RSL look to break up Union, steer form from impending doom

Today's photo, as most this week, have come to you from the magnificent Boz. Check out his Flickr photostream for more of his work.

The matches are coming quick and fast, and there's not much we can do to stem the flow. Our next foes, the Philadelphia Union, are in a vein of form that sees them winless in their last three, while we've lost our last three in league play — a scintillating matchup, right?

Well, at least we know we won't see a big aerial battle at play. We're one of the least crossingest sides in the league — I've covered this today over at RSL Soapbox — and Philadelphia isn't much better. But where we're an play-it-on-the-ground side, they're, well… shapeless. Not so shapeless that they're literally without a shape to their formations, but that they're just totally lacking in any sort of distinction. I struggle to see what exactly it is they do well.

At any rate, what's that Jason is so fond of saying? It's not about them; it's about us. Or, you know, some phrase analogous to that notion. I'm inclined to agree with him, although I suspect he does prepare his side tactically to cope with issues that may crop up. But in terms of general approach, the coaching staff takes things the same way with a consistency that makes Wonder Bread crumble in shame. Or, you know… something like that.

But yes, especially when we face these rather indistinct sides, it's all about us. The Union aren't great tactically, they aren't great physically, and they certainly aren't great at keeping in a good league position. They hardly even approach the final third — or at least they do so less than any other MLS side — so we should be well aware that we'll have some room to work with.

At any rate, because it's all about us, let's talk about us. (No, this isn't one of those talks. Don't worry.)

We're certain to see a bit of rotation in the ranks. A number of players went 90 minutes on both Saturday and Tuesday, and yet another very quick turnaround might be a bit to ask. Included are Nick Rimando, Kwame Watson-Siriboe, Tony Beltran, Chris Wingert, Ned Grabavoy and Javier Morales — a sizable swathe of players. I would not be at all surprised if four of those six started tonight, but starting all six would seem out of the question. But we'll see, right?

At the back, we'll see Nick Rimando again, with Kwame Watson-Siriboe and Nat Borchers the central partnership in front of him. On the left flank, I'd have pegged Kenny Mansally for another start, but injury will likely see Chris Wingert back in that position after a stint in the middle. On the right, I'd suspect we'll once again see Tony Beltran, although the continued absence of Terukazu Tanaka is developing into a bit of a puzzle.

In the middle, Kyle Beckerman (having given himself a 15 minute rest at the end of the CCL match) should start, with Will Johnson likely to play on his left. The remaining two spots are up for grabs, but if Ned is given a rest — which, given he has a slight propensity for the odd muscular injury, might be too much to ask, despite his strong form — and Javier Morales is left on the bench, I'd imagine we'll see Luis Gil and Jonny Steele in there. We've got the options should we decide to rotate, though.

Up front, I'd imagine Fabian Espindola will be handed the start, although Paulo Jr. has looked quite good recently. Alongside him, perhaps we'll get another shot of Justin Braun out there, giving Alvaro Saborio another short rest after a busy 10 days. It's a difficult one to predict.

Aside from all that, it's rather time to get out there and start correcting our form in the league — so Jason Kreis is likely to roll out as strong a lineup as is reasonable to ensure that's achieved.

Remember, it's an early kickoff for us, so find a place to watch it at 5:30 and have at it.