Player Profiles, #19: Aaron Maund's RSL career marked by low points despite improvement

Aaron Maund. Where to start? He started the season pretty well, I suppose. Better than I expected, certainly, because he started against LA Galaxy in the opener. That went well enough, but once Chris Schuler returned from injury, he didn't play for two months.

And that sort of spells out Aaron Maund's season. When he played, he was generally alright. But after that 4-0 loss to Seattle Sounders, he was essentially out of contention. Maund was - in a word - not particularly good in that match. That's three or more, but you get the point. He had a hand in each of the goals conceded. It was bad. Then, against Colorado Rapids two months later, he was sent off just after halftime. He had one more appearance, but that smacked more of a 'just in case we need him, he should be fit' appearance than anything.

The frustrating thing is that Maund can be better than that. A lot better. He's been really good in some of the games he played, although the list centers around that first game of the season.

It was damning that toward the end of the season, when Chris Schuler was out with broken-face-itis, Carlos Salcedo started matches, and no central defender made the bench. It would've been helpful to have one available, but the trust just seemed to have gone.

It's difficult being a backup center back sometimes. When your team isn't leaking goals, you'll generally have trouble getting regular minutes. Aaron Maund fell prey to this very thing, and for all his potential and quality play 75 percent of the time, the other 25 percent will probably see him leave the club. His option hasn't been taken, and it doesn't sound particularly like he's going to return.

Editor's note: This is part of a series of player profiles recapping the 2014 season and previewing the 2015 season. Player ratings were compiled via a vote by RSL Soapbox writers. Statistics are via mlssoccer.com.