RIFC beat Westchester 4-1 in the first match of group play in the Jagermeister Cup.  It was a comprehensive win that should give the team plenty of momentum as they head into the home opener on Saturday.  In case you were wondering, I did in fact write the majority of this blog on my phone from the bleachers at Memorial Field.  The blog life never stops.  But without further ado, here are my 3 takeaways from the match in Mount Vernon

Away Days

After a phenomenal day at open house at the new stadium on Saturday, we came in droves to Mount Vernon, New York to cheer on our boys in amber and blue.  Before the game, myself and the rest of the Tide Talk guys met at Cantina Lobos, 5 minutes from the stadium.  We were joined by a nice group of Westchester fans who I can confirm are not, in fact, AI.  After the bar, we took part in some Jager themed jello shots courtesy of Sarah, and headed into the game.  The atmosphere we all provided in the RIFC end was incredible.  La Banda were out in full force with their drums and we had a blast with some new creative chants.  Long may it continue.

New Formation?

RIFC started this game in what looked like a 4-2-3-1.  As Khano has reminded us on occasion, formations are fluid and it’s really more about what spaces the players occupy on the field.  In any event, this subtle change was pretty unexpected, as for most of last season and all of this season so far, Khano has gone with 3 at the back.  This change may have been necessitated by Karifa Yao’s unexpected appearance on the injury report.  But as usual, I’m very interested to see if this will be a long term change or not.  With Frank Nodarse out for the home opener on Saturday, we may see a similar set up in that one.

Maxi Scores His First Goal

Maxi Rodriguez got off the mark with his first goal in amber and blue in the 37th minute.  It was RIFC’s 3rd goal in a 12 minute span and helped us go into halftime with a 3-0 lead.

The slight change in our setup gave Maxi more freedom to get forward and make runs into the box.  These are the positions I hope to see Maxi taking up as we move forward this season.  I think that’s where we get the best out of him.

Looking Ahead

Be sure to check out our Postmatch Pod and Timmy’s Player Ratings for a deeper dive into the game.  There will also be a midweek podcast previewing the home opener against San Antonio FC as well as my Prematch Lookout Blog.  The hype train will certainly keep rolling on as we head into Saturday.  Until then, UP THE TIDE!