RSL banishes Chivas with 3-0 win; rust successfully shaken off

That wasn't so bad, now was it? Revenge came swiftly for the boys in Claret and Cobalt, and just like that, the pain of the last three weeks — no matches following an especially lackluster performance produced some existential pain to rival the best — well, it's gone and vanished. Simply vanished. It's quite nice. Three goals and a superb team performance. Excellent.

But how'd it happen? Well, there's the question. The first few minutes were hugely back and forth. In fact, the first half was reasonably back and forth, and there were times that we may have worried that a Chivas goal was on its way, but when the final whistle blew, the scoreline hid all that — buried it under a mound of rightful praise and excitement.

The first goal, a superb header from none other than Fabian Espindola, opened things up a bit. Chivas had, until that point, defended rather resolutely, but an intercepted throw by the keeper provided a look at a few things in addition to the goal.

The first: Jonny Steele's interception to create the play was superb. There were a few times his passes went astray last night, but where he was a little loose in the pass, he was excellent in his positioning. His decision, too, to not swing the ball in himself, but to lay it off to Kyle Beckerman — well, it took awareness. He's got a left foot of lore, and he isn't reluctant to have a go himself, but he made the right decision. I suspect he will continue to improve in that respect as he adapts more fully to our tactical approach. Still, encouraging signs early.

Second: Kyle Beckerman's influence is impossible to replace. That swung-in ball and the understanding with Espindola to create the goal? He spotted the run before it happened. Maybe he's psychic. Or maybe — just maybe — he knows when Espindola will make those runs. That's an invaluable thing to have in the side. Of course, Kyle is also good in the tackle and in the short pass and in — well, in basically everything he's used for. And that's quite a bit.

Third: Fabian Espindola's tearing things up out there. His two goals last night really solidified him as our all-time leading goalscorer, and while I suspect Alvaro Saborio will be right behind him, he deserves this accolade, even it'll be a little temporary. The first goal was a rare headed goal from the Argentine, but it's the second goal that really turned heads.

And my, what a goal it was! That second of the night was as perfect as they come. The ball from Beckerman to Grabavoy, the perfectly weighted through ball for Espindola from Ned, the little deception from the striker to offset former RSL defender Rauwshan McKenzie — and then the finish. That finish. A perfect strike to the far post to put us two goals up. It's the sort of goal that Fabian Espindola has made his trademark. No complaints!

That third goal, a beautifully placed strike from Will Johnson, capped things off perfectly. Chivas, for their part, continued to attack, even when a draw seemed like a far-off dream, and we capitalized on their inattention to defensive detail without much trouble. It was one of those moments of great team play followed by a bit of magic from Will.

The ball into Morales from Beckerman on the edge of the box, the turn and pass — a beauty on its own — from Javi to Will, and the calm finish: A thing of beauty. If Espindola hadn't scored an even more spectacular goal earlier in the half, I'd have called it a contender for Goal of the Week. Now? I don't think it's got much chance. Still, it was brilliant. Just brilliant.

Tactically, there was nothing unusual that happened, although the early exit of Jamison Olave and the relative lack of center back options on the bench meant we saw the strangest substitution when leading a match: Javier Morales in for Olave. But as odd as it seemed, Chris Wingert moved centrally and Will Johnson moved into the left back spot. We kept our shape, with Jonny Steele taking Will's place and Ned Grabavoy taking Jonny's place, and Javier taking Ned's place. It was a little bit of a rotation, but it worked well.

More striking, those, was the quality Ned displayed up top. In seasons past, he was seen as a defensive midfield backup before he really made his place in a box-to-box spot. That he looked quite efficient in the playmaker spot is not entirely surprising, but it is reassuring. Depth and all that. You know the drill.

Right, not much else from me today. Tomorrow marks the end of the first year of posts on Under the Crossbar, so I'll do some sort of retrospective. And while I may have just spoiled that surprise, you probably haven't read this far, and if you have, well, you are rewarded with a sneak preview. Something like that.

'Til tomorrow.