Wasatch Soccer Sentinel
As you might have observed, there were no player ratings this week, owing to family commitments immediately after the match — you know the drill. And what a match to not write about immediately afterward — this was an end-to-end match with a goal that probably caught many people still turning on their streams.
The first minute — it’s not something you see often, which is honestly a little funny to me. You’d think we might see more early scoring in low-granularity sports, but maybe teams are coming out more prepared and focused than Houston Dynamo did last night. It’s the earliest goal scored in MLS this year, and it’s the first time RSL has managed it since a week 22 5-2 win last year against Atlanta United.
It was perhaps a little shocking how easily RSL sliced open Houston, with the opposition looking as disorganized in transition as I’ve seen a team. It really just took Diego Luna — who else? — starting a great run down the left side, drawing two players to the touchline before a neat interchange with Emeka Eneli. Again, who else? These two players have been at the center of everything RSL’s done well, and that was the case again here.
Eneli continuing his run from the midfield really emphasized how much his game’s grown over the last two years. I am one of many that’s been skeptical about the value of the MLS Draft, but there’s value to be found, and we found it in Eneli. (I do still think it’s a poor method of squad-building, but I should celebrate the successes, too. And I will never say no to smart players — does the college system create smarted players? I don’t know. Eneli’s bright, though.) Even just at the end of last season, Eneli likely wouldn’t have continued his run into the box in a moment like this, opting to play a little more cautiously. There’s a bravery to his game now that wasn’t there before, and it’s not that he was a timid player before — but he was a role player. Maybe it’s the mantle of captainship.
