Oh, the frustration that comes with a 0-0 draw and a match so lackluster: Last night’s performance against Chicago Fire saw our boys in Claret and Cobalt found lacking in some important ways — completing that vital last pass, off-the-ball runs, creativity — but when you consider the circumstances, it’s really very hard to blame them too much.
Coming into the match, our starting left back was out with injury, so Russell played on the right and Beltran on the left. Here we find our first big positive: Tony Beltran was a domineering fullback. His tackling, passing and vision were exactly what we needed, and several times he made a vital tackle in or around the box to keep us in the match. Robbie Russell, however, seems still to be struggling with fitness, and I’d guess that Jason Kreis would have kept him out longer had Wingert not tweaked his hamstring against DC United.
Our center back pairing was as generally reliable as ever: Borlave (Borchers + Olave, and don’t you forget it!) tackled well and rescued long balls without much hassle. More importantly, they successfully pushed a very high line, but more on that in a minute.
In the midfield, we started again with Collen Warner, which was a bit of a surprise. He played further up, closer to the tip of diamond, so any mistakes he made were less maddening, but all-in-all, I’d say he had an unremarkable game. I’d say that’s an improvement for him, but it doesn’t help us one bit. His forward passes were lazy and uninspired, his back passes nearly caught us out several times.
Our dreaded captain Kyle Beckerman kept things neat in the midfield and passed well, and Will Johnson and Ned Grabovoy worked well together. Their combined work rate must surpass the rest of the team’s — keeping in mind that our team, when fully firing, works as hard as any in the league, so that’s a bit of a mean feat.
Which brings us to the forward line. Artur Aghasyan picked up his first start for the club alongside Fabian Espindola, but before even five minutes had gone, our Argentinian striker was mowed down by an above-the-ball desperate challenge from one Cory Gibbs, who’s now made my list of players that, should they play for RSL, I would likely protest.
Gibbs came flying in, studs showing, and he picked up a yellow. A yellow for the same type of tackle that leaves players in broken heaps with broken legs. If one thing came out of that match, it’s a continued knowledge that something needs to be done to fix these challenges. Perhaps because it was so early, the referee thought he’d just calm down the match — and it was certainly a bit calmer, by and large, and you can tell that by the number of clear-cut chances both sides found — but his job is to punish players for making tackles like that. For risking the well-being and livelihood of their fellow professionals. That Fabian Espindola wasn’t worse off was surprising. He even continued with the match before coming off with a groin strain, undoubtedly caused or aggravated by the tackle.
We even got to see the same type of challenge last night that had seen our midfielder-now-makeshift-forward Jean Alexandre suspended for the match after-the-fact by the MLS. This, however, was no card, apparently. We’ll see if the MLS takes a look at that tackle. I hope they do, and I hope they take a closer look at the Gibbs challenge as well.
So Luis Gil, ostensibly a midfielder, came in for Espindola seven minutes in, and it was clear at that point that we’d be lucky to snag a win. Aghasyan can’t seem to hold the ball up in the same way our Argentine can, and while he’s fast, somebody to play the ball in behind for him to run onto would see him used more effectively than having Gil play out of position up top. Did we have much choice? No, I can’t imagine so, but I’d have liked, perhaps, to see Donny Toia come in, as the position is more natural to him.
Andy Williams later came in for Aghasyan, who didn’t have the game of his life. I’m still holding out hope that he’ll be a real force for us, but if he’s playing in matches like that, I don’t see him being particularly effective at this point in his career. Andy Williams came in late match and did well enough, but by that point, both sides seemed ready to accept a draw — and as we were playing with a whopping six midfielders on the pitch, that we weren’t able to nick a goal shouldn’t be too surprising.
In our last move of the match, Nelson Gonzalez — who honestly should have started over the ineffective Warner instead of replacing him late in the game — came in and added a real spark. He had less than ten minutes to try to make his mark, but I’ll be damned if he didn’t try. Where Warner was leaving the ball for teammates or opponents (and was the subject of much yelling at the TV in the process,) Gonzalez ran toward the ball and made genuine attempts to win it back. I’m hoping he starts on Saturday over Warner, but Kreis seems to see something in the boy that I, for the life of me, haven’t found. Hell, I’d even go with the effervescently young Luis Gil over Warner.
But we must push forward and accept a road point against what was a team determined to keep things level throughout the match. The Fire threatened through a few counterattacks, but they were a side that looked to be playing for the draw from the outset. If there’s something that RSL fans can be proud of, it’s that even with our depleted squad, we played to win. Even if it didn’t entirely come off, we tried to put ourselves in a position where we’d walk away with all three points. We may have only won eight points in the last eight matches, but not for lack of trying. We’re better than this, and the players know it, the coaching staff knows it, and the fans know it. Now, as fans, it’s our time to stand behind the team on Toronto and show them the support they desperately need right now.
Man of the Match: Ned Grabovoy. Our boy Ned was constantly running, tackling and keeping the midfield moving. Through his work and determination, we were kept in the match. His contribution in the past few weeks has been essential. With absences piling up, he’s proved that he does have a place in the starting XI, and I hope he’s given the opportunity to keep it.
Come on you Claret and Cobalt!
Lineups:
Real Salt Lake — Nick Rimando; Robbie Russell, Jamison Olave, Nat Borchers, Tony Beltran; Kyle Beckerman, Ned Grabavoy, Will Johnson, Collen Warner (Nelson Gonzalez 84); Fabian Espíndola (Luis Gil 7), Artur Aghasyan (Andy Williams 69)
Substitutes Not Used: Rauwshan McKenzie, Chris Schuler, Donny Toia, Kyle Reynish.
Chicago Fire — Sean Johnson; Yamith Cuesta, Cory Gibbs, Gonzalo Segares, Jalil Anibaba; Baggio Husidic (Corben Bone 80), Daniel Paladini, Patrick Nyarko; Orr Barouch (Marco Pappa 70), Diego Chaves (Gabriel Ferrari 86), Dominic Oduro
Substitutes Not Used: Josip Mikulic, Bratislav Ristic, Michael Videira, Jon Conway.
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