2024 PLAYOFF GAME 2 RSL visits Minnesota United Saturday, November 2, 7:00pm

Only one of those was saved, right? I think that's the rough part.

 

What’s the appropriate amount to train?
It’s a 90 min game before that. From my perspective they didn’t put enough training into executing the gameplan they did have, so I’d argue too much was in penalties

multiple players and coaches have said they practiced them. It’s kind of a dumb thing to practice, though. It’s a 12 yard shot at practice. Not a whole lot more. I didn’t play at even a remotely similar level to these guys but I fully echo the sentiments shared by players and staff: replicating a penalty shootout is impossible. The individual setting of it is inherently different than how the game operates otherwise.

let’s remember something key here too: if rsl pulls off this shootout the reward is a 3rd game. Not guarantee of advancing. It’s like jazz fans holding up game 6 against Jordan where he may or may not have pushed off. It was game 6

 

All the above said, hearing Pablo make the statement “you play 34 games and then get eliminated in penalties… it doesn’t feel right” is incredibly naive.

this format didn’t get made up the night before
The game has to end. It had to have a winner.

i really hope the staff looks at the fundamental shift that happened in July and figures out how things got so far away from where they were. And it can’t be a lazy “well we lost Gomez” excuse. I’m so over hearing that from the fanbase. This revisionist nonsense - especially from fans that openly disliked Gomez and his “selfish” play - now saying rsl management killed the team by getting rid of that player. Come the ******** on

 

That’s fair
Again though, I’ll stress this, what makes a penalty kick in a game setting so stressful is the factors that cannot be replicated. Nobody plays at this level and can’t comfortably finish from 12 out. Plenty play at this level, though, that can’t do that same thing with 20k watching just them. The absolute best players in the world aren’t consistent at them, what makes us think rsl players will be any different?

every team I’ve watched train does them maybe once a week in regular season and then more so in tournament settings. It’s like training a throw in. Yeah, we get it, there are some “things” that can be done, but it isn’t the game.

lastly, In some ways it’s counterproductive to train them too much as you train against the same keeper(s). They get a read on you. Suddenly that bottom corner finish that goes in 95% of the time drops to 70% and you question yourself. I’ve watched that happen with guys I played college ball with. They changed their entire pk take because the keeper we had got a read on them so much. That wasn’t helping anyone.

if I’m listing things I wish this team would have trained more on or figured out in the last half of the season, penalties is maybe 10th

 

Props to Columbus for being a higher seed than us who also got eliminated in two games. Guess it wasn't mean to be for either Cucho or Chicho this year.

 

Watching the way different players take PKs and their techniques - stutter step, juking the keeper by making your body position go one way while your foot goes the other, KEEPING THE DAMN BALL ON THE GROUND… - makes me think PK practice is more than worth the time. Even if the team doesn’t bother, do it on your own time. You can tell the best PK takers have spent some time, have thought hard about it and have worked to try and perfect a technique.

To echo what 15 said, you never miss a chance to score by shooting too low.

 

No complaints on the rest of the post, but I disagree with this. If the league is going to schedule 3 game series, only the last game has to have a winner. In fact, that's the only way to give advantage to the higher seed.

As far as Pablo's decision making is concerned, it doesn't matter, but if I could change something about the playoff format that'd be it.