Rimando saves last minute Galaxy PK but lightening the only thing to strike
RSL ratings by Aowobin Rahman
Nick Rimando (7.5): Came up big on the most crucial moment of the game in the 90th minute when he saved a Juninho penalty. His late heroics might have saved RSL more than a point in the grand scheme of things – conceding a goal at the death after having edged LA for most of the game might have dented RSL confidence severely, particularly given the fact that four out of their next five fixtures are on the road. Also made a decent save off an Alan Gordon header in the second half.
Tony Beltran (6.5): Was solid in his right-back position. The pace of Jamieson and Zardes meant that he could not venture forward as often, but the veteran full-back put in a decent shift nonetheless.
Elias Vasquez (6.5): Was tasked to cope with Zardes’ pace, and for the most part, kept the Galaxy forward quiet. There was a moment in the first half when he was forced into a drag race with Zardes, but Vasquez’s athleticism got him first to the ball. He did lose his man late in the first half, but Zardes’ header over the bar let the young defender off the hook.
Jamison Olave (6.5): Similar to his defensive partner, he was asked to mark Alan Gordon for most of the game, and was barely challenged for most of the game. A quiet game from Gyasi Zardes meant that the forward could not isolate the RSL veteran in one-on-one situations.
Demar Phillips (5): While the full-back can hardly be faulted for work-rate or attacking intent, he remains the weakest defender of the back four. A lot of Galaxy’s threats seemed to come from this side of the pitch – although to be fair, that is partially due to the fact that Jordan Allen does not provide as much of a defensive cover as Luke Mulholland. The penalty was controversial at best – so it would be harsh to fault him for that, but performances like today’s would hardly quell claims that Mansally is a better defensive option.
Kyle Beckerman (5): Had a poor game by his usual high standards – played a few loose balls throughout the game and came out second best to a few 50/50 challenges. He was also caught high up the pitch at crucial transitions: on one occassion, his loss in possession almost allowed Zardes through on goal on a counter-attack. With forward-surging players like Allen and Gil in the diamond midfield, Beckerman might have been better-off playing much deeper.
Luke Mulholland (6.5): Seems to enjoy playing the inside-right of the diamond, as it allows him to make defensive covers and surge forward without asking him to make too much ground. Had a good all-round game overall.
Jordan Allen (7.5): Provided a bright spark throughout the game as his pace and directness of his game troubled the LA defense. Has good positional intelligence and does seem to have vision to play killer balls from deeper positions, although his fine skills on the ball means he could be deployed higher up the pitch. Although Luis Gil remains the favorite, coach Jeff Cassar might consider him as a long-term replacement for an aging Javier Morales in the no. 10 role.
Luis Gil (7.5): Had a brilliant game throughout and might be the player who benefited most from a shift back to the old 4-4-2 diamond system. Previously played out wide where he was largely ineffective; he could play to his strengths today when deployed at the tip of the diamond – making late runs to the box and lateral runs to overload full-backs, as well as threading balls to forwards from narrow spaces. Gil’s brilliance in the game was personified in the 40th minute, when he left Galaxy full-back Dan Gargan for dead and played a killer ball to Saborio on goal. Only a poor touch from the RSL forward kept the score level on that ocassion.
Alvaro Saborio (5.5): Paired with Sandoval for this game, the Costa Rican had an increased responsibility to work the channels in the opening minutes. With a partner to work with and some license to drop slightly deeper, the forward definitely was more involved with the game compared to some of the previous games. Nonetheless, this was another game where the usually-prolific forward went goalless, as he squandered at least three opportunities from promising positions in the final third. It wouldn’t be unfair to say Saborio’s lack of confidence in front of goal somewhat contributed to RSL’s recent goal drought.
Devon Sandoval (6.5): The young forward doesn’t make the starting XI as often as he’d like (particularly when Saborio is playing), but here he gave a good account of himself. Sandoval was playing more of a “poacher” role in the opening minutes as Saborio dropped deep and made lateral runs, but he was happy to switch roles during the course of the game. He still needs to be a bit more decisive in front of goal particularly with Saborio misfiring, but his hold-up play was commendable throughout.
Substitutions:
Olmes Garcia (6): Injected some pace into the RSL front-line replacing Sandoval, and showed that he’s best deployed as a pure-forward.
Sebastian Saucedo (N/A): Came on late for Luke Mulholland.
