Luis Gil celebrates his first half goal against the Sounders (Salt Lake Tribune)
So I get it that this is a few days late, but hey, I had to work all weekend so this is really the first chance I've had to sit down and write about the match. I love it when the Seattle Sounders come to town, because they always play, instead of trying to just soak up RSL's attack. Unfortunately for Seattle, RSL came out really well and if it were not for the heroics of Michael Gspurning, the match might have been over at halftime.
I thought the first half was some of the best football RSL had played to this point, and that was despite not having Alvaro Saborio in the lineup or Javier Morales in the midfield. Set pieces looked especially strong, and from where I was sitting, it didn't really look like the Sounders were quite ready for the different looks that RSL threw at them.
I'm also very happy for Robbie Findley, who I've been critical of lately. He notched the first goal of the match and his first of the season in the 8th minute. The goal was precipitated by a long throw in play (who needs Nigel Reo-Coker?) which Robbie managed to turn into the net after Big Dev Sandoval's shot was blocked but not cleared. Findley came out a few minutes later after suffering an injury on the play, but Seattle didn't really do much better against Joao Plata.
The midfield was excellent in attack as well as both Luis Gil and Sebastian Velasquez were literally all over the place. Gil himself notched the second goal in minute 34, capitalizing off one of RSL's set pieces. The Sounders defense seemed baffled as Sebas took a short corner to Ned Grabavoy, who put a picture perfect set up ball toward the top of the box, where Gil dropped a headed shot inside the far post to make it 2-0.
Seattle ratcheted things up a notch in the second half. They took a little more possession and finally got a goal in the 57th minute. Brad Evans had a shot deflected and in off the far post to make it 2-1, and there wasn't much Rimando could do.
Sensing the tide shifting a bit, coach Kreis brought Javier Morales into the game for his first minutes of 2013. While the Claret and Cobalt didn't score again, they were able to keep the attacking initiative for most of the match, and held on to beat Seattle 2-1.
First a quick word about Seattle. Their defense was all over the place, leaving Gspurning exposed to a pretty much constant firing squad throughout the match. It's really the first time that I've seen Seattle really over-matched at the back, though I certainly don't watch all of their matches. I was also stunned to see Eddie Johnson and Obafemi Martins, as well as Mauro Rosales, come out to start the second half already trailing 2-0. Knowing that the Sounders had a huge CCL tie on Tuesday, if I were Sigi, I might have kind of thrown in the towel. Props to him for not doing that, but I think it's fair to say that this hurt Seattle in CCL. Both Johnson and Martins either picked up or aggravated previous knocks, and both Rosales and Zakuani played 90 minutes on the road, at altitude. Johnson and Martins missed the CCL match entirely, while Rosales and Zakuani came in late in the second half did not effect the match which Seattle dropped to Santos 0-1.
As for RSL, it was great to see Findley amongst the goals again. Unfortunately, he looks to perhaps be out two to four weeks with that lower body injury. Joao Plata also pulled a hamstring late in the match. Coach Kreis said he might be available this weekend. Sabo looks to play against Colorado. Also, much credit to "Big Dev Sandoval" who was constantly causing Seattle problems in and around the penalty area. Great job by the rookie. You know goals are coming soon for this kid.
All in all it was a great time effort, and it's hard for me to find much to critique, though I'm sure coach Kreis disagrees. Much like the San Jose match, it showed what this team is capable of. I just hope they can hit that potential with some consistency.
Now I'm going to try something knew, merging my hockey and football fandoms. My three stars of this game (can be from either side)
3rd Star--Michael Gspurning (GK--Seattle Sounders)
2nd Star--Devon Sandoval (F--Real Salt Lake)
1st Star--Luis Gil--(MF--Real Salt Lake)
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