Wasatch Soccer Sentinel
A sloppy throw-in undoes RSL’s reasonable start
9th minute free kick — RSL gave up a free kick in a dangerous position, right at the top of the box, and Marco Reus scored a brilliant free kick to capitalize. It certainly was brilliant, but I think we need to talk about how poorly RSL played to give up the opportunity in the first place. First, Philip Quinton quickly throws the ball into Stijn Spierings, whose first touch is horrid and puts Quinton back under pressure. I think Quinton does reasonably well to find Spierings, but Spierings loses possession at right about the halfway line. He sprints back, but he fouls Gabriel Pec at the top of the box, and it certainly was a foul.
It’s a frustrating moment from Spierings, and he’s one of the most experienced members of RSL’s squad. We ought to demand more.
A lack of finishing prowess
This is for both sides: This was MLS-level finishing on full display. Whether it was RSL’s Victor Olatunji in the 20th minute or LA’s Joseph Paintasill several times, this was a match filled with bad decisions. Time after time, these two teams just refused to finish. I guess it’s telling that Zavier Gozo scored (and I’m counting it as him scoring!), because he’s been such a vital player during this early season run, and that Marco Reus scored a couple of goals, because of course he did.
LA Galaxy’s high press
RSL really struggled to get out from LA’s high press, and Spierings in particular struggled. I think that’s a case of proximity to play and not a unique failing of his skillset, but it felt scouted: LA left an option into Spierings for Rafa Cabral, and they quickly exploited that multiple times. RSL has tried hard to play out of the back, and I appreciate that they’re not just hacking it long constantly, but some awareness would help.
A few more things
- In the 36th minute, Victor Olatunji went down under a challenge from Emiro Garces. Should that have been a red card? Taylor Twellman was pretty certain, but I’m less so: I think both players are jockeying for the ball, and we’ve seen that as a consideration during moments of that sort. I’m inclined to think it probably should have been reviewed by the referee, but I’m not convinced this was the wrong outcome.
- Justen Glad was good enough that he still gets my player of the match, even in a game where RSL conceded twice. He certainly kept things from getting a lot worse.
- How good is Aiden Hezarkhani? The way he broke into the box to zip a pass to Zavier Gozo, it was a thing of beauty. And he was fouled five times, too — two more than his closest rival, Gabriel Pec. And he only played 55 minutes! (Speaking of … why did he come off?)
- If I have to watch Stijn Spierings do a turn directly into pressure after receiving a totally normal pass all season, I think I’m going to have a bad time. I know I said earlier that it’s not about his skillset, but it might be about a tendency he has that absolutely needs to be used sparingly. It’s like he just learned how to do it and he needs to show it off. I know that’s not the case, but good heavens.
- Diego Luna wasn’t happy to have come off, and he definitely ought to be frustrated. I don’t think he was great on the night, but he can always provide some magic. Of course, he’s played a lot recently, and I do think it’s worth ensuring he doesn’t suffer an injury recurrence, too.
- The penalty? Hmm. I don’t know. Honestly? The angle they showed on the replay was very poor. I’d love to see a better angle, but my gut feeling is that you probably don’t get to have a handful of shirt and push a player. If that’s what happened?
- It seems clear that there’s a directive to have VAR interefere less in matches. I think that’s probably a good thing. RSL will sometimes benefit from this, and they’ll sometimes fall victim to this.
