A Real World Review
A Review of Week 10 for RSL
(Courtesy of Darin Hoopes "chronicrslnewb")
This Weeks Match Results: 3-1 win against San Jose at home
Current Record: 3-5-2
Points: 11
Key Developments: RSL plays a very solid second half to get the result they should against an expansion team at home.
What's right in the Real World: While no one, rightfully so, is talking about RSL being a lock for the playoffs after Saturday’s win it was good to see them get the win in a game they should. Their play was unconvincing in the first half, but they certainly stepped up in the second half. This might have been a small step in their effort to become a playoff contender, but was pretty important considering the potential effects of a tie or a loss.
Robbie Findley - What can I say? You saw the game. Nice to see signs of him developing some potential for more diversity in his play. He has always shown his ability to finish, but man… that shot was so unbelievably sweet! How the heck did he beat the keeper on a low near post shot from that distance? He made Cannon look pretty stupid. And where did that assist to Morales come from? More of that please!
Morales - He is making it very apparent how important he is to this club.
Olave - He is playing well and looking more and more at home in defense.
Wingert - Consistently solid. It’s always good to see someone play to their potential. Colorado may be in first place right now, but I’m never going to understand Clavijo’s rational in trades.
Cordoba - Saw some minutes Saturday. Apparently saw some very good minutes in the reserve game Sunday with 2 goals and an assist. I don’t think Kreis will change the current lineup to squeze him in, but there is a very good chance that he will start seeing meaningful first team minutes if Morales or Williams have to sit for any reason.
Borchers - The heart of the defense, he quietly plays the largest role in helping the defense develop it’s sense of organization, purpose and calm assurance. Yeah, I know it still has a ways to go, but I do believe they are getting there.
What's wrong in the Real World: We still can’t put together a solid 90 minute performance. I don’t think anybody would argue that this is a key factor in getting results. We have lost a lot of points this season because of our difficulties in this area at times. It can be really hard to understand as a fan. The loss in Dallas was really not fun to watch and made it difficult to not have doubts. It’s amazing how quickly and completely all of those old feelings of complete utter frustration come rushing to the surface after watching a game like that. However, because I am a glutton for punishment, I believe this team has the ability to get quite a bit better in this area. (My Big Soccer username is chronicrslnewb for a very good reason.) That is why the last stretch of away matches was such a big disappointment for me. I think this is an area worth watching closely over the next stretch of games.
The fact that Sturgis is still out is discouraging. We need him back soon and we need to see him stay healthy.
A brief look at the week ahead: Can RSL take the next step toward becoming a playoff contender?
Final thoughts: I am interested in seeing if this team can find ways to get better results than they have up to this point this season. The results and their play on the last road trip were hard to watch. Are we doomed to forever follow a team that can’t reach the playoffs, let alone be competitive in them? I don‘t think so. The true measure of that, however, is results. We can see from the results so far this season that the team is not there yet. This team is not improving overnight, but I still see things that make me think they are headed in the right direction. Can they improve quickly enough to make the playoffs?
