Well, it seems as though the same old RSL story is being told again. A 2-0 lead is brought down by the great David Beckham. And yet, I don’t have the same bitter taste. We dominated possession, we had the better chances, we even took them better, but apparently it’s not enough. I really can’t figure out why this team isn’t getting the results it deserves. I think our defense played very solid, the Olave/Borchers central back pairing worked very well. We contained Donovan the entire time, he was practically a zero factor. The problem was that when someone came out of their midfield, we found it more difficult to contain them (see Beckham goal #1). But that’s something that we need to work on. Our midfield played with pace and control. There were even a few fancy footwork things, which is what makes RSL so much fun to watch. The forward line had their best game thus far. We had scoring opportunities being worked on by both forwards, and not just the midfield. The Deuchar/Espindola combo is what seems to work best, and once they’re both up to 100%, we’ll have a killer front line. Now individual players:
- Nick Rimando (8): Nicky had a great game, and the two goals were unstoppable. Made a great save on Donovan’s one chance.
- Tony Beltran (8): Tony is easily my favorite defensive player on RSL. He’s doing really well for himself considering all the doubts that people have had about him. I like how he can get into the attack and still gets back every time. He’ll be a great addition for years to come, and deserves that starting spot.
- Nat Borchers (6): Nat was solid again, but he didn’t seem to be himself the entire game. His little stumble over the ball toward the end of the first half scared me, but hopefully we won;t see much more of that.
- Jamison Olave (7): Olave’s size and speed are a huge asset to our defense. I really like this guy. He doesn’t have the best feet, but his defensive positioning makes up for it. I think he should start the rest of the season.
- Chris Wingert (5): Wingert has been below his regular standard recently. Beckham’s first goal could have been prevented if Wingert would have just stepped up instead of hesitating. I hope he picks it up soon, or I might have to slide Joy into this spot again.
- Dema Kovalenko (7): I thought Dema did a great job in the D-Mid position. He didn’t make any bad giveaways like we’ve seen from Talley, and held the midfield well. This just seemed like a more natural position for him. I loved the hack-fest going on between him and Franchino all night.
- Kyle Beckerman (8): The heart and soul of our midfield. Don’t know what we’d be without him.
- Andy Williams (6): HIs age seems to be a little bit of a burden, as he can’t really keep running as long as the other guys. And yet, Andy still makes an impact in every game, and makes fans want more.
- Javier Morales (7): Javi’s offensive prowess brings a lot to this team. He’s a great distributor of the ball. I think what he really needs is to be more consistent with his set pieces, he overshot a few, and then underhit a bunch too.
- Kenny Deuchar (8): I like this guy more and more every game. His goal was great. The disallowed goal was a poor call, he was clearly onside. I think he was a good pickup by Garth.
- Fabian Espindola (7): He played a great game, even with the nagging injury. The goal he scored was a great touch that played well with the turf. When he’s back to 100%, he’ll be great.
- Robbie Findley (5): His touch was better than it has been recently, but he’s still not the player I remember from last year. We need him to pick it up.
- Yura Movsisyan (4): Yura has not been great at all this season. He can’t pick up his head when he has the ball, which is a huge problem for him. His skill at taking players on is all I really like about him.
- Matias Cordoba (7): Didn’t see much of him, but I think that when he gets in the groove, he’ll get some good time.
