Losses are tough to take on their own. When that loss comes on the back of a performance like the one we saw at the Rio Tinto — well, that’s another matter altogether. An organized Columbus Crew that was motivated and successful from the first whistle tore apart a Real Salt Lake eleven that never looked comfortable or fully awake.
When it came time to defend, something very unfortunate happened: We didn’t. At least, not as well as we could have. Chris Schuler, who came in for the injured All Star, Jamison Olave, certainly will shoulder his fair share of the blame for the result, but defense is not something only done by four players in the back.
Few players get off with a positive report from the match:
- Nick Rimando kept RSL from going 3, 4, or 5 down early on and looked generally as capable as ever. He will have to do more direction of the defense with Schuler in the side, it seems.
- Kyle Beckerman, though not his usual self, didn’t let too many passes escape him. When heads dropped, his stayed up just a bit — but it wasn’t enough. As captain, he should be doing more to pick the side up.
- Ned Grabavoy was clean in the middle and while he could have done better early on in keeping the ball (as could have his fellow midfielders) he didn’t do too much wrong and never looked like giving up.
- Luis Gil came home from the Milk Cup in Northern Ireland yesterday and came into the match in the second half. His influence was immediate, and while it didn’t make a difference in the scoreline, he was running at every last ball, trying to grab an assist or a goal. I hope his work will see him start against Sporting KC. If he hadn’t likely been jet-lagged or tired, he probably would have started instead of Jean Alexandre.
- Fabian Espindola was full of running, and while he grew more and more frustrated with the match as it went on — and got involved post-match when should have just walked away — he presented some very good service to Jean Alexandre. He’s very hungry, and I like that.
The first goal, scored by Eddie Gaven but made possible by a strong run from Robbie Rogers, was the result of lazy and unorganized defending. Schuler, who played on the left on the night, was caught on the right when Rogers dribbled past him with shocking ease. Chris Wingert tucked inside to fill the hole left by Schuler, Robbie Russell tried to win the ball, and Nat Borchers was left marking the other logical passing option. It was amateur stuff. Schuler came too wide, crowding Russell’s positioning and leaving a huge gap in the center of defense. Chris Wingert perhaps could have done better, but he never should have had to come into the central position to begin.
The second goal, scored by Tommy Heinemann but again made possible by Robbie Rogers, was sadly again the result of a Schuler error. When Rogers swings a cross in — one I’d have hoped Robbie Russell could have prevented — Schuler moves in on Borchers’ man then backs off, leaving Heinemann with only Wingert on his back. Schuler is caught out, can’t defend the Heinemann on the ball, and his header is only partially blocked by Rimando and makes its way to the back of the net.
While Schuler certainly improved through the match, those first ten minutes were our downfall, and he cannot escape the blame for the goals. Throughout the night you could see Schuler trying to play across the back, moving in on the positions of other defenders and leaving huge holes in the midfield. We’re lucky, I think, that the game didn’t end in a worse scoreline. Chris Wingert reportedly has taken on the blame for the goals — and certainly he played a part — but if the central defender sticks to his position, Schuler’s in a better position to defend — not having to step in because of poor marking.
At 2-0 down, the side didn’t look like coming back. After some good first opportunities, frustration kicked in, and their mentality turned inescapably negative. It’s a problem we’ve seen with this side at times — they haven’t responded entirely well to the numerous setbacks they’ve experienced.
But you know? It’s not the end of the world. This is a side capable of bouncing back. Let’s hope they do exactly that on Wednesday.
I’ll address more specifics of the match tomorrow, including a tactical analysis and some screen caps that will show exactly how Columbus scored.
‘Till tomorrow. Keep your heads up!
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