What we learned from RSL's 6-4 loss in D.C.

There were two story lines from the match at RFK Stadium that got out of control. First was the refereeing which was some of the worst we have seen all year if not in RSL's history. Baldomero Toledo made a few really poor calls or non-calls that left both teams in a position to take advantage of a lot of grey area. Examples include a penalty on Devon Sandoval for as close to nothing as it gets, a no call on what should have been a penalty awarded to Salt Lake, an offsides call on Beltran who was clearly kept on by a few D.C. players, and yellows to RSL players after things had already gotten out of hand. MLS has got to come up with a way to clean up the refereeing in MLS or they simply will not be at the level they are capable of reaching. If a referee consistently calls bad games or even calls one horrendous game like this one, immediate and strong action should be taken.

The second was that the back line of RSL got exposed in a bad way and gave up a total of six goals. Whether you are away from home or not, six goals conceded is unacceptable. This is the kind of game that is going to give the coaching staff and Craig Waibel a lot more to think about than they would prefer at this point in the season. Some of the goals were simply great goals from D.C., but some of them never should have happened. While Aaron Maund and Justen Glad have generally filled in admirably in the center back position, this was just not good enough. No matter how you look at it, six goals is way too many to allow. The need for panic is not there quite yet, however, since RSL is now scoring goals pretty regularly with plenty of chances to their name. Let's be honest. Even though Justen Glad is typically very solid and Aaron Maund has stepped up big time, they both have a lot to learn about what to do in certain situations. They are good players and will recover and learn from this, which is exactly what are expected to do. And it will pay off eventually. But for now, as the first three preferred CBs return from soreness and injury, many of the defensive problems should be resolved.