Given the year is 2023, going down 0-1 at home all but guarantees this team won’t be walking away with 3 points. So, when Zac pulled off 3 saves in the first 3 minutes (one of which was entirely world-class), his impact on the result can’t be understated. “Goals change games” and had Orlando scored an early goal, who knows how differently this match plays out? For most of the match, MacMath didn’t have much to do, but his heroics early make him one of many stand-out players in this contest.
This was one of the better left-back Brody performances we’ve had this year, where the former Monarch was lively throughout. Not only did he notch 3 key passes, but he also added threat with his crossing, almost connecting an assist to the head of Kreilach early on. With Dami and Chicho at forward, service from the flanks will be vital, and Brody was up to the task. With the game 2-0, he also pulled off a clutch blocked shot inside the box, very likely saving a goal. Like almost everyone else, Andrew had a great night at AFF.
Glad did hit 94% passing and kept McGuire from having any impact on the game - but his goal was really nice, so let’s talk about that. Justen is now just one tally away from hitting his strike goal for the year (5), and by all accounts looks destined to hit it. This one was probably his best header of the season, having been tossed around by his mark, he still managed to get to the Ruiz’s corner while off-footed and direct the ball into the lower far corner. It was a nicely-headed goal on its own, but considering he was being fouled the entire time, it was a special bit of finishing.
Little to complain about from Vera, who once again showed that he can rotate in for Marcelo and maintain the standard of play. Given the lack of attacking chances that occurred on the left side, Vera was both doing his job, and safe from being tested too hard. His yellow card was a rather rash challenge, but that's sort of what we’ve come to love from the first-year signing anyway. His best tackle during this match was probably on Ruiz in the midfield, which thankfully, didn’t lead to a goal and thus go viral.
Eneli continues to look better at right back as opposed to center mid, and even beat out Hidalgo for the starting nod this match. His passing was incredibly sharp, and his dribbles down the side and into the middle of the park were all well executed. More and more Eneli seems to be jelling into the team, and despite being the 3rd of RSL’s first-round draft picks, absolutely looks the most MLS-ready at this point. Given the situation at wide backs coming into the season, his emergence has been a much-needed boon to the team’s depth.
So yeah, this Ruiz guy, pretty good right? We’ll start with the obvious, a hat trick of assists, all from his left foot, all really well-placed balls. Evidently he’s only the second RSL player to accomplish that feat. No lucky bounces or questionable defending, just really good service from the Argentine that provided scoring chances all night. Aside from 87 touches during the match, he seemed extremely confident and precise in his decision-making. The amount of cuts, turns, and killer passes he sprayed out to the team was incredible, and is really becoming the norm for Ruiz. Brian Dunseth was hinting in the broadcast that there was some interest from overseas in one of our midfielders, and given Pablo’s incredible 2023 form and youngish age (24), it’s not hard to guess who he was talking about.
He wasn’t Pablo Ruiz, but he still did an excellent job in the midfield Saturday night. His biggest contribution was likely earning the foul that set up the first goal, a run down the flank that we’re seeing more and more often from Ojeda this season. Braian took more of the defensive duties this time around and led the team in duels. It really was a box-to-box effort from the U22 initiative player, who had a few notable moments in each team’s area. We will have to see if Palacio will disrupt his now somewhat established role of starting alongside Ruiz. Given that Nelson is more of a destroyer, one would think there’s a good possibility.
While all the attention on the night was focused on the new DP (rightfully so), Savarino gave a reminder that he is also an elite player in this league, and put on a bit of a show himself on Saturday. Not only did he score a classic - ridiculously technically - chested cross into side-volley bullet to the lower far corner, but he also nearly notched a chance in the first half as well. Despite all of that, Savarino hit a team-leading 4 key passes and had excellent possession numbers to match. One might think, and hope, with more attacking threats for teams to address, Savarino could really shine with extra time and space – a very appetizing prospect.
While many players on the team were going at all cylinders, Luna put on a very decent-ish performance. No key passes, and a low pass success rate in general is not really the Luna fans are looking to see, but given the flow of the game, he really didn’t need to assert himself into the match. There were more than enough difference-makers playing well, and just like a basketball team full of hot shooters, it’s okay to let others take over. By no means was it a bad outing from Luna, just more uneventful, although he did seem a bit disappointed with himself coming off. Given how the unit played, I think he should still be starting over Gómez.
He didn’t really lead by example this time around, but Damir still had a positive impact on the team and the game in general. For starters, he may have scored the goal Chicho scored had the ball reached him – clearly in a great position to head it himself. Having him alongside Arango really takes the aerial threat of this team from mediocre to downright scary (even more so with Glad in the mix). Aside from that and his usual clinical finishing, Damir is still the only one on the field coordinating any press, and is truly the team's first defender in most cases. While I think most fans, including myself, would like to see how Chicho and Musovski operate as a duo, no one should ever be upset to see Kreilach out there given the qualities he adds.
Under the spotlight and with a price tag to live up to, Chicho satisfied the fans at AFF by scoring a debut goal, a rather rare feat for RSL players. While his header was less salmon-like, and more of a bull charging in, he got the job done by sending the ball flying to the far-post netting. Obviously, having a threat like Arango helps change the dynamic of the team, and given the space available to supporting players all-night Saturday, there’s an argument to be made that he’s already having that impact. Aside from a really well-slotted pass to Savarino that could’ve tallied him an assist, his 70 minutes didn’t really offer much else. Still, a strong game and debut to remember for the team's newest DP.
Despite only collecting a dozen touches during his 20-minute appearance, he hit an excellent cross over to Savarino to set up the third goal of the night. Oviedo had acres of space to operate with and got something done with it.
Two late goals in two games really harks back to his 2021 season, where Julio netted 8 goals basically all from coming off the bench. As a substitute player, he is high value, and could help make a difference for the team. His shot was infinitely better than his pass leading up to the goal.
Wasatch Soccer Sentinel
