I expected a loss in this match, and I was met with a loss. And honestly, I don’t really know how to break it down.

Philadelphia Union were the better side coming in, and they exited the significantly better side, too. The metrics all point in that direction, too — a better expected goals mark (1.56 to 0.84), a much better transition xG (0.22 to 0.05) and a signfiicantly better possession xG (1.21 to 0.46). (Futi is the source on the data — it’s a great app; check it out.)

And so it is that I don’t really care to write about the match itself. I watched it immediately after a small home painting project, and that was significantly more satisfying than this match. I could write about painting, but nobody needs that. I’ll give you some scattered thoughts instead.

• Sergi Solans simply has to be better about being offside in key moments. It’s just not good enough, and improving there could spell significant improvement in his game.

• Dominic Marczuk is baffling to me. I don’t know what else to say.

• I was glad to see Luc de Fougerolles come off the bench, and I hope we see him start soon. Does he solve all this side’s problems? Absolutely not, but there’s a real lack of quality among the center backs right now.

• But like I said, it doesn’t solve all the problems. DeAndre Yedlin, for example, remains dismal as a center back, which is a shame given he does still have good right back quality. Watch him on Philadelphia’s first goal. He just loses his mark completely, and whiel there’s certainly a cocahing element to that, he’s made RSL suffer. Of course, if you watch that, you also see Kobi Henry and Philip Quinton sort of marking Milan Iloski together, neither of whom is close to him, which brings me back to the real point here: de Fougerolles doesn’t solve all our problems, and I’m not sure he solves the most important ones.

• Commentary’s good on that one: “Everybody’s ball-watching for RSL.”

• I know 17-year-old Cavan Sullivan is impressive, but RSL looked like they had no plan to deal with him on that first goal.

• RSL continues to give players time and space outside the box. It hurts the team consistently, though it didn’t directly this time. I dunno, that’s gotta be fixable.

• Philadelphia’s second goal should have been dealth with better, and I think that starts with Rafa Cabral, whose rebound doesn’t give RSL much of a chance in the first place.

• de Fougerolles’s assist for Saba Lobjanidze’s goal was lovely. I like that. But why is our new center back a more creative midfielder than our midfielders, I wonder? Stray thoughts.

• Ari Piol came back two months early. Good for him for working hard.

• That said — I had my doubts about Piol well before his injury, and those doubts haven’t changed. He took no shots, attempted just one pass, and performed two defensive actions. He had three touches in the attacking third. I’m glad he got his return, but certainly he didn’t do much to influence the match at all.

• Where’s Taylor Booth? Apparently he’s a healthy scratch from the bench. Just incredible stuff.

Anyway, I expected a loss, I got a loss, and I should feel disappointed in myself for that. Instead I feel resigned. Talk soon.