Deja Vu
We told you it felt like last year’s Playoff opener. How about a late, late goal (88th minute from Robbie Findley, to be exact) for a 1-0 victory to complete the comparisons?
What did you think?
We’re certainly excited for the return leg in Columbus on Thursday…
31 Oct 2009 06:45 pm RSL HQ 21 comments
I am surprised we won. The team posessed the ball well, but with little attack. They almost never went wide or overlapped, but funneled everything thru the middle where they lost their chances. That being said, I am very happy we won and hope we can get a goal on the road! Go RSL!
It’s sad that only 11,000 showed up. Such a good game. Everyone was in such high spirits.
So….who is going to Columbus?
Awesome win, wish we had more going away to Ohio, but we’ll take it.
Thank you Yura and Robbie!
Thanks for making the defending champs look like chumps.
Good to go up a goal in this best of 2 games! It will be a dogfight in Columbus on Thursday and I hope RSL is up for the challenge! The defense was solid tonight and let’s keep it that way on Thursday! Keep our heads and not get any red cards! Go Reee AL!!
Wow what an ugly game, but we’ll take it. Its a shame that our intern coach is our weakest link. I hope to never see Findley and Espy play together again up top. Yeah, it kinda worked last week when we got 2 long-ball goals, but generally didnt challenge the crapids keeper last week. Against a tall and big Crew backline, what was Kreis thinking? You HAVE to have a forward that can control the ball. Anyone notice how different our attack was once Yura got in? Yura is such a dangerous player- he has Findley’s pace but a much better touch and can hold the ball. Next time we see him at RIOT will be in a USMNT jersey in a few years. How do you not start him? I can’t see Espy’s value most of the game. And how ’bout that sub with Russell? JK pulled the wrong fullback- Wingert should have had a seat- he is terrible offensively, while Beltran was being dangerous. I did like the Cleetus-for-Javi sub, that didnt happen near enough regular season. Good game boys, go get ‘em next week.
Gotta love the bunch ball in the middle and long balls over the top, eh coach?
Not the best game I have seen us play, but we won! Movsisyan made all the difference in the world when he came in for Espindola. He should have been subbed in at the half. Overall a good battle. We’ll see what happens in Columbus…going to be tougher there!
I cannot understand why someone would not play GBS and AM in such a big game. It seems that there was a lot of dissent on the Crew bench- coaches telling players to settle down and play for 0-0. Hopefully, RSL can exploit that in Columbus. It will be very different with GBS able to create in the center midfield but I am confident Kyle and Will will be up for it. Robbie has found the spots to attack Crew back line and RSL will suddenly find themselves in a similar situation as last year in LA.
Not surprising it was a bit of a dull game, with C-Bus just packing it in and looking content with a nil nil draw.
What a sweet little pass from Yura and a beautiful touch from Robbie. Great job RSL!
Despite the low attendance it was still a great atmosphere and while the attack wasn’t as dangerous as needed, the defense didn’t bend and we got the much needed goal. Go RSL!
Espindola sucks.
After he’s already beaten a defender he tries to beat them again.
He can’t control the ball at all.
Did anyone see columbus flop non stop?
I think putting Espindola and Findley in to start is a great way to start the game. They both wear the defense down making room for a less talented, but still good player like Yura to come on and score more easily against a tired team. Thursday I would like to see Espindola and Campos up top with Andy and Rachid as the attacking mids. Mix it up, and throw the Crew off.
You seriously do not want to see Campos and Rachid on the field? What are you a Columbus supporter?
SkinnyJ,
I saw Beltran with his knee wrapped up after the game. I think he took a shot to it and was hurt. The Russell sub was out of necessity not preference. I think it is hilarious that after such a great game all you can do is criticize our coach. Im not his biggest fan but come on, get real.
The starting XI should be the same, and the tactics and approach should be the same. We need to attack, but we dont need to get caught high and have counters against us. Play CBus straight up, and we should be able to punish them more (they wont have 8 or 9 behind the ball all the time this time).
Rimando
Beltran Olave Borchers Wingert
Andy Beckerman Javi Johnson
Espy Findley
Espy will have more space to work with at Columbus as they cant afford to sit back. Findley will be the counter target for us if they become desperate and is always a handfull on anything in space. Andy and Javi to dice up the middle. The question will be who picks up GBS. Does he slide into the middle for Beckerman? Or is he going to stay up top and Borchers and Olave shut him down? Personally, I want to see Olave in his back pocket right at the start of the game. Get in his head, make him not want the ball at his feet too often (olave is a verb).
Here is to RSL pulling off a “huge” upset. RSL 2, CBus 1… we advance
Did anyone else notice how often Hejduk kicked the ball out of bounds? Was that on purpose? I hope so, because otherwise he needs to have some training about what the solid white lines around the edge of the field mean.
Also, he looks like Jesus.
I think Stiney is really just being sarcastic. Either that, or he is Jk using Stiney as his handle.
The more I think about that game, the more upset I get at kreis. Columbus wanted to bunker and muck the game up and kreis let them do it by not using space out wide and not allowing the fullbacks to press up. Anyone notice Wingert hanging back for large parts of the game??? We needed more than 1 goal probably (and someone should have told Rimando), so we are fighting uphill on Thurs…Here’s to hoping they can play their best road game on Thurs.
Arsenal44, thanks for the info about Beltran, hopefully he is ok for Thurs. He is our most solid FB, and he pushes forward better than Wingert, that’s all. I didnt mind the sub. Not sure which game you were watching, but I think it was far from a great game, and I think most people would agree, even RSL team and coaches. Not many great chances to score, really until Yura came in. Robbie and Espy are not complimentary players. Where is your target forward? Yes, I like to criticize our intern coach- sorry I think he is our biggest flaw. We have the players and talent to be champions, but I don’t trust Kreis as head coach, the same as a lot of fans. Don’t believe me? check out the season ticket non-renewal. I think he got out-coached that game, again. He should have made halftime changes after he saw Cbus just come in, bunker and make a mess of the game. They didnt even start their 2 best offensive players. I think we needed at least 2 goals. Cbus has to be satisfied with the result.
skinnyj,
Please rewatch the match, Beltran spent as much time on the Columbus half of the pitch as he did the RSL half. Wingert who is not as quick also pushed up often, even more in the second half. But let’s talk about the tactics you think that nobody but you understand. So you would have pushed Wingert up knowing that Hejduk one of the best defenders in the league as well as one of the more lethal providers of the ball was on that side of the pitch? Really? Sorry the much better chances were coming against Padula all match long, the exception being when in the second half Columbus actually started coming out of their shell and trying to create something and as soon as they did we punished them with Yura creating multiple chances on both the left and right sides.
Yes bringing in a fresh strike after the 60th minute often impacts matches, be it Yura or Robbie. The formula worked against Colorado who actually played the match, but for not creating chances in that match we had 12 shots with 7 on goal and forced Burpo to make some good saves in a match we won 3-0. I love how you overlook the fact that Jason pulled Tony and went with 3 in back for the last portion of the match adding Russell to the midfield and that effort pushed the entire of the RSL attack forward against a Crew side that were getting tired. The subs were great moves at great times and proved to be the difference maker against a team that came in determined to stop RSL from scoring.
Fighting uphill? Perhaps but how many goals has Columbus scored in their last 5 mls matches? How about their last two home matches? I think they have a uphill struggle and they will be very desperate to get goals and that will likely leave huge chances open for counters and over the top attacks. I am not sure RSL can get a win but I would not be surprised at all with a 1-1 or 2-2 draw on Thursday. It is funny that no matter what happens if it is good well it is all the players and usually them overcoming the coach, if it is bad it is the coach and the players are innocent. How about a little balance on a match that saw some great efforts, Robbie’s, Yura, Johnson, Beltran, Borchers, and great subs used to make a difference and get a win against the best team in MLS.
It was pretty obvious Kreis had the shackles on Wingert, he had acres of space in front of him, and wouldn’t move into it. We assumed kreis had him sitting back, basically doing nothing. Not his fault, but coach’s. We all wondered if Jk was afraid of Frankie, or their winger or what? They played the entire first 1/2 on the West sideline. I saw Tony push up, my opinion that JK should have pulled Wingert and not Tony. Nobody overlooked that Russell sub, although he didn’t do anything (whatever happened to the artist formerly known as Robbie Russell anyway?). You want to give Kreis credit for that? Who wouldnt do that? Everyone knows we needed a few goals, a tie and we would be doomed. So, i’ll be positive ” great move JK! way to go for the win there and sub a fullback out for an extra attacker! Great stuff!”
I stand by that is was an ugly game, a lot of bootball and bunchball, with few good chances. I also dislike starting Robbie and Espy up top together as they are too similar of players. I think Yura is our best player- and apparently some scouts overseas think so as well- and I would like to see him play more than 20 mins. We played much better with him in there, and not because “Robbie and Espy wore out their fullbacks”.
The players the last several matches have been playing with heart and purpose. All props to them, and to the coach IF he has motivated them somehow that he couldnt do earlier in the year. We could have used a few more wins during the year- maybe get home field advantge for 2nd round- and we could have used another goal or two Saturday, here’s to hoping that we won’t need them.
Now that Columbus is out, we’re talkin even more dejavu!!!