Wasatch Soccer Sentinel
As the sun rises on a new offseason for RSL, I think it worth taking a look back on the unusual roller coaster known as the last three weeks. Unlike a typical first round exit from the MLS Cup Playoffs, the postseason run provided three games to mull over instead of a short and sweet ejection. While it didn’t have any impact on the result, it did provide a few moments worthy of reflection, and some performances to take note of.
Game 1 – Tactical Changes
This match already feels like an eternity ago, which sometimes is the same thing as two weeks. The defining trait of this contest was RSL rolling into the game sporting a three center back formation, something that had been dabbled with towards the end of the campaign.
What unfolded from that was perhaps the most dominant 30 minute stretch of the entire series for one side, as Houston banged in a goal and applied endless pressure on the RSL defense. At the first half hydration break the team swapped back into the familiar 4-4-2 and the match stabilized shortly thereafter.
The conclusion? The 3-4-3 didn’t offer enough pressure. Which when you break it down does make some good sense, given that the central midfield was always at a numbers disadvantage for RSL, and thus any pressure the forwards applied had an easy outlet – into the most direct and attacking part of the pitch nonetheless. The next 60 minutes played out to a 1-1 draw, just like the next two games did.
