RSL Monday morning center back: The 0-0 draw edition

RSL Monday morning center back: The 0-0 draw edition

by Kali Korbis

To say that Real Salt Lake and Sporting Kansas City have a bit of a history would be an understatement.

That history goes back several years, with heated preseason matches, well-contested regular season outings, and of course, the 2013 MLS Cup, which SKC won in a penalty shootout.  Naturally, when Sporting was re-assigned to the Western Conference this season, many RSL fans were looking forward to those particular fixtures.

Unfortunately, Saturday’s 0-0 draw wasn’t exactly an epic match.  Real did little more than defend for the first 45 minutes.  Kansas City’s high pressure in the midfield forced RSL into making mistakes and turning the ball over, making it difficult to transition into the attack.

However, Elias Vasquez had a fantastic MLS debut, partnering well with Jamison Olave to keep the likes of Dom Dwyer at bay.  Defensively, it was an outstanding performance from RSL as a collective, managing the run of play as well as the threat SKC posed on set pieces and long throw-ins.

The second half saw Real looking a bit more composed, but still unable to find many scoring opportunities.  The attack improved when Jordan Allen came on for Luis Gil in the 65th minute; although that didn’t translate into shots on goal, it did demonstrate Allen’s ability to put his imprint on a match.

So… what can RSL really take away from a 0-0 draw?  Defensively, a lot — the team has continued to show progress on that front since the Philadelphia match, and Vasquez looks to be a solid addition to the team.  Luke Mulholland continues to make a case for a starting role in the midfield, and several players have demonstrated their versatility by playing in different positions.

On the other hand, the 4-3-3 continues to be a work in progress.  Although its advantages have been evident on several occasions so far this season, Saturday was not one of them.  With a home match against Western Conference leaders Vancouver coming up this weekend and a visit to New England the following week, RSL has some tough fixtures ahead — Real will need to find the same sort of consistency in the attack as it has defensively.