With yet another must-win match on its way, RSL will have to push their style of football if they hope to grab three points in the Midwest, and that goes beyond simply getting down and passing the ball — more important than that will be the need be defensively aware. That will require communication and a positional sense that we didn’t much see at the Rio Tinto on Saturday, and with our domineering Olave out, that’s more as important as its ever been.
Our dismal defensive display (I must apologize for the alliteration) didn’t have Jason Kreis grinning. In an interview for RSL Insider, he openly described Chris Schuler’s performance as “sub-par” (I’m not sure that goes far enough) and indicated that he is considering starting somebody else in the middle alongside Nat Borchers. It’s important for fans to recognize that Kreis sees the problems we had — too many managers are blind and will describe moments like those as “unlucky” when, in fact, they are the result of bad performances. But Chris Schuler has plenty of potential, and if he can sort out the behavior that leads to bad positioning and marking, he could well grow into a decent defender.
It’ll be our first match at the highly rated Livestrong Park, which I suppose I see the appeal in — but I’d much rather be at the Rio Tinto. Bias, I suppose. I hear it’s quite hot in Kansas City, but with any luck, that will be an addendum to the conversation about the match (I don’t want to hear any excuses, boys!) and not a dominant factor.
Right, so a lineup prediction — this one could be even more wrong than last time, sadly. Spots are hardly guaranteed, and we could see a different setup at the back, perhaps with Robbie Russell in the middle or Rauwshan McKenzie making a rare appearance in place of Chris Schuler. Of course, we still could see the Schuler in action. Only a few hours now and we’ll know, I suppose.
In the middle, without Ned Grabavoy, I expect Collen Warner will be handed a start. He’s not been bad but he’s not set the world alight with his performances — an efficient passing game will be necessary if he hopes to fill the shoes of good ol’ Ned. Andy Williams, Will Johnson, and Kyle Beckerman will likely fill out the midfield. Up top, Saborio returns, so I’d suppose that the pairing of Alvaro and Fabian will continue. They seem to have a good understanding and their play styles are a bit complementary, so that should work out well.
Right, here goes nothing:
Rimando
Beltran - Russell - Borchers - Wingert
Beckerman - Johnson - Warner - Williams
Saborio - Espindola
Just to emphasize, the only two sections I’m confident are correct are the forward line — and the presence of Nick Rimando.
Come on you Claret and Cobalt!
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