While much of the story of Real Salt Lake’s 2-2 draw at Orlando City on Sunday revolved around referee Chris Penso, there were plenty of subplots to follow as well: both sides’ tactical approaches at the start of the match, the adjustment to Real’s midfield, and the last five minutes of the game.
Just as in the midweek match against Tigres that saw RSL bounced out of the CONCACAF Champions League, there was plenty of potential evident in Real’s play. On the other hand, both matches showed that two of the hallmarks of RSL’s disappointing 2015 season — missed opportunities and late defensive collapses — are still haunting the team in 2016.
Early on, Orlando did a good job exploiting RSL’s issues with the 4-3-3, forcing the ball down Real’s left flank constantly. With Sunny Obayan on the right flank, Javier Morales pushing forward, and Kyle Beckerman sitting deep, there was no consistent midfield cover on that side of the field. The Lions’ consistent pressure paid dividends for them, as Demar Phillips came under fire frequently and found himself dismissed after a second yellow card before 20 minutes had passed.
However, after Phillips was sent off, RSL was forced to maintain more discipline and actually looked better defensively in the immediate aftermath. Real’s awareness on the pitch suddenly became much improved with regard to huge defensive gaps on the field, managing to frustrate OCSC enough to ride things out until the home side received a red card of their own and both sides were down to 10 men.
Orlando’s midfield was a bit unsettled by Kaka’s absence, and the home side looked more dangerous when moving the ball forward quickly rather than using a methodical build-up. Much of their late success came from vertical service and the physicality and speed of the Lions’ frontrunners. To their credit, OCSC kept playing to the final whistle, while Real had a late collapse for the second match in a row.
While the 4-3-3 does give Real more options going forward, it also requires midfielders to be more generalists than specialists. Beckerman and Morales are very much specialists — they’re among the best in the league at their respective roles. The formation is thus somewhat of a gamble for coach Jeff Cassar — RSL’s midfield will clearly need to work cohesively as a defensive unit.
Going forward, RSL’s gamble seems to be paying off. In two consecutive matches, Joao Plata has found himself on the end of good service from the right flank — this time, it was Burrito Martinez providing the pass. Plata, Martinez, Morales, and Yura Movsisyan are already combining well and putting opposing defenses under a lot of pressure.
For all of that scoring potential, however, Real is still incredibly vulnerable in the back. Orlando managed to score twice with only 40 seconds between them, taking a direct approach and exploiting RSL’s weakest point — central defense.
The team no longer has the pure speed in the back to bail them out of positioning mistakes, and playing a high line is risky in that regard. Team defense is critical to RSL’s success given the current options at center back — not only does the back four need to be very smart when pushing up high, but the players in front of them need to do their part and prevent long balls from being played in the first place.
What caused Real to collapse so spectacularly? Even Cassar seemed flummoxed by it. In a post-match interview, he seemed unable to pinpoint the exact problem, wondering if it was a lapse in concentration, a lack of fitness, or something else.
Regardless of the cause, with Seattle coming to Salt Lake for the home opener this weekend, Cassar and his team need to sort things out quickly. If RSL has any hopes of making the playoffs in what looks to be a highly competitive Western Conference, they must improve at home — Real simply cannot afford to settle for a single point against conference rivals at Rio Tinto Stadium.
With all of the talent Cassar and his staff have assembled, there’s no excuse for the kinds of collapses RSL had on Sunday. The lessons of 2015 need to sink in quickly, or Real is in for a very long season.
