No Obsession Over First-Half Foibles
First halves have not been especially kind to RSL this season, with the team having allowed the first goal of the game before halftime three times in four matches. Coach Jason Kreis even said his players “are not getting it,” meaning that they're not always recognizing opposing strategies quickly enough.
“I was talking about taking what the game gives us,” Kreis said.
But midfielder Will Johnson said the team isn't obsessing over the difficult trend, heading into its home game against New England at Rio Tinto Stadium on Saturday, when it will take aim at its third straight home win.
“We just basically have to get back to what we were doing toward the end of last year,” he said, including maintaining possession better. “It doesn't really have anything to do with coming out of the gate slow. It's a long season and I'm sure we'll get it sorted out.”
One thing that didn't help in a 2-0 loss at New York last weekend was an unusual back line.
Coach Kreis shuffled it for the first time this season, using second-year central defender David Horst in place of Jamison Olave — the Colombian stayed home and did not play, to avoid putting a troublesome knee through 90 minutes on artificial turf — and giving versatile veteran Robbie Russell his first start of the season in place of Tony Beltran at right back.
Defender Nat Borchers acknowledged that “we weren't quite on the same page” early in the game — Horst endured a nightmarish mistake in the second minute that led to New York's first goal — but said that “as the game went along, we got ahold of it.” Kreis agreed, saying Horst “played really well, apart from one mistake” and that “all in all, I think we did a decent job of limiting their opportunities.”
Olave is expected to return to the staring lineup against the Revs, but might have to miss occasional games in the future in deference to that knee. “We have to be careful with how much we're using him and how much we're using him on turf,” Kreis said. Beltran has been ill, Kreis said, but will be available to challenge Russell for the start at right back, though injured Ian Joy has had a setback in his recover from a hamstring injury and will be out “another several weeks.”
That could be tough for a team that has gone 2-6-1 without the veteran in the starting lineup since the middle of last season, and 6-1-6 when he has started. Then again, RSL has won both its home games without Joy this season, and will be shooting for a third straight on Saturday.
“I was talking about taking what the game gives us,” Kreis said.
But midfielder Will Johnson said the team isn't obsessing over the difficult trend, heading into its home game against New England at Rio Tinto Stadium on Saturday, when it will take aim at its third straight home win.
“We just basically have to get back to what we were doing toward the end of last year,” he said, including maintaining possession better. “It doesn't really have anything to do with coming out of the gate slow. It's a long season and I'm sure we'll get it sorted out.”
One thing that didn't help in a 2-0 loss at New York last weekend was an unusual back line.
Coach Kreis shuffled it for the first time this season, using second-year central defender David Horst in place of Jamison Olave — the Colombian stayed home and did not play, to avoid putting a troublesome knee through 90 minutes on artificial turf — and giving versatile veteran Robbie Russell his first start of the season in place of Tony Beltran at right back.
Defender Nat Borchers acknowledged that “we weren't quite on the same page” early in the game — Horst endured a nightmarish mistake in the second minute that led to New York's first goal — but said that “as the game went along, we got ahold of it.” Kreis agreed, saying Horst “played really well, apart from one mistake” and that “all in all, I think we did a decent job of limiting their opportunities.”
Olave is expected to return to the staring lineup against the Revs, but might have to miss occasional games in the future in deference to that knee. “We have to be careful with how much we're using him and how much we're using him on turf,” Kreis said. Beltran has been ill, Kreis said, but will be available to challenge Russell for the start at right back, though injured Ian Joy has had a setback in his recover from a hamstring injury and will be out “another several weeks.”
That could be tough for a team that has gone 2-6-1 without the veteran in the starting lineup since the middle of last season, and 6-1-6 when he has started. Then again, RSL has won both its home games without Joy this season, and will be shooting for a third straight on Saturday.
posted by www.sltrib.com @ 3:24 PM |
3 Comments:
Why did RSL sign Olave if they knew that he was going to have to miss turf games this season?!?!?! That is crazy.
I really wish that with all of the other good things RSL, and Jason have done, that they would get better at scouting.
Hey Micah ...
It's not that Olave is necessarily going to miss every turf game, just potentially a few here and there, depending on how his knee fares. As Jason said, they just have to be careful about how much they use him in those situations ...
Thanks!
Mike
Too bad about Joy. Although with the Davies pick up his setback seems less and less important. Except he taking up a roster spot.
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