RSL finds second-half footing against Houston Dynamo

The Gozo Show Zavier Gozo was given a lot of license in the first half to roam, which was broadly interesting. He’d sometimes drop deep to get involved, and he’d sometimes lead the line. I think he tends to be more involved hugging the line, where he’s a bit more safe if he loses the ball and where his individual skill is most effective. The second half was considerably better from the whole of the team, and I think having Luna playing in wider starting positions gave him a substantially more effective role, too. It’s funny. In a match in which we saw the best of Gozo with his brace, we also saw how ineffective he is when he doesn’t have space in which to operate. He’s a player with a distinct profile, and if he builds out that part of his arsenal, he’ll be an incredible player. But to be 19 and making such significant progress already — five goals and four assists in 2026 — it’s just really remarkable. We’re watching a great player in the making. https://bsky.app/profile/soccerwisehq.bsky.social/post/3mlruut77qs2p The Luna Show If Zavier Gozo was the star, Diego Luna was the … I dunno, fuel that a star burns. Hydrogen? It’s hydrogen, right? Without registering a single shot, Luna completely changed the face of the game. He attempted more passes than four of RSL’s starters (though, to be fair to Morgan Guilavogui, he and Luna swapped spots and he wasn’t that far off), as well as five of Houston’s starters. And that on its own is nice, but it doesn’t tell the whole story. After entering the game, Luna changed the shape of the midfield. He opened up the space that Luna needed, in part because of the gravity of his presence. Opposition teams understand what he can do, and they’re forced to account for that. But here’s the funny thing: Statistically, Luna was a non-factor, aside from those passes. He had just a single key pass on the night. No shots. No dribbles. But he came in and he shifted the team, and that’s who we’ve got right now. A few more things • The first half saw RSL go between a passive approach and a high-pressure approach, and it was interesting to see those looks in close comparison. RSL looked considerably better with that high press, in part because Houston looked uncomfortable, and in part because they were trying to do something. The first half otherwise? A snoozefest. • There was a particularly nervous moment in the first-half when Rafa Cabral went down with what looked like a potential leg injury. That’s doubly the case because RSL loaned their second-choice goalkeeper, Mason Stajduhar, to Las Vegas Lights. • I’ve been pretty skeptical about how this team can perform without Justen Glad, and I felt that was proven out in the first half. The second half, though? I don’t know, maybe we can weather a few storms. • This was just the team’s second clean sheet of 2026. For a team that’s sitting fourth in the Western Conference, that’s pretty interesting, isn’t it? Houston never really looked like scoring (except when they came close from distance, I suppose), and there’s something to that, too. I dunno.