RIFC fell in Detroit 2-0 in perhaps the most frustrating match so far this season. So frustrating in fact, that it’s made me finally return to doing post-match blogs. Timmy is still the king of post-match written content with his player ratings. Those should be a doozy for this one. But I just wanted to drop in to give my two cents on the key moments and takeaways from the game. So without further ado…..

Frank Nodarse Red Card

Easily the most important moment of the match came in the 6th minute when RIFC went a man down after a foul off the ball.

In my opinion, this can’t be a red card. Both players are grabbing each other in the box, which happens on basically every dead ball situation. Frank absolutely went beyond what is normally acceptable, but to me, it’s a yellow card and a strong warning. To send someone off for that in the 6th minute of a game is ridiculous.

This moment completely changed the game and forced RIFC to be a man down for 84 minutes. It basically invalidates everything that happened throughout the rest of the game. This was looking like it should have been a great matchup and we were all robbed of that by a pretty borderline call. I was very excited about the initial setup from Khano and unfortunately we got to see all of 5 minutes of it. This also impacts our home opener, as Frank will miss it due to suspension. All-around disaster.

Strange Response to Being a Man Down

It was a bit of a weird response after the red card. Often times when a defender goes down early in a match, a defender will be brought on for a forward or midfielder in order to keep some structure at the back. This didn’t happen until halftime when Rio Hope-Gund came on for Maxi Rodriguez. While I approve of bringing on a defender in general, I’m not sure taking off Maxi was the right call. It also came too late, as RIFC were already down 2-0 at this point. While RIFC had a better performance in the 2nd half, there weren’t really any clear-cut chances outside of a couple long range efforts.

As much as we can point to the red card costing RIFC the game, I think a quicker response could’ve changed things. Detroit got both of their goals within 13 minutes of going up a man. I think that is inexcusable.

Hostile Reception for Maxi Rodriguez

The most unsurprising aspect of this game was the reception received by Maxi Rodriguez. I wrote in the Prematch Lookout that I was curious to see how he would be received. But I have to say, I have no idea what I was thinking there. He was always going to get booed heavily. I remember hearing some talk from Detroit supporters after he left for RIFC that it was all about money and that he was a traitor. Maxi himself said in a recent interview that it was more about playing in a brand new stadium with a talented team around him. Despite the result of this game, I think it’s still clear that Maxi made the right choice.

Looking Ahead

Be sure to check out the post-match pod on Sunday night at 8:30. Join us and get some anger out as Matt and Ryan crush the ref for the pitiful performance today. Timmy will also be hitting us with the player ratings, where for once I probably won’t be mad at him for giving too low of a score. Although part of me hopes he just gives a 0/10 to the game overall and calls it a day. And lastly, I will be back at some point to preview our Jagermeister Cup trip to Westchester. Until then, UP THE TIDE!