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Well then! That was a bit of a beauty, wasn’t it? Those dodgy European chaps led by that older dodgy European chap weren’t much of a concern as our boys in Claret and Cobalt went out in search of a win. Losing two games on the trot woke a sleeping beast in our squad, and a unified, exacting performance saw us slam three goals — none of them packed with controversy, for once — past two different keepers.
Quite remarkably, the match saw the first MLS goal from our 17-year-old Luis Gil, the boy proving to Major League Soccer that if you’re good enough, you’re old enough. While I’ll write more about Luis Gil sometime soon, a few brief words about the kid are important. He’s been slowly making his name known amongst the RSL faithful, and after tonight, heads across the nation are already turning. He’s been hotly rated enough to be named to the U.S. Under-17s and Under-20s and, if he continues to grow at this rate, he’ll be good enough to be named to the U.S. Men’s National Team in no time at all. Again, more on him in the future, but I do think he’ll be big if he can keep his feet firmly planted on the ground.
Our first goal came from a Kyle Beckerman corner that landed smack-dab on the forehead of Nat Borchers, who proceeded to head home. It seems Borchers was left a bit loosely marked by the oft-U.S.-capped Tim Ream, and his goal came to him awfully simply. Borchers, he’s a good one on set pieces — so Tim Ream was subjected to another error-prone night. No complaints there, but it would be nice to see him sort some things out for his future on the national team. Borchers’ celebration, too, was brilliant, and he launched himself into the south goal supporters and Salt City United who, I think, may have spilled some beer on him. Or a lot of beer. Perhaps the intoxicating effect of the valuable first goal, combined with the rousing of supporters across the stadium (19,081 of us! Not quite a sellout but not far off!) had an effect on TH14 and those Red Bulls. They weren’t quite ready to face an RSL side that needed a win, and that showed.
Borchers’ central partner, Chris Schuler, showed himself to be confident and calm throughout the night, chasing at the right times, staying in the right positions at others. It was a much-improved performance from his disastrous match last week against Columbus Crew, and that’s quite a nice thing indeed. That day, he was, in a word, miserable. On Wednesday, he wasn’t perfect, but he wasn’t painful to watch. Against New York, he was dominant. Sure, having Olave back is preferable (and I can wear my Borlave kit and have both Borchers and Olave on the pitch!) but Chris Schuler has recovered from that ‘mare nicely and made us miss Olave that much less.
Our second goal — oh, that goal! — came from the influential Luis Gil, the boy who again performed beyond his years, the boy who will grow to be a man on top of the game if he so chooses. I’m still quite gushing about him, and I think it’s a collective sort of thing. He’s quickly becoming a bit of a legend for the club, and I think he’ll play a sizable role in any honors we bring home at the end of the season. His path to the first team may have been paved with one disastrous injury and a series of unfortunate absences, but as a footballer, you have to be willing to take every single chance you get. He’s done that. So when Kyle Beckerman intercepted a shoddy throw-in and Luis captured his pass and moved into position perfectly to smash the ball from 22 yards past the immobile Frank Rost, the reaction was ecstatic. Here’s a kid who fans love not because he’s a big name, not because he has a big ego, but because he pushes as hard as he can for his team.
Our third goal was a bit routine, coming from a Saborio penalty won on a Roy Miller handball in the box. It was honestly a bit harsh on Miller, who didn’t make any movements toward the ball with his hands, and they were down at his side. Still, the contact was there, and it did affect the play, so there shouldn’t be too many complaints. Bouna Coundoul even got a bit of a hand to the penalty kick, but Saborio’s shot was too hard for a slight hand to keep it out. New York might feel a bit hard done by on the play, but it was simply unlucky and not particularly unjust.
There were certainly a few dangerous moments throughout the match for RSL, but all told, the backline did quite well to deal with everything coming their way. Our Espindola-Saborio combination didn’t pay out too heavily (the midfield worked their magic tonight for three goals), but it also didn’t feature strange histrionics or despicable drama. It was a nice sight against a good team and, with any luck, we’ll see that continue through the rest of the season. The focus, tactical awareness, and dedication from every man on the pitch was immense. We’ll need to move forward from this moment and carry the momentum.
The worst may or may not be over this season, and while I certainly hope this signifies a turn in form, remaining realistic and grounded will be essential. We can challenge for the Supporters’ Shield, but before that, we need to focus on stringing together the wins necessary.
More analysis in the coming days. I’ll also be reporting on Kyle Beckerman’s involvement (supposing he comes into play) with the U.S. Men’s National Team, so stick around for that if you’re interested.
So, until tomorrow, up the RSL!
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