, the biggest road win for RSL since they beat San Jose last year.

The first 45:
As I sat down on the couch to watch this game, I got a very uneasy feeling. For starters, my boys from Milan just got utterly raped by their cross town rivals Inter earlier in the day. I wasn't exactly thrilled or up-beat. Then, just to make things a bit more uneasy, the starting lineup for JK comes out. Up top, we got Cox, Campos, and Mathis. I didn't quite understand what the hell Jason's thoughts were here. A small pitch needs possession, why not put in Fabian Espindola? He says they needed rest, and I partly get that, but at the same time these are professional athletes that get paid to run around. I think they should be able to handle a game, especially on the postage stamp that is KC ballpark. Next, the midfield, the area I was pleased with. Beckerman, Andy, and Ned. A solid possession oriented group that was going to be the decision maker for this game. Finally, the back line: Wingert, Olave, Borchers, and Russell. No Beltran? The guy has been one of the most consistent guys for us since his rough start, but it wasn't such a drop-off to have Russell in their, was it? I guess we could find out one way...

As the game began, I remembered just how small this stupid pitch in KC is. RES all of the sudden looked huge, that's just wrong and embarrassing to the league. It became obvious that this game was going to require short passes and a lot of movement off the ball if any goals were going to come. That is exactly how RSL got the lone goal of the game. Andy continued his good form and created a chance with Russell and Wingert down the wing. A cheeky ball from Andy found a wide open Campos on the pk mark, and not even an RSL player could miss that one. Into the side netting and I was ecstatic. I jumped off the couch, pumped the fists, yelled a bit, and then sat down realizing this game was far from over.

The rest of the half was not pretty in the least. RSL was on their heels for a good majority, but only one or two chances were seriously threatening. Seitz was playing quite well, his positioning was superb, and it seemed as though he had everything they threw at him covered. Oh the luxuries of having a keeper over 5 foot (no offense Rimando). Then came a very bizarre play, even by MLS standards. Grabavoy goes into a hard tackle with Gomez. The ball pops loose to a KC player and the ref calls play on. While I may not be an expert at reffing, I believe that if you are going to send someone off for a tackle, it should be done immediately. Apparently, this isn't the case. KC attacked, the ball went out, then you see the ref jogging back to where Gomez was lying. Next thing you know, a bunch of RSL players are around the ref with their arms up and saying "duck" a lot. At first, I thought he was going back to give a yellow for the tackle, it was worthy of that. but that wasn't the case. Grabavoy is walking off the pitch and nobody really gets whats going on. Replay shows that Grabavoy was a bit late, but a red was VERY harsh, even to Brian Dunseth (and that's saying something). Unbelievable, I thought the game was gone right there. No way RSL can play like they had for the last little bit with only 10 men, no way.

The Second 45:
While a lot of people don't understand the Andy Williams sub, I can say it was actually a pretty smart move. Andy, though he is fantastic, is not the fittest guy on the squad. He logged in roughly 80 against New England on Sunday, the full 90 against Chivas on Wednesday, and had gone 45 already here. That is a bit rough, especially for a guy his age, with his situation, and his fitness level. Jean, while he might not be the first guy you would think of, is actually a great presence in the middle. He reminds me of Olave, and its not just because they look a lot alike. Hard tackles, good play, a little bit of flair here and there, but all around just a solid player. The Findley sub was obviously going to happen, whether it should have been Campos or not though was the problem I was having. Pablo was winning balls up top and keeping possession for us AND he was tracking back quite. I would have rather seen Findley come on for Cox or Mathis, but wasn't infuriated with the Campos sub. The Espy sub, just like the Findley sub, was obviously coming. Cox was the right choice there, he just wasnt getting it done like he should have. The play in the second 45... I would rather not talk about it. How we got out of there without conceding a goal is still a head-scratcher to me. I thought RSL sucked bad at finishing... wow. This KC team has a LOT of problems going on with it right now. They look like the May version of us, just cant seem to snap out of it like we did. I will just sum up the second 45 with one word, lucky.

Player Evals:

Seitz: A-
I am seriously torn on who to give the MOTM to. Seitz was HUGE in the back for us. Not only did he make huge saves, but he did great at being the general of the team. His voice was consistently heard through the on-field mics. He was smart with his play, composed, and quite honestly, he looked a whole lot more experienced then he is.

Wingert: B+
Solid night again from Wingert. Smart play, good composure on the ball, and really just didn't make a bad mistake like he sometimes does.

Olave: A-
JAMISON! Olave is slowly but surely passing Nat as best defender on this team. Personally, I think he is the best, but others don't. However, I see that changing if he continues his very composed and solid play.

Borchers: B+
I like Nat a lot, but his speed kills me. If he had a better step, he wouldn't be here though.

Russell: B
Good night, but not fantastic night. Did his job, won tackles, just made sure to not get seriously beat as he has in the past.

Beckerman: A (MOTM)
I will say that Kyle hasn't exactly been playing well this season, but lately he has been on fire. His work in the middle was top class. His heart was really showing there at the end. That slide he made to deflect the ball wide for a corner was the difference in him being MOTM and not Seitz.

Andy: A-
Good work from Andy. Great vision, just wish he was fully fit so we could have that for 90 minutes all the time. He will be big in this final stretch, mark my words.

Ned: B+
The red was HARSH, and before that, he was doing VERY well in the middle. Bad luck for Ned, we will miss him next match.

Cox: B-
Had the worst night for an RSL player, but it was abysmal. He ran his ass off and just annoyed the crap out of Kansas City players the whole time he was on. He looks like Will Johnson 2.0...

Campos: A-
Good game from Pablo. I am actually starting to understand why he is here. Great post-up play, good possession, and a pretty talented player. Hope to see more of him in the starting XI honestly.

Mathis: B
He did a lot of work, but faded in the latter stages. I really wish Kreis would have subbed him, but it was either he or Cox that came off... and I think Cox was the right choice in the end.

Findley: B
Good work, not great stuff, but annoyed their back line. Maybe should have finished one on an early shot, but still a good night.

Jean: B+
Surprisingly this guy logged in some seriously good minutes. Will he push Russell for that other holding mid spot against Chicago? I hope so, we need the competition. Big guy, look forward to seeing more of him, but not until next year honestly.

Espy: B+
Espy keeps being the guy that does a ton of work out there that really goes unnoticed. Loved his effort tonight, he should be back in the starting lineup against Chicago, no doubt in my mind.

RSL: B+
The grades overall are all a bit high, I will admit that. However, it is a bit justified. We played down a man for over 45 minutes, and didn't conceive a goal. Realistically, that is a combo of Kansas City sucking and us doing the scrappy work, but nonetheless its still the same in the end. 3 HUGE points for this team. Sitting at 33 with 6 games left doesn't sound that bad at all...


Looking Forward:
RSL will get a bit of a rest, which maybe it doesn't want. The last 2 games have looked like an entirely different team, we can only hope that continues to happen. The next game, in my opinion, is the hardest one left on our schedule given the individual situations associated with the other 5 games. No Beckerman, no Ned, and Chicago is the best road team in the league... its not looking like a game that will easily go RSL's way. I think RSL has the ability to win that game, and honestly, I think we will. 3 points there, and we sit at 36 with 5 games left. While it is impossible to say how many will be needed, 43 looks more and more like the special number. That means we would need to get 7 points out of 5 games, 2 of those at home... I believe.

Cheers,
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