Wearing the captain’s armband offers the wearer something of a podium on which to speak his mind – whether it be positively reinforcing good play or stepping in to right the ship.
Saturday’s loss to FC Dallas offered Tally Hall an opportunity to do the latter. With Kaká out of the lineup, Hall was given the captaincy for the day. But he didn’t say anything to his teammates after the disappointing result.
Instead, Hall acknowledged that the team’s recent run of form – they had picked up 15 points in eight games coming into Saturday – showed that tonight was the outlier on what has been a promising two months.
“I’m not a big fan of really saying a lot after the game. If this was two games in a row, three games in a row, then I feel like something would need to be said,” he said to reporters after the game. “I think this has been more the anomaly than the standard.”
But the MLS schedule stops for no one, and the New York Red Bulls – fresh off their 4-1 dismantling of New England – come to town on July 18. After Saturday’s result, picking up points will be crucial if the Lions are to stay in the playoff hunt.
“Moving forward I think we know our ability and we’re able to be one of the tops teams in the league – it’s as simple as that. We just didn’t show it tonight. We’ll look forward to proving that when we get back out on the field next week.”
