Saturday’s match told two different stories: Peter Wilson kept his momentum going, and the attack around him is still a work in progress. As Ryan Martin continues to search for the right combinations, some answers are emerging and some questions are only getting louder. Here’s what I loved, what I’m unsure about, and hated about the match against Loudoun:
Loved: Peter Wilson Fighting Through Adversity
Coming off a hat trick against Las Vegas, Peter Wilson may have expected to continue building momentum.
Instead, most of Saturday proved a frustrating effort that looked like it would halt Wilson’s momentum in its tracks.
Wilson only logged 24 touches in the match, his second-lowest this season and significantly well below his average of 29.6. Not only were the touches low, but they came in less dangerous areas. Much of this had to do with the decision to start Danny Trejo behind Wilson, as will be discussed later. With Trejo on the field, Wilson only logged one touch in the box.
Below is Wilson’s touchmap with Trejo on the field (note, the official statistics show Trejo playing 61 minutes, but he left the field in the 58th minute, and Florian Valot did not enter until the 61st minute):
Besides the poor quantity and quality of his touches, the officiating also frustrated Wilson. Wilson drew four fouls and got two players booked, but the calls not made seemed to compound an already difficult day.
On multiple occasions, Wilson expressed his displeasure with the lack of calls. The frustration culminated in the 59th minute when Tommy McCabe lofted a ball over the top that Wilson reached and shielded in the box. A Loudoun defender held Wilson, while another Loudoun player dispossessed him. Wilson demonstratively gestured at the referee for a penalty, a rare reaction from the typically composed forward
One of Wilson’s strengths as a player is his doggedness. He continued to work despite the game flow.
The match shifted for Wilson when Florian Valot and Faysal Bettache entered. They began finding Wilson in more dangerous positions. Below is Wilson’s touch map after the departure of Trejo:
Wilson’s touches in the box quadrupled from one in the first two-thirds of the match to four in the final third. His final touch in the box would be the most important of the match: the game-tying header after a bout of build-up play that featured both Valot and Bettache heavily.
After his hat-trick against Vegas, the blog posited that it could spark a hot streak. Saturday only reinforced that belief. It demonstrated Wilson’s ability to endure a frustrating match and still deliver.
When forwards get hot, they find a way.
Wilson found a way on Saturday when his team needed him most.
Unsure: Danny Trejo in a central position.
Ryan Martin faces a good dilemma: too many attacking options.
He’s like a chef with a stocked pantry. The ingredients are great. They might just not all belong in the same dish.
Right now, Martin is still figuring out which combinations work. One key piece to that puzzle: Danny Trejo.
On Saturday, the Roots deployed Trejo behind Peter Wilson for the second time this season.
The first attempt, against Tulsa, offered little clarity. Injuries to David Garcia and Julian Bravo, combined with Neveal Hackshaw’s red card, forced the Roots into a more pragmatic approach. They never truly controlled the ball, which denied the team the opportunity to see how the attack operated with Trejo in that role.
Saturday offered a clearer data point for the team. It wasn’t a great one.
For the Roots, the role typically functions as a connector. The player who links the midfield to attack and unlocks the defense. Trejo struggled to do that on Saturday.
Before being substituted in the second half, Trejo completed just 14 passes in 61 minutes.
Florian Valot, who replaced him, completed 32 passes in 29 minutes. Faysal Bettache added 9 passes in just 15 minutes in the role, including the assist on Wilson’s equalizer.
The difference in both the stat line and the eye test was apparent.
So now, Saturday’s performance raises a bigger question for Martin: where does Trejo fit best?
So far this season, Trejo has looked more effective on the wing, where he can isolate defenders and use his 1-on-1 ability to create danger. However, Wolfgang Prentice’s form and the emergence of Bertin Jacquesson have crowded those spots
Arguably, Trejo’s been most effective as a substitute this season. In three appearances off the bench, he has made an immediate impact each time. The role allows Trejo to utilize his pace and dribbling skills to beat tired defenders.
Finding the right role for Trejo isn’t just about maximizing an extremely skilled and potent weapon, it’s about making the entire attack function.
Martin will need to keep experimenting to find the right blend.
Hated: The Roots’ unforced errors
The Roots faced an uphill battle in getting a win on Saturday. They travelled close to 3,000 miles to play the game. The match kicked off a 2:00 PM PT, even earlier than their typically East Coast starts.
The conditions were difficult. Then the Roots made things even harder.
The first error came in the 10th minute of the match when goalkeeper Raphael Spiegel failed to secure a cross and pushed it into the path of Loudoun midfielder Richard Aman, who scored.
The Roots evened the match in the 18th minute on a Bertin Jacquesson goal off a corner kick.
But another mistake followed. In the 64th minute, a deflection of Bobosi Byaruhanga rolled towards the end line. As Bobosi and Loudoun’s James Murphy chased it, Bobosi lunged into a risky standing tackle, despite Murphy having his back to the goal and moving away from danger. The referee awarded Murphy a penalty, Loudoun converted, and the Roots again created themselves a hole to dig themselves out of.
To their credit, the Roots fought back again. Resilience has defined much of their season.
However, the team has yet to put together a complete performance. It is extremely clear that the team is building toward something under Martin. But until they get there, they can’t afford to make matches harder than they already are.
Too many variables already exist. Injuries along the backline. Unsettled roles in the attack.
Until those variable stabilize, eliminating unforced errors will be necessary for continued success.