Bullet Takeaways
- Oluwaseyi brace condemns RSL in toothless defeat
- Goalkeeper Cabral dependable again between the sticks
- Rookie Barea makes RSL debut
Story of the game
Minnesota United striker Tani Oluwaseyi proved the central protagonist on Saturday at Allianz Field, netting a brace on the night to consign Real Salt Lake to a chastening 2-0 defeat away in St. Paul, Minn., at the weekend’s latest round of MLS action in the first meeting between both sides this season.
Amid a steady onslaught of freezing rain, Head Coach Pablo Mastroeni’s side was toothless in possession and unfocused on defense, duly punished for collective ineptness, conceding twice – with each goal on either side of halftime – to succumb in a second consecutive domestic loss this season. Had goalkeeper Rafael Cabral not delivered yet another stellar performance, the scoreline would have looked significantly less respectable.
RSL arrived at the weekend’s contest with Captain Emeka Eneli (back spasms), USMNT midfielder Diego Luna and Polish international Dominik Marczuk once again available for selection to the starting lineup, looking to dispel the disappointment of the previous weekend’s home defeat to FC Dallas. Despite the hopefully triumphant return of the trio, RSL fell behind midway through the first half against the run of play, as a sloppy turnover on the water-logged pitch led to a Lions counter that saw a freely unpressured cross from the right find Oluwaseyi rising mightly, unmarked in the penalty area, to steer home a header into the near bottom corner.
Mastroeni laid out a bespoke tactical game plan to try and get the better of his opposite man, Eric Ramsay’s customary deep-defending setup. However, despite boasting the significantly greater share of the ball, the visitors struggled to enter deep into the attacking areas, unable to consistently create genuine chances, with little to show for all the possession – a consistent theme in recent months.
With the visitors at just a one-goal deficit coming out of the halftime break, RSL’s boss displayed his ruthless and aggressive side, four starters hauled off at halftime in a bid to jolt an early second-half response from his players. While the warm-bodied quartet of Jesus Barea, Zavier Gozo, Bode Hidalgo and Lachlan Brook entered the fray and provided life to the second half, ultimately it would all come to naught.
In the second half, a mostly offensive thinking RSL were subsequently caught cold at the back ten minutes in, when Oluwaseyi raced clear into the box on the counter and planted a finish to Cabral’s near post for the hosts’ second of the evening, resigning RSL to successive defeats for the second time this season, across eight games in all competitions.
Here, our Player Spotlight series discusses some of the more encouraging performances from an icy and dreary night in Minnesota.
Reliable Cabral impressive again
RSL fans were subject to a few familiar images on Saturday night: the sight of a sprawling Cabral at full stretch in attempt of a save or astonishing defiance of an opponent, one which seemingly never can get old.
The weekend’s result provided very few salvage points or silver linings at all to cling on to, far be it from this author to attempt turning stone into wine, but on a particularly dismal night in St. Paul, the Brazilian shot-stopper continued his own impressive personal start to the campaign with yet another positive, reliable display in front of the visitors’ goal.
The final score at the end of the night at the Allianz Field read a comfortable two-nil to the Loons. In truth, it could’ve easily been more, and not for the first time this season the former Napoli man has been the difference between an upright loss and a complete blowout. Forward Oluwaseyi could be seen beaming with pride at the end of full time following his two-goal heroics for the hosts. Inwardly, the Canada international would’ve been rueing his missed opportunities for a hattrick and even greater glory against the RSL ‘keeper, starting with what was his very first chance early on in the game.
Just over a quarter of an hour past kickoff, a ball right across the six-yard box found Oluwaseyi unmarked at the back post for what looked like a routine tap-in into an empty net. But the 24-year-old’s effort was somehow miraculously parried away by the left hand of Cabral, who then quickly recovered and closed down the space in time to put the striker off just enough to see him drag an ensuing rebound effort agonizingly wide.
That still hadn’t been Cabral’s first major intervention of the match. Less than three minutes earlier, the Brazilian came impressively off his line to close down the space between second striker Kevin Yeboah, who’d managed to get in behind the RSL defense, narrowing down the angle before diving low to keep out Yeboah’s equally low effort and spare the visitors’ early blushes on the night.
Just before halftime, Cabral again displayed his sweeping qualities, this time rushing 20 yards off his line and outside the penalty area to engage with Oluwaseyi and clear the ball away, following a defensive slip-up, after the striker had marginally broken through on goal.
Another pair of brilliant stops arrived near the end of the contest, with the 34-year-old perfectly positioned to execute a double save in the 86th minute – standing tall first to repel a powerful effort from substitute Robin Lod from inside the area before then easily gobbling up Oluwaseyi’s close-range volleyed follow-up.
By the end of the first half, the hosts had created an xG total of 1.91 from only 37 percent of possession, compared to RSL’s 0.10 from 63 percent, with Cabral’s three saves, and five by full time, largely helping to keep the scores respectable and prevent the Loons from running away with the tie.
Week after week, game after game, RSL’s imperial number 1 seems incapable of doing wrong. They say form is temporary whilst class is permanent, and the Brazilian shot-stopper provided a quintessential example of the latter on Saturday night
Energetic Barea looks lively on MLS debut
Rookie Jesus Barea also marked a personal celebratory milestone at the weekend, coming on at halftime to make his Major League Soccer debut for RSL.
A first-round December 2024 SuperDraft pick, Barea provided a lively bright spot and consistent focal point up top, displaying good holdup play and subtle touches and movements to find space and connect with teammates. The 22-year-old also enjoyed a few snapshot chances to score and twice drew strong saves from Loons goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair, one of which came from point-blank range in the six-yard box as the visitors chased a way back into the contest.
A solid first outing for the attacker, who remains highly regarded by the RSL coaching staff, promises the potential of even more opportunities in the near future and beyond, particularly as Mastroeni continues his search for the perfect antidote to bolster the Club's lack of offensive production.
What next for RSL?
RSL now welcome defending MLS Cup champions LA Galaxy to America First Field this Saturday, April 5, in a crucial home game for Mastroeni and Co. Kickoff for this match is slated for 2:30 PM MT, with tickets available at www.RSL.com/tickets.
