RSL Storylines: Chicho, Luna, Gómez: Glory Beckons for the Attacking Trinity

RSL Storylines: Chicho, Luna, Gómez: Glory Beckons for the Attacking Trinity

Hello, and welcome back to storylines!

Dare we say, it’s been a rather thrilling time these past few months here in Sandy, despite playing just four home games. These are exciting times to be Claret-and-Cobalt, home or away, and we could look back at any minute and wonder if we properly celebrated these “golden days.”

The date is now Thursday, July 11th, 2024, and your beloved Claret-and-Cobalt - with a record of 12W-3L-7T (22 games) currently sit amongst three teams atop the Western Conference standings, tied on points with both LAFC (43 pts from 21 games) and LA Galaxy (43 points from 23 games), with the best goal difference in the West at +21 (second only to Columbus overall at +22).

RSL wrapped up its most recent three-game home stint this past weekend in commanding fashion with a comprehensive 5-2 drubbing of Atlanta United at America First Field, courtesy a Diego Luna-inspired masterclass. The 20-year-old led the charge for the Claret-and-Cobalt on the night with a goal and a hat trick of assists, earning MLS Player of the Matchday honors, attacking with aplomb, further burnishing his reputation as one of the North America top division's most exciting prodigies.

The recent win was RSL’s 12th overall of the season, also representing the third time this year - all in just the last nine games - that RSL has scored up to five goals in a single match. The Claret-and-Cobalt have also now scored three or more goals in six of its last 10 home games this season, as well as 13 total goals scored in just four home matches since June 1, RSL’s 48 total league goals scored this year second only to Messi-led Miami.

RSL Head Coach Pablo Mastroeni and Co. now prepare for a three-game road week from July 13-20, a series of games which will no doubt provide a stern test of the team’s title mettle, beginning with a clash against an in-form Portland Timbers side this Saturday at Providence Park. Kickoff is slated for 8:25 MT.

Next Wednesday, July 17, sees Pablo’s men square off away against our Captain’s former side and West title rivals LAFC in a crucial blockbuster between the two Western pacesetters, the result of which will go a long way into shaping the destiny of the Claret-and-Cobalt this season. Kickoff for this match at BMO Stadium is at 8:45 PM MT, with a national audience on Fox Sports 1 in addition to the global Apple TV+ / MLS Season Pass distribution.

Saturday, June 20, then marks the conclusion of the three-game road stint with a tantalizing Rocky Mountain Cup rivalry clash against Colorado Rapids, with kickoff set for 7:30 PM MT. RSL next return home to America First Field on Thursday, Aug. 1, to host Atlas FC in a 7 PM MT kickoff in matchday 2 for West Group 8 in the Leagues Cup.

The stage is now set for another exciting round of games in what will surely continue to be a grueling examination of RSL’s title credentials this year. But Pablo and the boys have dealt with everything thrown at them thus far, and on the back of the best start to a season in franchise history, it surely would be foolhardy at this stage of the season to bet against Pablo’s boys. The stakes are now higher than ever before, and as always in storylines, we preview some of the most compelling narratives ahead of a fresh round of tantalizing fixtures.

Storylines

• Luna is magic! The 20-year-old continued his stunning personal campaign with a breathtaking display against Atlanta and will undoubtedly be crucial to Pablo’s plans going into the next round of games.
• Midfield Will be Key: Winning the midfield battle will be key for RSL, especially on the road, and the recent performances of Braian Ojeda will be crucial to this and will no doubt give Pablo confidence ahead of the first game against Portland Timbers.
• Chicho the Magnificent! RSL’s Captain and flagbearer made more history for himself reaching a record-equaling 17 league goals on Saturday night and now has the opportunity to etch his name firmly in the RSL history books with just one more goal. His Colombian compatriot, Gómez, also enjoying a sensational season, will also be a key player as part of RSL’s dynamic front-three going into the next round of games.

The Deep Dive

• Luna is magic! The 20-year-old continued his stunning breakout campaign with a breathtaking display against Atlanta and will undoubtedly be crucial to Pablo’s plans going into the next round of games.

Diego Luna is a man on a mission. Period. The objective? To put the world on notice. RSL’s diminutive creator-in-chief is a baller certified. The 20-year-old certainly put the league on notice on Saturday with a monumental display of creativity and attacking ingenuity, to sum up a truly jaw-dropping performance.

Three assists and a goal on the night earned him the crown for both that night’s man-of-the-match award as well as the weekly MLS individual honor. But this was more than just that, more than mere statistics; it was the manner in which he did it, the manner of his mastery, playing with a swagger and confidence that bespoke destiny, as if he had foreseen this performance all along. He granted Atlanta an hour of grace, a fleeting illusion of contention, before finally seizing the game with an iron boot and wrestling victory from the clutches of his opponents. Like a Roman gladiator in a coliseum. ¡Qué jugador! And this jugador is unstoppable right now.

Luna’s three assists in the match represented his second triple-assist game of the year (March 2, 30 home win v LAFC) and only the fourth time an RSL player has recorded three assists in a single contest in RSL’s 636-game MLS history (Fabian Espindola, 2012; and Pablo Ruiz, 2023). Luna’s 12 assists this season now rank him third in all of Major League Soccer, just behind reigning League MVP Lucho Acosta (17, Cincinnati) and global icon Lionel Mess (13, Miami), and one ahead of teammate Chicho Arango (11, RSL), all while adding to his personal goal tally of five goals this season after scoring in each of the two wins last week.

Indeed, it has been a campaign to remember for Luna, who has developed into one of the Club’s leading lights this season as part of a fearsome attacking trinity, including Captain Chicho Arango and dynamic winger Andres Gómez. Luna now has a chance with the remaining 12 MLS reg. season games to join his strike partners in the RSL history books.

With his 12 assists this year, Luna is merely three assists away from matching RSL’s single-season assist record of 15, set a decade-and-a-half ago by the iconic Javier Morales in 2008.

RSL has also never had three players each hit 20 combined goals and assists in a singular season. Already on 17 g/a this season, Luna is merely 3 more g/a away from hitting that threshold, alongside Chicho (17g/11a) and Gómez (12g/9a).

On the back of such a jaw-dropping performance last time out, and the astonishing season the midfielder is having, Luna will surely be one of the key men as the team tackles this upcoming grinding road stint. Luna has very often this season also proven to be the team’s most creative hub, regardless of field area. Nearly every single attack flows through him, and the 20-year-old will be one of the most important figures in the RSL arsenal in the team’s quest for silverware this season.

• Midfield Will be Key: Winning the midfield battle will be key for RSL, especially on the road, and the recent performances of Braian Ojeda will be crucial to this and will no doubt give Pablo confidence ahead of the first game against Portland Timbers.

Football is a simple sport. Two teams, 22 players, all chase after the ball for 90 minutes and whichever team wins the midfield battle in the end typically emerges victorious. More often than not, games are won in the midfield engine room, and this is perhaps true even moreso for teams playing away from home. Winning the midfield battle is critical in all games, as it allows teams the freedom to dictate the tempo, flow and pace of the game to help overwhelm opponents. This is always a key factor for RSL as it tackles its next set of fixtures, and at the fulcrum to achieving this time and time again will be midfielder Braian Ojeda.

RSL’s Paraguayan midfield dictator/destroyer is currently enjoying a rich vein of form, recently scoring his first goals in MLS, and his first for the club in 68 appearances, in the narrow 3-2 win over Houston Dynamo. With the goal, Ojeda also became the 105th goal-scorer in RSL’s 635-game history, amongst 210 players to have competed for the club in MLS action. The 24-year-old then followed it up with a second goal just three days later, scoring the third goal in the eventual 5-2 humiliation of Atlanta United at America First Field.

An unsung hero in midfield, Ojeda has proven to be one of the best and most consistent cogs in Pablo Mastroeni’s machine, and as a result has been a constant in the manager’s matchday squad since the start of the season. His undeniable quality and consistency this year has meant that he has started all but two of RSL’s 22 games this season - missing the 2-1 loss to Colorado Rapids on March 9 - which he didn’t feature at all in only due to suspension.

Ojeda’s consistent, immense, omnipresent displays in the middle of the park, particularly with his ball-playing attributes and the unique ability to dictate the tempo of games through sharp, precise and wide berths of passing ranges have helped RSL dominate matches and establish itself as a genuine title contender and one of the best teams in the country this season.

Often deployed as part of an unglamorous, workmanlike midfield engine room, Ojeda has made a total of 21 appearances this season, logging two goals and an assist.

In what will undoubtedly be a grilling examination of the team’s title resolve, the engine room consisting of Ojeda and second-year sensation Emeka Eneli as the pivots protecting the back four, establishing possession and serving as release valves, while linking in transition, are critical for for the Claret-and-Cobalt going into this difficult run.

• Chicho the Magnificent! RSL’s Captain and flagbearer made more history for himself, reaching a record-tying 17 league goals on Saturday night and now has the opportunity to etch his name firmly in the RSL history books with just one more goal. His Colombian compatriot, Andrés Gómez, also enjoying a sensational season, will also be a key player as part of RSL’s dynamic front three going into the next round of games.

We just cannot stop talking about Chicho, can we? But can you blame us? He is the flagbearer, the standard raiser, the most singular leading light of this team, wielding exploit after exploit with effortless finesse, outstanding devotion and impeccable leadership. A master of his craft. A true artist. Such magnificence demands the grandest of descriptions and the widest of attentions, but try as one might, none do justice to the true footballing artistry that is Chicho Arango.

RSL’s Captain made more history for himself on Saturday night, scoring a Club- record-tying 17th league goal of the season with a ferocious header at the back post from a Luna cross. With the goal, Chicho tied the Utah franchise’s single season record of 17 goals, set by legend Alvaro Saborio more than a decade ago, in 2012. The 29-year-old now needs just one more to break the long-standing mark and claim sole possession of the all-time single-season RSL scoring standard, and he has ample time and opportunities to do so, starting with Saturday night’s contest against Portland Timbers.

Chicho continued his record-breaking season in the team’s last road game as well, providing the game-winning assist late on Matt Crooks’ goal to become just the third-ever RSL player out of 210 to have a 10g/10a campaign, joining Jeff Cunningham (2006) and Albert Rusnák (2021). Chicho’s game-winning assist against SKC was also his team-high fifth of the year, out of 12 wins thus far in 2024.

His 63-yard wondergoal on June 1 against Austin made him just the eighth player in MLS history to reach 50 career MLS regular season goals in 79 games or fewer, and his eventual hattrick in that game made him the third-fastest MLS player to reach 25 goals and assists in a season this year, with only 17 games played at the time.

His 17 goals this season place him atop the MLS goalscoring charts, three ahead of his nearest competitors, to go with his 11 assists of the season making for a combined 28 direct goal contributions, the highest in the League thus far this season.

Indeed, it has been record after record for RSL’s freescoring, swashbuckling Colombian striking sensation in what has been a truly spectacular season thus far, far superseding literary description. Chicho Arango cannot merely be read about, he must be experienced. So you see? This is why the stories continue to wax lyrical about our Captain, and why record books will continue to echo his name even long after he’s gone.

Chicho’s Colombian compatriot, and RSL’s second top scorer this season, Andrés Gómez, has provided another shining light for the Claret-and-Cobalt this year, following in the footsteps of his Captain and forming the third arm of the team’s attacking trinity.

RSL’s dynamic Colombian winger has enjoyed a stellar campaign to date, with 11 goals and nine assists this season as part of a magical personal campaign for the second-year winger.

Against Austin in June, Gómez became just the third player under the age of 22 in MLS’ 29-years to provide a goal contribution in six consecutive games. The 21-year-old has also struck a strong, near-telepathic relationship with Chicho on the field. Los Cafeteros combined have now directly contributed 28 goals and 20 assists making for a total of 48 direct goal contributions for the pair in 21 RSL games this season, one of the most successful attacking pairings in Club history. Gómez’s 11 goals also places him at ninth on the MLS top scorers chart this season, and his nine assists place him at 13th on the list.

Chicho and Gómez have proven to be some of the most exciting players and talents in the country this season, in MLS reg. season action. And on the back of such successful collective and personal seasons, Pablo will be looking towards his attacking trinity (including Luna) to lead the way in attack as the team gears up for its upcoming difficult road stint. If RSL hopes to take anything positive away from its testing next set of fixtures, it will need all three playing at their absolute, devastating best.

With so many records on the horizon, could Saturday be the day the stars all allign for RSL’s fearsome front three? You’ll want to tune in to find out!

Enjoy the continued magic of RSL’s 2024 season starting Saturday, with an 8:00 PM MT kickoff in Portland on both Fox Sports 1 and MLS Season Pass / Apple TV+