Reviewing the Union’s bad loss at Real Salt Lake

You might want to join Jim Curtin in burning the tape from the Union’s 4-0 thumping at Real Salt Lake on Saturday.

Before you light the bonfire, though, here are a few observations on the game and where the Union stand in the MLS playoff race.

The importance of Jamiro Monteiro to the Union’s midfield has become even more apparent while he’s been out with a sprained ankle. Brenden Aaronson, who took Monteiro’s spot on the left side of the midfield diamond Saturday, recorded just one tackle and had zero interceptions or clearances. He was below par in attack, too, with just two chances created, 11 pass attempts, and 5 completions.

Aaronson is allowed an off night from time to time, but this was especially rough. And on top of that, he had to leave at halftime with a knee injury. At least it seemed minor.

He’d be the first to say it himself, so there’s no shame in saying it here: Ray Gaddis had a bad night. He was caught badly out of position on Real Salt Lake’s first goal and committed a dreadful turnover on the third

The first goal was an example of a problem that arose multiple times during the game: Gaddis pinched in a lot from his side of the field when RSL brought the play down the other flank. This happens a lot in modern soccer – the U.S. women’s team is a prime example – but with one good cross, it becomes a problem.

The video review booth had a busy night. Not in the way you saw at the Women’s World Cup, where officials watching replays inserted themselves into the fray too often, but correctly. All three video reviews were merited.

Two of the three plays could be easily and objectively judged. Andrew Wooten’s 76th-minute goal for the Union was correctly ruled out because the cross to him originated from past the end line. The ball was in when it bounced off the chalk, but out when Haris Medunjanin kicked it.

The booth was also correct to call RSL’s fourth goal as good when it was initially ruled offside. Damir Kreilach was clearly level with the last defender.

But the decision to not upgrade Damir Kreilach’s 24th-minute yellow card to red was subjective, and certainly debatable. The cameras showed clearly that Kreilach got his cleats into Kacper Przybylko’s left thigh. That’s been worth a red card often enough in MLS and beyond. It’s also been left as a yellow in plenty of circumstances.

We’ll see if the MLS Disciplinary Committee offers its own view this week with any extra punishment.

A bunch of other results around the Eastern Conference went the Union’s way this weekend.

On Friday, second place D.C. United was held to a 2-2 tie at home by the lowly, though improving, New England Revolution. On Saturday, the fourth-place (at the start of the weekend) Montreal Impact were beaten at home by rival Toronto FC. The Reds will probably end up higher than their current seventh place, but they still have work to do.

The big results came Sunday. Third-place Atlanta United lost at Seattle, and New York City FC – fifth in the standings but with four fewer games played than the Union – lost a controversial Hudson River Derby at the Red Bulls.

When the dust settled, the Union once again had the best points-per-game average in the East. NYCFC is a team to watch, though, and the perennially-contending Red Bulls and Atlanta have both played two fewer games than the Union.