Sebastian Jaime has found his form, but RSL’s struggles continue
Real Salt Lake’s up-and-down season shows no signs of evening out any time soon.
In the wake of a convincing midweek 2-0 win over the Portland Timbers in the US Open Cup followed up by a frustrating 1-1 draw against 10-man Orlando City in league play on Saturday night, it would seem that inconsistent is the new normal at Rio Tinto Stadium.
On a hot Wednesday evening at the Riot, RSL was eventually able to break down a Portland team that had clearly done its homework and had kept the Real midfield at bay during the first half. The breakthrough came on a wonderful through-ball from Olmes Garcia and a successful run and finish from Sebastian Jaime, whose run of goalscoring form has been impressive recently.
Missed opportunities continue to haunt RSL in league play, however — quite literally, in the case of the 1-1 draw with Orlando City. After a nice start upon which Real couldn’t capitalize, the team went down by a goal to the visitors thanks to Kaka.
Real was able to equalize on a well-taken header by Jaime, and it looked like RSL was on its way to a solid home victory when Kaka was sent off just before halftime. However, Orlando adjusted well tactically and put a lot of bodies behind the ball, frustrating Real and forcing them to drop points at home.
Perhaps most frustrating for the fans is that all of RSL’s inconsistency this season isn’t for a lack of effort, however. Jeff Cassar’s players are working hard and trying, but too often just can’t dictate and control a match for 90 minutes.
In many cases, one could argue that RSL plays hard, but doesn’t play smart. The players have found themselves in a situation where they seem “stuck” in a number of games this season. When that happens, it’s evident — the midfielders appear to run into brick walls, the strikers drop back to try and find the ball and end up just chasing, and the defenders hit vertical clearances that go to nobody because the forwards have dropped back.
Tactically, Real struggles to find the answer as to how to tweak things and move on against a well-organized opponent. Rather than creating width, attacking players tend to drift toward the center and try in vain to jam the ball down the center or right while the left is vacant. The lack of runs off the ball often forces turnovers, as the midfielders take too many touches on the ball while looking for a viable pass and ultimately give up possession.
Creating space and opportunities through unexpected runs off the ball are one way to overcome that frustration, as RSL’s first goal against Portland demonstrated. Rather than making the usual square pass or launching a hopeful cross into the box, Garcia put a simple but effective pass into space in front of him, where Jaime made a run to shake his defender and score the goal.
With at least one more match to play in the Open Cup, the CONCACAF Champions League coming up, and a host of league matches without the Gold Cup internationals, Real needs to find a way to play smarter, to be more flexible tactically, and to win matches, quite simply.
Otherwise, it’s going to be a very long summer.
