The CONCACAF Gold Cup is right around the corner and it will have an impact on Major League Soccer. Many teams will lose multiple players to this tournament to play with their national team. Until then, we had a weekend full of team’s at (close to) full strength. Here’s my recap of Week 12 in the MLS.
Team of the Week: DC United
Stating before Saturday night that DC United would walk into Jeld-Wen field and deliver Timber Joey and the boys their first home loss of the season would have brought forth tons of raised eyebrows and one humiliating moment. It wasn’t even a long-shot. It was impossible. Even after the game was over I still found myself confused and befuddled on how a team without Boskovic, McCarty, or Davies could shock the MLS with the road win. Despite Portland winning in nearly every category on the stat sheet, Ben Olsen did not let his team get swept into the aura rip-tide that so many clubs before them have suffered. The DC defense did well to clear Portland’s frequent wing service and the attack capitalized on mistakes. Has it always been that easy to win at Jeld-Wen?
Player of the Week: Colin Clark
Although the Houston winger played no more than 24 minutes last Saturday, he scored one of the biggest goals in his MLS career. Clark scored the game-tying goal with just minutes to spare last week in the Battle of Texas and helped give the Dynamo a much needed tie. Going from zero to hero in just a couple of minutes is deserving of some recognition.
Goal of the Week: Justin Mapp
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Who knew this guy was a long distance shooter before last week? He had two goals from outside the box with this one being the more stunning.
Real Salt Lake with Real Big Problems
Remember the good ol’ days? When Real Salt Lake were just a goal away from reaching the Club World Cup and forever being branded as the most successful MLS team to date. When the Rio Tinto was not just a stadium full of equal opportunity for both sides, but a thousand-seat hell-hole that was destined to only produce one result. As the rest of the MLS seems to forget, RSL fans are trying to hold on to the few moments of memory they still contain and use their detective skills to figure out what has been the cause of the recent damaging struggles. Here is the RSL cheat sheet of how to get out of this stunning slump.
The loss of Javier Morales certainly has played a significant role in RSL’s recent struggles, but Mondaini cannot be solely blamed for the club’s failure. DP Alvaro Saborio and Fabian Espindola have failed to supply constant pressure on opponent defenses and are playing too passive in the attacking third. Kyle Beckerman will also need to become more aggressive in 50-50 duels in order to produce positive counter attacks. They will all need to start playing to their potential if RSL has any hope of getting out of the gutter.
The fans will also need to help get this club back on the right track. Losing in the CCL Final was heartbreaking, but that doesn’t mean that fans can mourn for the next couple of months. With the Western Conference being stacked from head-to-toe this year, RSL needs the fan support for every tough home game if they have any chance at capturing the Supporter’s Shield. Losing home games could be the difference between winning the Shield and missing the playoffs for RSL.
Overall, RSL fans and players just need to relax. Panicking this early in the season will not make their road to glory any easier. And trust me, their road isn’t easy as it is. The club will lose DP Alvaro Saborio, Will Johnson, and Arturo Alvarez to Gold Cup duty next month in a difficult part of the schedule. The team could also lose MLS All-Star GK Nick Rimando if an injury occurs to one of the keepers for the US team. If the offense gets back on its feet and the team finally regains their balance after coming back down to earth, maybe the tide will reverse as quickly as it did last month.
(image courtesy of mlssoccer.com)
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