8/4/07 Houston @ RSL

2 games. That's how many games I have been able to attend this year (of course I watch all the others on TV, but I digress). Which games have I been to, you may ask. That would be June 23rd vs. DC (in the big Ben Cup game) and August 4th vs. the Dynablow. Now look back on RSL's season...go ahead, I'll wait... What 2 games have they won? Oh, that would be 6/23 vs. DC and 8/4 vs. Houston. Coincidence? I think not. I am obviously a good luck charm of the highest caliber. So what I'm saying is RSL needs to pay me to go to the games. And they need to do it now. :) Anyway, on to the review.

I went to this game with my Ben Cup rival DCU Ben (and his DCU-loving wife), their first at the RES. Ben was immediately taken by the size and niceness of the stadium, mainly by virtue of forgetting that it was THE Olympic stadium in 2002. We got in and found our seats which they thought were great, especially with the proximity of the field to the seats. RFK, apparently, sets the field out a couple miles from the stands. This was about all the good news we were expecting on the day, to be honest, what with RSL's dismal season and Houston's 11 game unbeaten streak. The completely terrible (I was actually laughing halfway through it was so bad) National Anthem performance and the 10 minute wait between the kids making the "human tunnel" and the players actually coming out didn't help any positive mojo that may have been in the building. Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity, we were ready for kickoff.

RSL came out looking surprisingly strong right from the start. Also, I decided right from the start that I was to harass Stuart Holden for the evening. No real reason why, he was just there. But if you heard someone yelling "Stuuuuart" in a high-pitched, semi-nerdy voice in E37, that was me. hahaha Anyway, RSL came out with an attacking mentality that you don't normally see from them. The problem was that the finishing was as awful as ever. If you have a clear shot on the goal anywhere inside the penalty area you need to put it on frame, boys. Make the goalie work. Pattycakes Onstad saw plenty of shots in the first half but really didn't have to save any of them. The other problem in RSL's attack is that there is way too much hesitation before critical plays are made. Instead of sending in an early dangerous cross, RSL feels the need to perform 2, 3, 4, or more step-over moves and the like before crossing. It may make the cross a little easier, but it also allows the defense to get into position and negate any advantages you may have gained on the wing. Just attack already. However, this is not to say RSL had a bad half. Far from it. They controlled the game and possession throughout the half and with some decent finishing, could have had at least 2 goals. Despite a lack of finishing from both, Beckerman and Findley looked very dangerous, with Beckerman juking past defenders and Findley just burning past them. I hope to see more games like this out of these 2 in the future. Halftime: 0-0
Half grade: A- (higher with a goal or two)

The second half started much like the first, but with one exception, Holden was subbed at halftime (I'm sure he was too upset from my constant heckling to come back out) for Nate Jaqua. I never noticed it before, but Jaqua is HUGE. He looked like a mack truck out there on the field. Too bad for him he (apparently) doesn't know how to put that size to his advantage, he must've had a foot on Kipre. With this minor setback I decided to shift my attention to Craig Waibel and his sweet receding hairline. Lookin' good buddy! Anyway, for a while the game continued to go RSL's way, with solid midfield and defensive play and some (gasp!) decent runs by the attackers. Kipre and, even more so, Wingert were both in on the attack throughout the game and provided some much needed support on the wings for the attack. RSL was jobbed in the 49th minute when Kyle Brown was breaking to a loose ball near the Houston goal only to be fouled by Houston (Robinson I believe) who then flopped and negated a sterling RSL chance. Did I mention the officiating was terrible, cuz yeah, it was. RSL held this momentum until shortly after the sub of Jamie Watson for Chris Brown in the 66th minute. For some reason, Houston's intensity went way up at this point. They created some chances and controlled the game for about 10-15 minutes. They even drew a dangerous foul call just outside the box (nearly identical to the one last week vs. the NERds) on a pretty dive from Ngwenya. Side note: Houston likes to dive. A lot. Watching Ngwenya and Ching and how often they are "cut down" it's amazing they don't need wheelchairs...losers... Anyway, unlike Larentowicz, Mulrooney stepped up and just chunked the free kick to keep the game even. About 80 minutes in the game started to even back out a bit, with neither team looking dangerous. Then, it happened. RSL and it's 10 goals in the final 15 minutes of games against Houston and their 0. Guess who scored? Robbie Findley, on his 22nd birthday no less, took advantage of a late defensive mistake (how many times have we heard that on our side), grabbed an errant pass from the Houston back, and calmly, but surely, buried it past Pattycakes for the 1-0 lead. The place went N U T S. Absolutely 100% John "Ape" Schmidt. At this point, Houston threw everything including the kitchen sink at RSL but were unable to beat the defense and Rimando, despite a couple dangerous miscues that left the door open. Then after what seemed like an eternity of extra time, the ref finally blew his whistle and RSL had won. It was a beautiful thing. Well done boys. And well done the fans that were there for still coming out and being loud. Good times, good times.
Half grade: B+

Pros:
-I was actually at the game
-My friends from out of town were able to enjoy a game with nice weather, a grass field, an excitable crowd, and a RSL win!
-They won!
-Possession was much better in this game than many others recently.
-RSL actually looked dangerous in attack.
-Ballouchy for Beckerman
-Freddy and his 10% effort were not there to bring us down
-Robbie scored on his birthday!
-Sturgis is mean and not afraid of a hit. Him and Atiba make for 2 crazy mofos who are fun to watch.
-RSL won!

Cons:
-The ref was putrid. Even by MLS standards.
-Houston's flopping.
-There were too many kids there, which prevented me from making any Ryan Cochrane jokes. It was disappointing. I'm just glad my last name doesn't sound like a sexual aid.
-Another bye week after a win. Frustrating.


Game grade: A-
Good effort, just need to finish better


Player grades:
Nick Rimando-8 Made BIG saves when needed
Jean-Martial Kipre-6 Played well, but Houston picked on him in the 2nd half to some effect
sub(Chris Lancos 79)-6 Didn't get a lot of action but played well
Ritchie Kotschau-8 Perhaps the game of his life, very steady in central defense
Eddie Pope-8 Did his usual "clean up everyone's messes" routine
Chris Wingert-8 Defended admirably, added to the attack often, nice job on corners
Chris Brown-6 Quiet, but team seemed to drop off without him
sub(Jamie Watson 66)-6 Played OK, but team's drop after his sub was odd
Kyle Beckerman-8 Got into everything, showed nice moves, pushed forward well
Nathan Sturgis-8 Bonus point for his awesome mean, reckless takedowns! Sweet!
Carey Talley-6 Solid game, but unspectacular
Robbie Findley-9 Bonus point for the goal, ran defense absolutely ragged. Best game since DC
Kyle Brown-7 Played surprisingly well, pressured defense
(Atiba Harris 79)-7 Good hustle, actually played smart (his late run to the corner flag)

RSL Man of the Match: Robbie Findley-HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Assclown of the week: The ref. From imagining RSL players knocking balls out of bounds to falling for some of the worst dives on Earth, you earned this one buddy!

ps-pictures (hopefully) coming soon