RSL v “RSL East” – Well, that was anti-climactic…

RSL v “RSL East” – Well, that was anti-climactic…

by Kali Korbis

No luck for Kreis in Rio Tinto return

When the 2015 MLS schedule was released, many Real Salt Lake fans picked out May 23 as one of the biggest matchdays of the season.

After all, New York City FC would be coming to visit Rio Tinto Stadium, with former RSL coach Jason Kreis leading his much-hyped team back into town.

With names such as David Villa and Mix Diskerud on the roster, plus a legion of former Real players and staff also on the NYCFC payroll, RSL fans were understandably excited for the fixture.

The jokes about “RSL East” were flying in the days leading up to the match, and several fans made signs and banners for the occasion, including one featuring Kreis as Kanye West’s famed golddigger.

The match itself, however, hardly lived up to the quasi-rivalry status that it had accumulated.  Real got a much-needed 2-0 victory, and could have scored more were it not for a few key saves from NYC’s Josh Saunders in the first half.

In fact, RSL came out looking rather flat in the opening minutes, and NYCFC seemed to be dominating the midfield. Real struggled to deal with runners coming out of the midfield once again, and on the other side of the ball, some players seemed to go missing.

A stronger team would have made RSL pay for its weak start, but the rather hapless visitors failed to capitalize on any of the corner kicks they had early in the match.

In addition, Jamison Olave appeared to positively relish the challenge of defending Villa, keeping the former Spain international from getting many looks on goal.

John Stertzer’s goal came at a perfect time for RSL — as the match wore on, Real looked much more dangerous going forward.  Saunders’ acrobatics in goal kept things scoreless, however, and the match looked like it was about to settle into frustration for RSL.

Stertzer found himself on the right end of some nice combination play, and his finish was well-taken, putting Real up 1-0.  Meanwhile, NYC’s night was about to get much worse — the goal tipped the momentum firmly in RSL’s favor for the remainder of the half.  Alvaro Saborio’s goal early in the second half seemed to put the nail in NYCFC’s coffin, and some of their players seemed to actually give up at that point.

Javier Morales was able to make his long-awaited return from a concussion in the second half, and that brought more energy to RSL’s attack but didn’t result in any more goals.  Joao Plata also made his 2015 debut after a long injury layoff, but didn’t have much time to make an impact on the scoreline.

With Morales and Plata both returning, and the confidence gained from scoring twice from the run of play, things should be looking up for Real.  However, NYCFC isn’t a top-caliber opponent at this point in the season; Kreis’ side racked up quite a bit of possession early on, but ultimately crumbled.

The next week will be a much sterner test for RSL.  With road matches at LA midweek and Vancouver next weekend, the roller coaster ride Real has kept its fans on all season long may not be ending any time soon.

Ultimately, despite the positives that come with beating NYCFC at home, RSL has a huge six days ahead.  While the LA and Vancouver matches may not come with as much hype, they’ll be far more critical to determining how Real’s season will go — they certainly shouldn’t be anti-climactic.