RSL face do or die, but why?
October 23, 2008 by f4denz.
Points left on the pitch
This year a couple factors have played into this “do or die” situation for Real Salt Lake, if you look at the schedule you can point to a couple huge matches where points that would have made the playoff race a lot less exciting were simply left on the pitch by mistakes, bad calls, tactical meltdowns.
For a lot of fans the very first match of the year was typical of what RSL has done for years, play well, get a lead, and blow it in the final minutes. RSL outshot Chicago 17-8, had more shots on goal 8-3 and were simply the better team during the home opener, but in stoppage time Blanco blistered a shot past Nick Rimando and instead of 3 points RSL started the season with just one. I actually don’t consider this match to be one of my “top offenders”, it was a world class shot, by a guy who is still a world class player and RSL simply were victimized by Blanco.
To me the worst offense of the season was the LA Galaxy match on May 3rd at RES, there are huge questions about that match and Kevin Stott (a Galaxy fan) being allowed to be the head official. A call on what appeared to indirect free kick, both by the call and the officials motions ended up being taken as a direct free kick and a LA goal on a wonderful strike by David Beckham. Later in the match a very bad offside call pulled a RSL goal off the scoreboard, in retrospect the match ended 2-2 but should have been 3-1 and RSL was robbed of two points. In listening to US Soccer review the officiating of that match, both of the questionable calls were pointed to as mistakes committed by the officials but that didn’t help RSL.
A match that almost single handedly ended the career of a RSL player and began the legacy of another, is an example of a tactical meltdown. It was May 24th as RSL made their only trip of the season to Pizza Hut Park, RSL took the lead in the 69th minute on a goal by Espindola and only had to hold on for the remainder of the match to secure a road victory. In the 77th minute Matias Mantilla was brought in to replace Jamison Olave, and within 6 minutes the match was leveled by Dominic Oduro as the rigid RSL defense showed its first cracks of the match. Still road points are hard to come by and most managers would be happy to take a point on the road against a conference foe, but Oduro struck again in stoppage time and FC Dallas picked up a 2-1 victory. Matias would not see first team action in another MLS match and was released midseason by the team, while Jamison Olave has become one of the most feared defenders in all of MLS. It was that meltdown that ended the career of a nice guy, and a good player.
Twice at home this year RSL peppered the opposing side only to be denied by incredible goal keeping efforts, I count these as mistakes because no keeper is unbeatable and RSL simply has to be able to put in goals at home, the lost 6 points are the difference between battling for first in the West vs. just trying to make the playoffs. The first match was June 7th against the Wizards, this match saw RSL dominate shots 19-7, and shots on goal 7-5. Kevin Hartman was a freak of nature in the match and made several amazing saves, and it was the first time all season that RSL was held scoreless at home.
The second match was just 11 days later on the 18th of June as the new version of the San Jose Earthquakes came to Salt Lake for the 3rd time this year (2nd MLS match, and a LHUSOC match), in the previous two matches RSL had won 4-0 in Open Cup play, and 3-1 in MLS action. On this night Real Salt Lake would take 24 shots to just 7 for San Jose, 4 attempts were on goal to just one for the Quakes, and Joe Cannon proved why he was a former keeper of the year in MLS. This was the second time that RSL was held scoreless at home and considering the previous two matches, this one simply leaves me scratching my head. The only other time RSL would not score at home was against two time defending MLS champions Houston, that I can understand, but KC and SJ were matches were at home a single goal in each would have changed the entire RSL season.
The only other major miscue at home has to be the lone blemish on the home undefeated streak, when a major mistake again cost RSL points at home, despite outshooting Chivas 17-8, when Nick Rimando and Nat Borchers failed to determine who would cover a long ball that either one could have easily dispatched. Instead they ran into each other and the ball skipped by to former RSL player Alecko Eskandarian who simply tapped it into the back of the goal and RSL dropped a home match to a conference rival 1-0. The only upside to that match is it was the final match to be played at RES.
I could question the meltdowns of our once solid defense in Houston and Columbus in August, but only two other matches really stick out at points left on the pitch to me. First up is September 6th in LA to face the Galaxy, but facing a Galaxy side without Landycakes, Becks, Eddie Lewis, and Ante Jazic, then add in that their first string keeper was out with an injury, as was his backup. So facing the worst team in MLS without their 4 best players, and having them play a 3rd string keeper should be easy points, one would think? Instead RSL gives up an early goal but like a team on a mission they come back to not only level the score but take a 2-1 lead, RSL outshoots LA 16-10 and puts twice as many shots on goal 8-4, but in the 69th minute they give up a goal to Edson Buddle. The worst part is that RSL didn’t get a single shot after the Buddle goal, how did that happen?
The second match that left me scratching my head was the 2-2 draw at New England, RSL went into the final 15 minutes of the match with a 2-0 lead and simply could not withstand the Revolution final attack. This was one of the few times that I saw RSL go into a defensive shell this year and the end result wasn’t pretty. Coming off a huge road win the week before over San Jose, RSL was posed to really put a tight grip on a playoff spot but like so many times in the past they simply could not finish the match off.
So what does all this mean? It means that this is still a young team, a team of players that are still learning how to play as a team, new faces, line up changes, injuries are all things that were contributing factors to these points left on the pitch. I am not going to point blame at anybody, this was part of a very steep learning curve, but all of this is disappointing to the fans who see how talented this team is, who understand how this season could be different, and who believed we would have clinched a playoff spot much earlier than having to get a road result in the final weekend. There are least a dozen easy points left on the pitch this season, and had we simply picked them up, we would be playing for first place in the West, not trying to secure the final playoff spot.
Do or die
Well at least our playoff hopes are “do or die”, we have to get a result on the road and that is something we have struggled with 2-6-3 with 15 goals scored and 28 allowed. The good news is we are playing more confident on the road in recent weeks and have picked up points in 3 of our last 4 road matches, also consider that no team has lost more matches at home than Colorado, whose 5 loses is tied for worst in MLS.
We are a better team than Colorado, we have better talent, and we should be able to win this match to claim both the Rocky Mountain Cup, but also to secure our first ever playoff appearance. I have my tickets bought and paid for the first RSL home playoff match, what a great time will be had as RSL faces off with our fellow expansion rival Chivas. I had hoped that the match would have been on October 30th, but it looks like ESPN is catering to the East coast by showing the Chicago vs. New England playoff series, both the home and away matches on their Thursday night broadcasts. That is a shame, because I have a feeling RSL will not only make the playoffs but will get past the first round and challenge Houston for the Western conference spot in the MLS Cup.
OFF MY SOAPBOX