It might not be the MLS Cup or the Supporters’ Shield, but for the fifth consecutive season, we hold in our hands the Rocky Mountain Cup after our 0-0 draw with those folks from Colorado. It wasn’t exactly pretty, and at times, it was simply frustrating to watch, but it feels a bit like a dirty win (though it was no win, I know that).
It was as odd a match to see as it could have been though: We kept little to no possession; our midfield with three attacking midfielders and one defensive midfielder was defensively and lacked any tooth in attack — but you know, we were defensively assured of ourselves, and after four losses, it’s hard to ask for anything more.
I admit, I was a little frustrated to see Jean Alexandre coming in for Luis Gil with but a minute left in stoppage — a pragmatic move, certainly, but not a daring one, and at that point, that we would be happy with a draw was made clear.
Some tactical notes from the match:
- With about 20 minutes to go, it was made clear that Javier Morales is still reaching for 90 minutes fitness: He and Luis Gil basically switched spots on the field, and the 17-year-old held the wide attacking line alongside Espindola.
- That’s something that was actually very interesting: We got to see how wide Javi plays with Espindola, and I think it’s clear that’s a great look for us — we’ve lacked, I think, vital width in the last few months.
- If you couldn’t tell just by watching the match, our passing game was off. When it came down to the wire, we made 268 successful passes and missed 115 — only 70 percent of our passes were completed. That’s painful.
- Yordany Alvarez looked reasonably strong, and while he doesn’t break up as much play as Kyle Beckerman does, he did track back well and made some vital tackles. And while he didn’t make many passes, he was accurate when he did — there’s that.
- At times, we lacked the ability to get the ball forward and it was lumped toward Saborio — who, while good in the air, is no target man in the traditional sense, and the long ball game doesn’t help our chances. Both Andy Williams and Luis Gil took up defensive positions, and while their solid play was nice to see, I do think we could have looked better if they’d got forward just a bit faster.
- As Jason Kreis said in his post-match interview with ESPN700, the effort was great, and that’s something to be applauded from our side.
Right, that’s all for now, but I’ll take another look at the match and report back in the coming days. Only one thing matters today: We kept the Rocky Mountain Cup and we did it at their place. And before I sign off, I’d be remiss to not mention the incredible effort from our traveling fans. You’ve made all of RSL Nation proud tonight, friends.
‘Til tomorrow. Up the RSL!
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