After two hard-fought contests on terrible fields, Real Salt Lake dispatched the Columbus Crew 4-1 both on the night and on aggregate, thanks to a scoreless first leg, in the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Champions League. As such, RSL will become the first American club to contest the semifinals of the reformatted tournament when it faces Olimpia (Honduras) or Saprissa (Costa Rica) at home on March 15.
Here's what the game taught us:
1. RSL deserved what it got
While the 4-1 outcome didn't at all do justice to the fight Columbus put up -- especially given how its roster was overhauled in the offseason, whereas RSL retained its excellent squad -- the home side deserved the win. In Columbus, where the first game ended 0-0, RSL never found a rhythm. But Tuesday's game saw RSL connect passes often and accurately, rendering the wall Columbus had erected in midfield completely useless this time around. That led to a few things: a much more attractive game, for one, with less preseason sloppiness; a lot more chances, created once Javier Morales, RSL's incandescent Argentinean playmaker, carved out the room to operate behind the forwards; and a method to exploit its tactical and technical superiority.
In the 13th minute, Will Johnson got a shot off from distance for RSL, which exploded off the bar to the left of Crew goalkeeper Ray Burse. Soon after, RSL's superiority was rewarded handsomely. In the 23rd minute, Morales set up striker Alvaro Saborio beautifully, threading a ball through traffic, which left Saborio with the simple chore of thumping it past Burse. In the 36th minute, Andy Williams did for Morales what Morales had done for Saborio by gliding a nice through ball into space for Morales to pounce on.
Only when Emmanuel Ekpo and Robbie Rogers started putting in good touches in the first third of the second half did Columbus become at all dangerous. But its revival lasted only 15 minutes, just long enough to get a goal.
By the 60th minute, RSL had restored order and continued to chip away at the Crew through Morales' puppeteering behind Fabian Espindola and Saborio. Chris Schuler snapped a header off the crossbar before Morales was fed a clever ball by Paulo Junior to make it 3-1. And Andy Williams curled in a free kick for a fourth.
If RSL can be this good, this early in the season, its opponents could face a very long year indeed.
2. Nick Rimando deserves a Gold Cup job
Occasional U.S. national team goalkeeper Nick Rimando is due for a promotion. For years he has been a regular in the domestic-based players' January national team camp and played in the odd meaningless friendly. He showed on Wednesday night that he's qualified to take on a larger responsibility than that with the national team. He commanded his area, made impressive reflex saves and often positioned himself so quickly and deftly that he made his job look much easier than it is. Yes, he conceded a goal, but he wasn't to blame for it.
Since the national team could be without any of its usual backups for this summer's Gold Cup, as Marcus Hahnemann appears to be done with international soccer and Brad Guzan is said to be taking the time off to get married, Rimando ought to be at the top of the list of candidates.
3. Andres Mendoza is a hell of a striker
At 32, the nomadic Peruvian could make a late-career revival. After playing in Peru, Belgium, Ukraine, France, Russia, Romania, Mexico and Turkey, he now plies his trade for the Crew, which would do well to keep him around for a while longer. Mendoza turned up late last season and didn't make much of an impact, failing to appear in the playoffs. In these two Champions League games, however, he has been a revelation. Although he didn't score in the first leg, he was a constant menace and much of the reason Columbus had the upper hand that day. On Wednesday, he scored on a nice ball from Eddie Gaven on the left side of the box, skillfully blasting it to the opposite bottom corner of the goal.
Mendoza's speed will be nearly peerless in MLS, as will his ability to run shrewd routes. If healthy, disciplined (see hotel party incident with Peruvian national team) and employed properly, he could become a regular at the top of the scoring charts.