There's something interesting about our playing style: Sometimes, it doesn't work. Not entirely, at least. It's not a systemic issue, but a personnel issue — which makes it sound a bit like I'm having a whinge about the players. I'm not. Nor am I about the system. But it's hard to deny that about our side: When we're not ticking over properly, it's not pretty. And sometimes we can do it; we'll win ugly and everything will look OK.
Obviously enough, we want our side to be the beautiful, stylistically significant group we know they are. But in the immortal words of that inimitable pop outlet The Supremes, you've got to trust, give it time — no matter how long it takes. That wouldn't be an entirely inappropriate mantra for the club, would it? First and foremost, it's about patience. We've got to be willing to let our side play through their problems. It's the only way we'll make out of a dead spell.
But the thing is, we're not in a particularly bad spot as a club. We've picked up a fair few points, we've done reasonably well on the road, and we've rescued points from losing situations. That's an improvement, to my mind. But what we've missed is something more nuanced: our flair, our swerve, our dogged dedication to the passing game. They've all been moderately absent, but in little places around the season. In fits and starts, we've looked just the Real Salt Lake we know and love. But what do we do when we're not looking like that, when things aren't smoothing over as we'd want?
It's simple. Trust, give it time. No matter how long it takes. Our style can break down the deep defensive lines, it can spring the offside trap, it can work through an organized defense. But when it doesn't work at full capacity, abandoning it isn't the best option. I'm hopeful that against Seattle, we can find that swerve again, but if we can't, we'll just have to keep working at it. In the meantime, let's go win those three points, shall we?
Right, well, let's go over the lineup, shall we?
In goal, Nick Rimando should return without much controversy. Kyle Reynish deputized capably in Rimando's absence, but there's only one Nick Rimando — until we clone him, at least. Can you imagine having two Nick Rimandos in goal? Sure, it would break the rules a bit to have two goalkeepers in action at the same time, but you know it would be worth it. Plus, we could chant things like "One keeper! You've only got one keeper!" at the opposing side, and that would be fun.
In the defense, I'd reckon we'll see our "first-choice" lineup — though I must admit, Chris Schuler is quickly making a mockery of that phrase — of Tony Beltran, Chris Wingert, and the indescribable Borlave. Nat Borchers back in the side for Chris Schuler is essentially a no-brainer for me, and it's not because Schuler didn't do incredibly well against the Fire — what a player we've got on our hands. Beltran and Wingert will again have their hands full on the wings, but you know they're fully capable. I'ven't (I suspect that's not a word, or at least it's not much of one) the foggiest what we'd do without those two. At some point, you've got to think about giving a rest to Tony Beltran, but you know, he's quite fit and doing well, and there's no reason to yank him out now. I suspect the upcoming Open Cup fixture will provide a chance for rest to the lad.
In the midfield, it's again reasonably clear cut: Kyle Beckerman, Ned Grabavoy, Will Johnson, Luis Gil. Without Javier Morales in the side, we'll be looking to Luis Gil to shoulder most of that burden, but it requires that he think on his toes at all times. Young players are notoriously inconsistent, and while Luis has been good for us this season, he hasn't provided the spark we sometimes desperately need. I suspect he'll do well tonight, but it may depend on how much space he's given. Further, his defensive efforts will come quite in handy, and it's always nice to see our side defending from the front. This may provide a bit of an impetus for Ned Grabavoy to provide more attacking threat, as it'll help to balance our side, but we'll see, shan't we? I suspect Will Johnson will continue to be all over the place (in the best of ways) and Kyle Beckerman — well, what hasn't been said about him? He's easily one of the best players in the league.
Up front, another simple decision: Alvaro Saborio, Fabian Espindola. Saborio will be looking to continue his goalscoring exploits, stepping ever closer to the all-time leading goalscorer slot currently occupied by both Robbie Findley (bless his soul) and Fabian Espindola. Espindola, for his part, will be looking to make that spot his own. It should be a scintillating battle, right? Right. At any rate, I suspect our side will be looking to score a crafty goal or two, and these two players will be essential for that. We saw on Wednesday how important the partnership between Saborio and Espindola has become. The crafty through-ball by Saborio wasn't met by a Paulo run where Fabian would have inevitably been found. It's little things like that, really, that make the side tick over. We're close, folks. We're close.
If ever there was to be a breakout game for our season, this was it. That depends largely of course on our side's ability to take control of things and really boss Seattle. We know Seattle's a great side this season, but we should also know that, at our best, we're even better. And while we're not at our best yet, we've just got to trust, give it time — no matter how long it takes.
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