SANDY, Utah — RSL hit a relatively rough patch in recent weeks — at
least by their own high standards — winning just once in the five games
prior to their 2-0 defeat of the Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday.
But many had to ask: What caused the downturn? Was it a hangover from
the Champions League loss over a month ago? Was it a result of losing
star playmaker Javier Morales to a gruesome injury? Or was it a case of
not doing those things that brought about their sustained period of
success?
Though it’s impossible to know with certainty — and it’s possible that
all of these contributed to some degree — there are some reasonable
conclusions that can be reached based on certain facts.
FACT: In the three games in which they were shutout,
RSL managed a little over eight shots on average, compared with more
than 13 shots per game this season. Conversely, in the team’s three
multi-goal games, the team registered nearly 17 shots.
CONCLUSION: As Arsène Wenger (and others) have been
known to point out so astutely: If you don’t shoot, you can’t score.
It's obvious, but the story here is that though improved finishing
always helps, when RSL have struggled it has been because they have
failed to create enough chances.
“We’ve got too many guys that are OK with letting someone else do the
job, or take the responsibility, or have the final pass or take the
shot,” Kreis said. “We need more guys to step up and say, ‘I’m going to
do it.’”
FACT: When RSL have gone scoreless in a match, they
averaged 61 percent possession; however, they managed only 57 percent
possession in games in which they scored more than one.
CONCLUSION: While possession is a key component in
soccer, RSL’s already obscene possession stats are more than sufficient
for getting results. If you have the majority of the ball, it instead
becomes a question of what you do with it, when you have it. A few
percentage points of possession one way or another may not be all that
important.
FACT: In the three games in which they scored multiple
goals, RSL committed 15 fouls. On average for the season, the team
committed 20 percent fewer fouls (12) per game.
CONCLUSION: The team has been more successful when
they scrap and fight hard for the ball. This fight manifests itself in a
higher-than-usual foul count.
“Because when [successful teams] lose [possession], they're pressing
back instantaneously to get the ball back,” said Kreis during the team’s
scoreless streak. "That's a part of our game I think we've really let
slip."
FACT: In the three games without a goal, RSL
registered just three offside calls, as opposed to more than five
offside whistles in the rest of their matches.
CONCLUSION: As with the foul count, being aggressive
is important, and while offside calls are frustrating to the strikers
receiving the whistle, it’s a sign that they are pushing the envelope
— which may ultimately lead to the desired result: goals.
Whatever the factors, Kreis is hopeful that his team is finally turning
the corner after a 2-0 victory at home against Vancouver.
“I feel like just a breath of fresh air in the team, and that breath
came when Jean [Alexandre] scored that first goal,” said Kreis. “I’m
hopeful that we can turn what was a very positive match on Saturday into
a couple of positive matches in a row here."