RIFC fell 2-0 at Highmark Stadium to the Pittsburgh Riverhounds on Saturday night. It was an embarrassing performance, particularly in the 2nd half. The result keeps RIFC near the bottom of the table and level on points with Tampa Bay, who won in Indy tonight. This was yet another disappointing result and frustrating blog to write. But as always, here are my quick takeaways:
New Setup?
Whenever the starting 11 comes out an hour before kickoff, I immediately try to figure out how Khano is going to set the team up. This time, my thought was that it was going to be a 3-5-2 that looked something like this:
It ended up being more of a 3-4-3, with a midfield of Kwizera, Maxi, Ybarra, and Amos from left to right. Noah, JJ, and Dikwa made a front 3. I was excited to see that front 3 play together, particularly against a tough defensive side in Pittsburgh. It didn’t end up working whatsoever though. RIFC still couldn’t create any real chances or get any goals. The midfield also didn’t work, as they constantly left too much space in front of the back line. Overall, it was a setup that looked promising but as with everything else that’s been tried this season, it didn’t produce any results.
2nd Half Meltdown
Going into the 2nd half, it looked like there was a chance for RIFC to get something from this game. It was 0-0 and even though the team failed to create chances, they looked decent enough defensively. That all evaporated early on in the 2nd half. Augie Williams and Bertin Jacquesson would score in the 51st and 57th minutes respectively to put the game out of reach.
The Williams goal was a quick shot that probably caught Jackson Lee out. He didn’t dive for the ball, which indicates that he either didn’t see it or didn’t think the ball was going to get through. On the 2nd, it was some great work from Jacquesson. I understand why Hugo would show him wide. It didn’t matter though as Jacquesson rifled a shot past Lee at his near post.
It would get worse in the 69th minute when JJ Williams was sent off for elbowing Pittsburgh defender Beto Ydrach. I don’t have video of it, but JJ picked up the ball on the touchline right in front of the Pittsburgh bench. Ydrach also was going for the ball and grabbed JJ from behind. JJ responded with the elbow and deservedly was sent off. What an absolute embarrassment.
A New Low
This match felt like a new low point in a season full of them. It started with a 2-0 loss at Loudoun United in the third game of the season. The team reportedly had a player’s only meeting after that awful performance. 3 games later, you had a 6th minute red card against Detroit City in another 2-0 loss. RIFC then started playing some games at home but could not get results. The worst performance was in another 2-0 loss, this time to Sacramento Republic. And as we all know, the team is coming off of back to back draws (with a loss on penalties) to their rival Hartford Athletic. The hope was that the team would be able to use this trip to Pittsburgh as a way to reset. But they just ended up taking another major step backwards. Nothing that this team tries is working.
The last message I have is this: we saw a lot of these players in amber and blue last season. And for a lot of us, we’re basing their ability and talent on what we saw in that magical run to the final. But right now, it doesn’t look like any of these players are good enough. I get that some of that has to do with what the players are being asked to do, particularly at this level where many players need to be in the perfect situation to succeed. So some of this also falls on Khano Smith. But honestly, I’m sick and tired of hearing how talented this team is. The Pittsburgh broadcasters were even saying it. It doesn’t matter how talented you are if you can’t show it on the field. And right now, this team isn’t showing anything out there. RIFC are currently one of, if not the worst team in the league. That is the harsh reality.
Up Next
For RIFC, they have a quick turnaround with a home game against Detroit City FC coming up on Wednesday. For Tide Talk, we’ll be back tomorrow with a post match pod where we pick apart an awful performance. Timmy will also have player ratings, which at this point should be mostly 1’s and 2’s. I’ll be back here to preview the Detroit City matchup early next week. Honestly, I’m not looking forward to it. But no matter what, UP THE TIDE!
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