After suffering the team’s first loss of the season, Rising coach Rick Schantz painted a picture of the players’ post-match mental state during his weekly press conference.
“The guys were so angry in the locker room afterwards, they were throwing things,” Schantz said. “I said that I wished they had more anger throughout the game than after.”
Rising’s frustrating evening started early, with Aodhan Quinn turning the ball into his own net after four minutes. Schantz was keen to avoid putting the blame on his midfielder alone, instead highlighting a variety of mistakes involving Tobi Adewole and Darnell King as well as the defence’s general positioning.
“Aodhan was unbelievable that he tracked a runner as far back as he did and almost saved it,” Schantz said. “All goals usually take at least three mistakes in order for the ball to end up in the back of your net. That’s why I don’t ever like to blame whatever looks like one player, because you can back it up a few actions and you can find another mistake.
“It was just early and I think we were a little bit confused and a little over aggressive out wide.”
Facing a hostile enviornment for the first time this season, and a more physical game on a smaller pitch, Rising entered the game looking to work the ball to Rufat Dadashov’s feet but instead played in a different style.
“We just settled for long ball after long ball,” Schantz said. “We lacked some creativity in our buildup and possession. It’s been a little bit of a problem in possessing the ball when we want to slow the game down. It doesn’t mean that we need to change who we are, it just means that we need to give them more ability when we’re in a game like that to be able to try to control the tempo. I don’t think we ever really tried to control the tempo.”
Now, a clash against Las Vegas Lights is around the corner, with Schantz admitting that he has “no idea” which players will be sent from parent club LAFC to the opposition. On his own team, however, he said that Andre Rawls is back in full training and will compete with Ben Lundt as of next weekend.
Schantz also addressed the status of New Zealand full-back Deklan Wynne, who has yet to feature in a single matchday squad this season. According to Rising’s coach, that’s because his lack of versatility makes him a weaker option for the bench.
“For Deklan, he’s a specialist,” Schantz added. “Right now, Ryan Flood is playing very well, and I can’t take anything away from Ryan. His learning curve has been so steep and I’m very proud of him. I told Deklan he’s just got to fight for it and compete.”
Rising faces Las Vegas Lights on Saturday 22 May at Wild Horse Pass.
Want to hear more? Preview Saturday’s game with Rising Matchday – streaming at 9 a.m. Saturday morning on YouTube and Facebook, and available on demand shortly after.