Search for Answers Continues for RSL
So, what can Jason Kreis do now?
Clearly, the coach took a chance in showing confidence in his RSL players at San Jose last night, by scrapping the defensive 4-5-1 formation that had served it reasonably well — relatively speaking — in its past two road games and returning to the two-striker alignment that the team prefers, albeit with new starters Fabian Espindola and Luis Miguel Escalada in the lineup.
It seemed pretty obvious that Kreis had hoped the show of strength would allow the team to shake out of its season-long road malaise — especially given that it was playing against the worst team in Major League Soccer, riding an eight-game winless streak with five straight losses and theoretically tired legs after a mid-week game on the road.
No soap, all the way around.
The new strikers did nothing (unless you count Escalada missing perhaps RSL's best chance when he fired an open shot directly at goalkeeper Joe Cannon in the sixth minute), though Kreis held them pretty much blameless, noting the team's dismal passing and possession — supposedly its strength — that kept the the Argentines from getting much quality service and the team from getting its first road win of the season.
Instead, the Earthquakes ran away with a 2-1 victory that knocked RSL further out of the playoff picture.
“We kept giving them the ball and they gained confidence as the game went on,” Kreis said.
Indeed, RSL was stunningly outplayed for much of the game, after playing well early. It made a push in the last 10 minutes when it was hurling everything at the goal looking for a miracle, but forward Robbie Findley's 80th minute strike was all it could muster — snapping the season-long scoreless streak on the road but still leaving it far short of the desired result.
“It was another game where there was too much pressure to try to get that goal on the road,” Kreis said. “We failed to play the simple options. It was disappointing.”
Now, not only has RSL blown probably its best chance during its current four-out-of-five-games-the-road stretch, but it left itself seriously shorthanded for the only home game in that span — the meeting with rival Colorado at Rio Tinto Stadium next weekend. Midfielders Kyle Beckerman and Javier Morales — the team captain and its best and highest-paid player, respectively — both picked up yellow cards against the Earthquakes, earning them a one-game suspension for yellow-card accumulation.
Defender Jamison Olave could be out, too, if the league decides to suspend him for the elbow he threw at San Jose's Ryan Johnson during a tussle in the second half.
The whole situation seems to leave Kreis nearly at the end of his rope, but sometimes there's only so much a coach can do. Sometimes, no matter the formation or the personnel, players just have to work hard and pressure the ball and stop firing balls long downfield when their stated goal is to build through the short passing game.
“The possession wasn't good enough,” Kreis repeated.
And allowing unmarked striker Cornell Glen to score a header in the 52nd minute on a play that started with a throw-in? Not a high point for the defense, either. Although he allowed himself the film review to double-check, Kreis called it a “really, really bad goal … we're going to spend a lot of time talking about that this week, I'm sure.”
Probably, it won't be the only thing.
Clearly, the coach took a chance in showing confidence in his RSL players at San Jose last night, by scrapping the defensive 4-5-1 formation that had served it reasonably well — relatively speaking — in its past two road games and returning to the two-striker alignment that the team prefers, albeit with new starters Fabian Espindola and Luis Miguel Escalada in the lineup.
It seemed pretty obvious that Kreis had hoped the show of strength would allow the team to shake out of its season-long road malaise — especially given that it was playing against the worst team in Major League Soccer, riding an eight-game winless streak with five straight losses and theoretically tired legs after a mid-week game on the road.
No soap, all the way around.
The new strikers did nothing (unless you count Escalada missing perhaps RSL's best chance when he fired an open shot directly at goalkeeper Joe Cannon in the sixth minute), though Kreis held them pretty much blameless, noting the team's dismal passing and possession — supposedly its strength — that kept the the Argentines from getting much quality service and the team from getting its first road win of the season.
Instead, the Earthquakes ran away with a 2-1 victory that knocked RSL further out of the playoff picture.
“We kept giving them the ball and they gained confidence as the game went on,” Kreis said.
Indeed, RSL was stunningly outplayed for much of the game, after playing well early. It made a push in the last 10 minutes when it was hurling everything at the goal looking for a miracle, but forward Robbie Findley's 80th minute strike was all it could muster — snapping the season-long scoreless streak on the road but still leaving it far short of the desired result.
“It was another game where there was too much pressure to try to get that goal on the road,” Kreis said. “We failed to play the simple options. It was disappointing.”
Now, not only has RSL blown probably its best chance during its current four-out-of-five-games-the-road stretch, but it left itself seriously shorthanded for the only home game in that span — the meeting with rival Colorado at Rio Tinto Stadium next weekend. Midfielders Kyle Beckerman and Javier Morales — the team captain and its best and highest-paid player, respectively — both picked up yellow cards against the Earthquakes, earning them a one-game suspension for yellow-card accumulation.
Defender Jamison Olave could be out, too, if the league decides to suspend him for the elbow he threw at San Jose's Ryan Johnson during a tussle in the second half.
The whole situation seems to leave Kreis nearly at the end of his rope, but sometimes there's only so much a coach can do. Sometimes, no matter the formation or the personnel, players just have to work hard and pressure the ball and stop firing balls long downfield when their stated goal is to build through the short passing game.
“The possession wasn't good enough,” Kreis repeated.
And allowing unmarked striker Cornell Glen to score a header in the 52nd minute on a play that started with a throw-in? Not a high point for the defense, either. Although he allowed himself the film review to double-check, Kreis called it a “really, really bad goal … we're going to spend a lot of time talking about that this week, I'm sure.”
Probably, it won't be the only thing.
posted by www.sltrib.com @ 4:15 PM |
1 Comments:
Good analysis, you covered everything well. Thanks for all the good information on this blog.
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