RIFC took down Birmingham Legion 1-0 tonight. It was an important 3 points and overall a pretty solid performance from our boys in amber and blue. With so many games in quick succession, we had an opportunity to quickly move up the table and we took it here. As always, I’m going to hit you with my quick thoughts on this one. So without further ado…..

Dikwa Contributes!

Albert Dikwa made a positive impact with an assist in the 14th minute. Maxi Rodriguez made his trademark run into the box and Dikwa made the simple pass from out wide. It’s been evident for awhile that without JJ Williams, Dikwa needed to step up. I don’t think he contributed in the way that I wanted, but I’ll take it. The team still needs a striker to occupy opposing CBs and Dikwa just doesn’t do that well enough for me. He had some opportunities in front of goal but wasted them with bad decisions and even worse touches. He looked his best when he was able to drift out to the right, as evidenced by his assist, but I still think he needs to improve in front of goal in JJ’s absence. Credit to him though for being involved in the only goal of the match.

Birmingham Red Card

Birmingham midfielder Sam McIllhaton was sent off late in the first half after receiving a 2nd yellow card. His first yellow was just 5 minutes into the game for a late challenge on Aldair Sanchez. McIllhaton would show he didn’t learn his lesson, as he did it again with a similar challenge on Maxi Rodriguez just before halftime. I don’t think Birmingham had anything to complain about with either foul. You could maybe try to make the argument that the first yellow was given too early in the game, but I think the foul warranted it. The red card undoubtedly changed the game, as RIFC were in control for the entire 2nd half. While the boys in amber and blue did expend some energy trying to get a 2nd goal to kill off the game, they were also able to pass the ball around a 10-men Birmingham and conserve some energy, which is something they really needed after playing so many games in quick succession.

2nd Win of the Season

3 points. The elusive 3 points. RIFC got their 2nd win in the league this season tonight and I couldn’t be happier. Coming into the game, I thought Birmingham would be a tougher matchup but I’m glad I was wrong. I thought an 11 day break with a new manager would mean some positive change but it wasn’t the case in this one at all. And it wasn’t just the red card either that made this match relatively simple for RIFC. I thought we were the better team in the first half when it was 11 v 11. Mabika, Nodarse, Hope-Gund, and Sanchez all looked really solid defensively and didn’t give Birmingham many clear opportunities. My only complaint is that we probably should have had 2 of 3 goals in this one. It’s disappointing that the team can’t put the ball in the back of the net when they have the chances to do so. It was mostly indecisiveness in the final 3rd, which has plagued us so far this season. But even when we had direct shots on target, they just wouldn’t go in. Noah Fuson had a ball headed off the line that looked certain to make the game 2-0. But if we can defend how we defended in this one, we only need one to go in.

Up Next

Matt and Ryan will be back tomorrow night at 8:30pm for the Postmatch Pod. I highly recommend watching live on YouTube and joining in with the live chat. It’s always a great time. Timmy will also have his player ratings tomorrow, so keep an eye out for that. I’m most interested to see what he says about Albert Dikwa (and Frank Nodarse as always). Finally, I will be back at it with the Prematch Lookout on Friday as we get ready for a matchup with Tampa Bay. We appreciate all of you and as always, UP THE TIDE!