Last week I was asked a simple question, "What will it take for MLS clubs to regularly win CONCACAF Champions League?". My instantaneous response was "Money, depth". I stand by this statement, but upon reflection, I pondered the road to Don Garber's "top league" prediction, and how becoming the dominant league in North America went hand in hand with most MLS fans CCL dreams.
I asked myself a few questions:
1) How do we get technically gifted serviceable pros to choose MLS or Liga MX?
2) If the money is equal, would players rather live in the US, Mexico, Belgium, etc?
3) Can a league become a "top" league in North America and the World while having a salary cap?
4) Does the current MLS DP structure help or harm the growth of MLS?
5) How much money would legitimately need to be spent to reach the goals of MLS and its fans?
6) Can a league become a "top" league in North America and the World when based on parity?
7) What would an increased salary cap mean for American players?
Earlier this week ESPN commentator and pundit Taylor "Big Head" Twellman posted the team salary breakdown of two Liga MX and two MLS clubs. One comparison was on the low end of spending, $6,500,000. The MLS side spent $3,000,000 of their budget on one player, with the next highest earner making $450,000. There was a precipitous drop as you then went down through the squad. The Liga MX side had three earners tied for their top spot, making $515,000, with a slow drop down through the entire squad.
The second example was of higher spending sides. The Liga MX side had a salary budget of $13,000,000. One player earned over 2 million, and only 4 players earned over a million, with a slow and steady drop down through the squad. The MLS side had a budget of $12,500,000. The top three highest paid players made nearly 10 million, leaving the rest of the squad to split 2.5 million.
Twellman's point, was that looking at the pay of the squads, without seeing a single player's name or position, you know which squad more often than not would beat the other. One side relied on a few quality players (he made no comments about being overpaid) and nearly a complete squad of lower talents, while the other had a balanced squad of decent quality.
Before I address the questions I asked myself earlier in the article, I will show you the end point, what I came up with, and then back track to the answers I came up with. While no plan is perfect, and mine may contain some flaws, I feel it would be a great step for MLS to find themselves as not only the best league in North America by 2022, but also one of the best in the world.
YEAR ONE: $6,000,000 salary cap, 3 designated player spots available. (Using current DP salary cap rules and a hard salary cap.)
YEAR TWO: $7,000,000 salary cap, 3 designated player spots available.
YEAR THREE: $8,000,000 salary cap, 2 designated player spots available.
YEAR FOUR: $9,000,000 salary cap, 2 designated player spots available.
YEAR FIVE: $10,000,000 salary cap, 1 designated player spot available.
YEAR SIX: $11,000,000 salary cap, 1 designated player spot available.
YEAR SEVEN: $12,000,000 salary cap, 0 designated player spots available.
Despite the "hard" salary cap, for those who wish to spend more, there will be a luxury tax, which will then get split evenly between the non-cap offenders. Offending teams will pay a fixed percentage based on the amount of which they over spend.
YEAR 1 and 2: 10% of over salary cap expenditure.
YEAR 3 and 4: 15% of over salary cap expenditure.
YEAR 5 and 6: 20% of over salary cap expenditure.
YEAR 7 and Beyond: 25% of over salary cap expenditure.
While the league will have a salary maximum, it will also have a salary minimum spend, which will include the MLS player salaries, as well as academy and/or USL salary expenditures, with USL salary expenditures currently hovering around $1,000,000 to $1,500,000 for most MLS sides with a USL club. A minimum spend seems necessary if the league would like to remain competitive and offer parity.
YEAR 1: $4,000,000 minimum
YEAR 2: $4,500,000 minimum
YEAR 3: $5,000,000 minimum
YEAR 4: $5,500,000 minimum
YEAR 5: $6,000,000 minimum
YEAR 6: $6,500,000 minimum
YEAR 7 and Beyond: $7,000,000 minimum
A feature of my plan which has been discussed by fans for many years, is performance bonuses.
SUPPORTERS SHIELD WINNER: An extra $500,000 of salary cap space for the season following a Supporters Shield victory.
CONCACAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE WINNER: An extra $500,000 of salary cap space for the next two seasons following a CCL victory.
While not perfect, I believe this basic outline would be the best starting point MLS has ever had when it comes to achieving their goals. Revenue would increase through the gates, and television ratings and money would follow. Even a slightly higher standard is what many soccer fans, who are not MLS fans, are dying for in the US.
Earlier I asked myself some questions, and I would now like to do my best to convey to you what I truly believe are the answers, and how my salary structure plan would affect such answers.
1)HOW DO WE GET TECHNICALLY GIFTED SERVICEABLE PROS TO CHOOSE MLS OVER LIGA MX?
Money. Plain and simple. A member of the starting eleven, substitutes bench, or just added squad depth, your salary could be double or more in Mexico what it would be in MLS, based in large part to the current salary cap structure.
2) IF THE MONEY WAS EQUAL, WOULD PLAYERS RATHER LIVE IN THE US, MEXICO, BELGIUM, ETC?
While some player would surely have an affinity for one country over another, based on place of birth, language spoken, or any other number of factors, I firmly believe that all things being equal, the lifestyle of the US would be preferred by the majority of players.
3) CAN A LEAGUE BECOME A "TOP" LEAGUE IN NORTH AMERICA OR THE WORLD WHILE HAVING A SALARY CAP?
Yes. While fans crave success for their clubs, they also crave financial stability. Knowing your team will be around for years to come without financial concerns is of the utmost importance. Also, the salary cap I proposed allows for MLS clubs to compete on equal or superior standing to most Liga MX clubs. A healthy cap does not have to mean poor quality or low expenditures.
4) DOES THE CURRENT MLS DP STRUCTURE HELP OR HARM THE GROWTH OF MLS?
Both. While David Beckham, Robbie Keane, Clint Dempsey, Ricardo Kaka, or Frank Lampard help expose the league to a wider audience, while also bringing in outside interest and allegiances, even if only briefly, top heavy squads where one player sitting in a dressing room is making several million a year, while the person next to him is making $60,000 is not the best scenario for team chemistry or success. The top heavy structure created by current DP rules in the end is doing more harm than good when it comes to broader success on a continental level.
5) HOW MUCH MONEY WOULD LEGITIMATELY NEED TO BE SPENT TO REACH THE GOALS OF MLS AND ITS FANS?
With a current cap hovering around $3,500,000 and most MLS clubs spending on DP's doubling that amount, I believe doubling current spending will more than do the trick. MLS, despite its critics is a decent standard and has much more entertainment and quality than many would give it credit for. Allowing salary space to improve depth and starting eleven quality, would surely take MLS from a point of struggling to achieve its goals, to achieving them with hard work, but more ease.
6) CAN A LEAGUE BECOME A "TOP" LEAGUE IN NORTH AMERICAN AND THE WORLD WHEN BASED ON PARITY?
Possibly, but most likely, no. Soccer, like everything, needs heroes and villains. It needs the have and have-nots. It needs teams pushing the boundaries and setting the standard. It needs teams whose answer for success is spending money, while others build through youth and system to achieve its goals. While MLS can have a salary cap and parity, it has always had spenders and non-spenders. Adding a cap that is open but includes a luxury tax allows for clubs to spend anything they desire, while helping those who do not have the money to spend. It is conceivable that by 2022, a team like Columbus could have 1/7 of its minimum spend paid for by their share of the luxury tax. Its not hard to imagine six teams spending twenty million on salary, paying a $2,000,000 penalty apiece.
7) WHAT WOULD AN INCREASED SALARY CAP MEAN FOR AMERICAN PLAYERS?
I believe it would help and harm Americans attempting to ply their trade in their home league. On the positive side, stiffer competition would lead to more American players being forced to raise their game and compete for a position in the starting eleven or squad. Those who make it would be of a higher calibre than those who could make a squad today. The harm would come in fewer Americans playing their trade in MLS, a league which is already half foreign. Part of any new collective bargaining agreement and fresh salary cap structure could include home grown player minimums in an attempt to make academy and USL expenditures worthwhile.
Overall, I believe its time MLS stepped up its game and stopped hiding behind manufactured losses while hiding profits in a group account which doesn't show up on their books when it comes to the bottom line. The time to make the move and show its here to stay is now.
The plan however is not complete, nor is it flawless. If you have any comments, suggestions, or a plan of your own, please let me know.
Thank you for taking the time to read my piece, and as always, remember, MLS Matters.
If you would like to reach into the archives and see what I was saying about league parity two years ago, feel free to check out my piece "Parity or Parody" here... mlsmatters.blogspot.com/2013/09/parity-or-parody.html
Thursday, May 7, 2015
Friday, May 1, 2015
WEEK 9
Welcome back to MLS Matters. It was another great week of MLS action in week 8, and week 9 has some fantastic match-ups on tap. Without any further ado, lets get stuck in...
WEEK 8 RESULTS:
CHICAGO FIRE 1-0 NEW YORK CITY FC
COLORADO RAPIDS 1-1 FC DALLAS
COLUMBUS CREW SC 4-1 PHILADELPHIA UNION
NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION 4-0 REAL SALT LAKE
HOUSTON DYNAMO 4-4 SPORTINBG KANSAS CITY
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC 1-2 DC UNITED
NEW YORK RED BULLS 1-1 LA GALAXY
ORLANDO CITY SC 0-2 TORONTO FC
SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC 1-0 PORTLAND TIMBERS FC
TALKING POINT: Goals, Goals, Goals
Last Saturday was goal night in MLS. First, Columbus put four past the Union, conceding one themselves. Then, the Revs embarrassed RSL with a 4-0 thumping. Then, Houston and KC topped it off with a 4-4 thriller.
Columbus has a quality side, and they showed it against a weak Union side. Its hard to imagine a better front four in MLS than Kamara, Higuain, Finley, and Meram. Put it together with a solid mid of Tchani/Trapp/Saed and your front men are free to express themselves. Combine that with a solid defense that contains one of the most exciting fullbacks in the league in Waylon Francis, and Columbus is built to excite. This won't be the last time they score four this season.
The Revs are finally clicking as Jones returns from his injury break, and the pace of Agudelo out wide and his combining with Davies and Rowe makes for an exciting and effective front triumvirate. Even at home, putting four past RSL is an accomplishment. New England are built for the long haul and Supporters Shield contention.
Houston and KC may not have been a defensive master class, but it surely was entertaining. A match that had a little bit of everything, from late goals to red cards, this match was the perfect capper to a three match swing that saw seventeen goals.
BEST PERSON/PEOPLE OF THE WEEK: COLUMBUS CREW MEDICAL AND COACHING STAFF
Last week I had a worst person of the week, but decided this week to give some props to the good guys. After having a calf injury that kept him out of action, Crew mid Will Trapp complained of concussion like symptoms. After taking more time off, he played in a tough battle against Vancouver after being cleared to play again, but came off at the half after complaining of dizziness and fatigue, missing the past several weeks. Having been cleared medically again to play, Trapp and the medical and coaching staff have decided to take it slow, not willing to rush his return.
In this day and age, where concussions are still taken lightly despite increased scrutiny, its great to see a club take the cautious route. Bravo.
WEEK 9 POWER RANKINGS:
1) NEW YORK RED BULLS 13 POINTS ON 7 PLAYED (UP 1)
2) VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC 16 POINTS ON 9 PLAYED (DOWN 1)
3) DC UNITED 14 POINTS ON 7 PLAYED (UP 1)
4) FC DALLAS 14 POINTS ON 8 PLAYED (DOWN 1)
5) NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION 14 POINTS ON 8 PLAYED (UP 1)
6) SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC 13 POINTS ON 7 PLAYED (UP 1)
7) LA GALAXY 12 POINTS ON 8 PLAYES (DOWN 1)
7) COLUMBUS CREW SC 11 POINTS ON 7 PLAYED (NEW)
WEEK 9 PREDICTIONS:
NEW YORK RED BULLS 1-1 COLORADO RAPIDS: Mid-week clash, NY needed a late penalty to nick the draw against a game Colorado side.
HOUSTON DYNAMO 1-1 FC DALLAS: The return of the Texas derby to the Western Conference, Dallas has come out on top in the last two high scoring affairs, while the previous two lower scoring affairs saw Houston take the bragging rights. The first of a Friday night Unimas double header, Jair Marrufo is the man in the middle, as Mauro Diaz enters the game fresh off his first goal of the season, while Brad Davis now holds third place in MLS assists for his career. Should be a fun way to start the week.
REAL SALT LAKE 2-1 SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES: The second half of the Unimas double header, RSL enters having beat the Quakes twice in a row, with two draws in the previous meetings. Meanwhile, RSL hasn't scored in over 300 minutes and comes in after getting hammered on the road last week. The Quakes enter after a week off, plenty of time to stew over their loss to NYRB the week before. 0-0 is a smart bet, but my trick elbow feels a few late goals will settle the affair.
PHILADELPHIA UNION 0-1 TORONTO FC: The Union enter having not lost to Toronto since 2012, winning four of the seven meetings since. Toronto, have yet to record a single victory in Philly, having been out scored 3-1 on Union soil all time. In what could be a dire match to watch, I expect Toronto to break their duck and finally get into the winners circle in Philly.
DC UNITED 2-1 COLUMBUS CREW SC: The one match this week I wouldn't miss for the world, the Crew enter having not lost to DC in five matches, winning the last three in a row. DC sits three points above Columbus in the table on the same number of matches played, and have a five match unbeaten streak going this season in the league, while Columbus have won two in a row themselves. The Crew have taken a point in all three all time visits to DC. Baldomero Toledo is the man in the middle. Should be a hell of a match between two of the best in the East.
NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION 1-2 NEW YORK RED BULLS: The Revs have won two in a row and are unbeaten in five, and unbeaten in their last twelve home league matches. New York enter on the back of a draw in the midweek at home against Colorado. In what is always a tightly contested affair, this should be a good one.
LA GALAXY 2-0 COLORADO RAPIDS: After a trio of Rapids victories, LA has won the last two meetings between these two conference rivals, with LA thumping Colorado 6-0 in their last meeting. In the absence of their star, LA has found new talent in Bardes clone Bradford Jamieson IV. The Rapids got a quality result on the road midweek, but with a cross country trip and two matches in four days, expect LA to get the job done.
PORTLAND TIMBERS FC 1-1 VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC: The two Cascadia rivals have seen the home team win their last two meetings, with the road team winning the two previous match ups. Neither team enters on a winning note, both suffering a loss last weekend. Vancouvers two wins in the last four meetings between these two being their only victories in twelve MLS meetings between the rivals, Portland will look to keep the advantage going as Vancouver are without midfield general Matias Laba. This match is second on my list of must watch matches this weekend.
SPORTING KANSAS CITY 1-1 CHICAGO FIRE: The home team has won three of the last four meetings between these two midwestern rivals, in what will be the ESPN2 Sunday match of the week. The Fire have back to back shutouts, while DP David Accam scored his first MLS goal last week, but they haven't won in KC since 2012.
NEW YORK CITY FC 0-2 SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC: The first ever meeting between these two will be FS1's Sunday Night match of the week. New York enters without a win in six matches, while the Sounders come in with two victories on the bounce. This will be the only meeting between these two all season.
INJURY REPORT:
OUT:
Chicago: Magee and Nyarko
Colorado: Sarvas and Burch
DC United: Halsti, Johnson, Birnbaum, and Martin
FC Dallas: Craft and Keel
LA Galaxy: Perk, Keane, Villarreal
Montreal: Porter, Mapp, Crepeau, and Lopez
New England: Barnes
NYCFC: John, Taylore, and Calle
Orlando: Hall, Ribeiro, and Paterson
Philly: Bird
Portland: Zemanski
RSL: Plata and Schuler
San Jose: Sherrod and Lenhart
TFC: Simonin, Caldwell, and Bendick
Vancouver: Lewis and Bustos
QUESTIONABLE:
Chicago: Stephens
Colorado: Moor
Columbus: Trapp, Speas, and Pogatetz
DC United: Hamid
Houston: Garcia
LA Galaxy: Walker and Leonardo
New England: Goncalves, Kobayashi, and Nguyen
NYCFC: Villa, Nemec, and Hernandez
NYRB: Zubar
Orlando: Neal and Cascio
Philly: Aristeguieta, Nogueira, Vitoria, Carroll, Lee
Portland: Valeri, Johnson, Wallace, Nanchoff, and Asprilla
RSL: Jamie, Rimando, Morales, and Okwuonu
San Jose: Stewart
Sporting KC: Myers
TFC: Bloom
Vancouver: Rodriguez
Its been a stellar eight weeks so far in MLS, and week nine looks to keep that momentum going. There are several playoff previews this week, and the time to get stuck in is now. Thank you for reading, and remember, as always, MLS Matters.
WEEK 8 RESULTS:
CHICAGO FIRE 1-0 NEW YORK CITY FC
COLORADO RAPIDS 1-1 FC DALLAS
COLUMBUS CREW SC 4-1 PHILADELPHIA UNION
NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION 4-0 REAL SALT LAKE
HOUSTON DYNAMO 4-4 SPORTINBG KANSAS CITY
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC 1-2 DC UNITED
NEW YORK RED BULLS 1-1 LA GALAXY
ORLANDO CITY SC 0-2 TORONTO FC
SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC 1-0 PORTLAND TIMBERS FC
TALKING POINT: Goals, Goals, Goals
Last Saturday was goal night in MLS. First, Columbus put four past the Union, conceding one themselves. Then, the Revs embarrassed RSL with a 4-0 thumping. Then, Houston and KC topped it off with a 4-4 thriller.
Columbus has a quality side, and they showed it against a weak Union side. Its hard to imagine a better front four in MLS than Kamara, Higuain, Finley, and Meram. Put it together with a solid mid of Tchani/Trapp/Saed and your front men are free to express themselves. Combine that with a solid defense that contains one of the most exciting fullbacks in the league in Waylon Francis, and Columbus is built to excite. This won't be the last time they score four this season.
The Revs are finally clicking as Jones returns from his injury break, and the pace of Agudelo out wide and his combining with Davies and Rowe makes for an exciting and effective front triumvirate. Even at home, putting four past RSL is an accomplishment. New England are built for the long haul and Supporters Shield contention.
Houston and KC may not have been a defensive master class, but it surely was entertaining. A match that had a little bit of everything, from late goals to red cards, this match was the perfect capper to a three match swing that saw seventeen goals.
BEST PERSON/PEOPLE OF THE WEEK: COLUMBUS CREW MEDICAL AND COACHING STAFF
Last week I had a worst person of the week, but decided this week to give some props to the good guys. After having a calf injury that kept him out of action, Crew mid Will Trapp complained of concussion like symptoms. After taking more time off, he played in a tough battle against Vancouver after being cleared to play again, but came off at the half after complaining of dizziness and fatigue, missing the past several weeks. Having been cleared medically again to play, Trapp and the medical and coaching staff have decided to take it slow, not willing to rush his return.
In this day and age, where concussions are still taken lightly despite increased scrutiny, its great to see a club take the cautious route. Bravo.
WEEK 9 POWER RANKINGS:
1) NEW YORK RED BULLS 13 POINTS ON 7 PLAYED (UP 1)
2) VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC 16 POINTS ON 9 PLAYED (DOWN 1)
3) DC UNITED 14 POINTS ON 7 PLAYED (UP 1)
4) FC DALLAS 14 POINTS ON 8 PLAYED (DOWN 1)
5) NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION 14 POINTS ON 8 PLAYED (UP 1)
6) SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC 13 POINTS ON 7 PLAYED (UP 1)
7) LA GALAXY 12 POINTS ON 8 PLAYES (DOWN 1)
7) COLUMBUS CREW SC 11 POINTS ON 7 PLAYED (NEW)
WEEK 9 PREDICTIONS:
NEW YORK RED BULLS 1-1 COLORADO RAPIDS: Mid-week clash, NY needed a late penalty to nick the draw against a game Colorado side.
HOUSTON DYNAMO 1-1 FC DALLAS: The return of the Texas derby to the Western Conference, Dallas has come out on top in the last two high scoring affairs, while the previous two lower scoring affairs saw Houston take the bragging rights. The first of a Friday night Unimas double header, Jair Marrufo is the man in the middle, as Mauro Diaz enters the game fresh off his first goal of the season, while Brad Davis now holds third place in MLS assists for his career. Should be a fun way to start the week.
REAL SALT LAKE 2-1 SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES: The second half of the Unimas double header, RSL enters having beat the Quakes twice in a row, with two draws in the previous meetings. Meanwhile, RSL hasn't scored in over 300 minutes and comes in after getting hammered on the road last week. The Quakes enter after a week off, plenty of time to stew over their loss to NYRB the week before. 0-0 is a smart bet, but my trick elbow feels a few late goals will settle the affair.
PHILADELPHIA UNION 0-1 TORONTO FC: The Union enter having not lost to Toronto since 2012, winning four of the seven meetings since. Toronto, have yet to record a single victory in Philly, having been out scored 3-1 on Union soil all time. In what could be a dire match to watch, I expect Toronto to break their duck and finally get into the winners circle in Philly.
DC UNITED 2-1 COLUMBUS CREW SC: The one match this week I wouldn't miss for the world, the Crew enter having not lost to DC in five matches, winning the last three in a row. DC sits three points above Columbus in the table on the same number of matches played, and have a five match unbeaten streak going this season in the league, while Columbus have won two in a row themselves. The Crew have taken a point in all three all time visits to DC. Baldomero Toledo is the man in the middle. Should be a hell of a match between two of the best in the East.
NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION 1-2 NEW YORK RED BULLS: The Revs have won two in a row and are unbeaten in five, and unbeaten in their last twelve home league matches. New York enter on the back of a draw in the midweek at home against Colorado. In what is always a tightly contested affair, this should be a good one.
LA GALAXY 2-0 COLORADO RAPIDS: After a trio of Rapids victories, LA has won the last two meetings between these two conference rivals, with LA thumping Colorado 6-0 in their last meeting. In the absence of their star, LA has found new talent in Bardes clone Bradford Jamieson IV. The Rapids got a quality result on the road midweek, but with a cross country trip and two matches in four days, expect LA to get the job done.
PORTLAND TIMBERS FC 1-1 VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC: The two Cascadia rivals have seen the home team win their last two meetings, with the road team winning the two previous match ups. Neither team enters on a winning note, both suffering a loss last weekend. Vancouvers two wins in the last four meetings between these two being their only victories in twelve MLS meetings between the rivals, Portland will look to keep the advantage going as Vancouver are without midfield general Matias Laba. This match is second on my list of must watch matches this weekend.
SPORTING KANSAS CITY 1-1 CHICAGO FIRE: The home team has won three of the last four meetings between these two midwestern rivals, in what will be the ESPN2 Sunday match of the week. The Fire have back to back shutouts, while DP David Accam scored his first MLS goal last week, but they haven't won in KC since 2012.
NEW YORK CITY FC 0-2 SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC: The first ever meeting between these two will be FS1's Sunday Night match of the week. New York enters without a win in six matches, while the Sounders come in with two victories on the bounce. This will be the only meeting between these two all season.
INJURY REPORT:
OUT:
Chicago: Magee and Nyarko
Colorado: Sarvas and Burch
DC United: Halsti, Johnson, Birnbaum, and Martin
FC Dallas: Craft and Keel
LA Galaxy: Perk, Keane, Villarreal
Montreal: Porter, Mapp, Crepeau, and Lopez
New England: Barnes
NYCFC: John, Taylore, and Calle
Orlando: Hall, Ribeiro, and Paterson
Philly: Bird
Portland: Zemanski
RSL: Plata and Schuler
San Jose: Sherrod and Lenhart
TFC: Simonin, Caldwell, and Bendick
Vancouver: Lewis and Bustos
QUESTIONABLE:
Chicago: Stephens
Colorado: Moor
Columbus: Trapp, Speas, and Pogatetz
DC United: Hamid
Houston: Garcia
LA Galaxy: Walker and Leonardo
New England: Goncalves, Kobayashi, and Nguyen
NYCFC: Villa, Nemec, and Hernandez
NYRB: Zubar
Orlando: Neal and Cascio
Philly: Aristeguieta, Nogueira, Vitoria, Carroll, Lee
Portland: Valeri, Johnson, Wallace, Nanchoff, and Asprilla
RSL: Jamie, Rimando, Morales, and Okwuonu
San Jose: Stewart
Sporting KC: Myers
TFC: Bloom
Vancouver: Rodriguez
Its been a stellar eight weeks so far in MLS, and week nine looks to keep that momentum going. There are several playoff previews this week, and the time to get stuck in is now. Thank you for reading, and remember, as always, MLS Matters.
Wednesday, April 22, 2015
WEEK 8
Welcome to MLS MATTERS. This week, we look ahead to the 8th round of fixtures, as well as back at some of the talking points of the past week. The time to get stuck in is now...
WEEK 7 RESULTS:
NEW YORK CITY FC 1-1 PHILADELPHIA UNION
NEW YORK RED BULLS 2-0 SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES
DC UNITED 1-1 HOUSTON DYNAMO
COLUMBUS CREW SC 3-0 ORLANDO CITY SC
FC DALLAS 3-2 TORONTO FC
COLORADO 1-3 SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC
REAL SALT LAKE 0-1 VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC
LOS ANGELES GALAXY 2-1 SPORTING KANSAS CITY
PHILADELPHIA UNION 1-2 NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION
NEW YORK CITY FC 0-1 PORTLAND TIMBERS
TALKING POINT 1 Rafael Ramos Red Card: 34 minutes in to the Columbus Crew match with Orlando City, a tight 1-0 match sprang to life with a straight red card from referee Ricardo Salazar for Orlando City right back Rafael Ramos. Seconds after believing he was fouled, Ramos sprinted up the pitch and slid in to the Crew's left back Waylon Francis, studs up. With Francis down on the ground and Crew SC players closing in, Ramos, then began making his way back down the pitch, ignoring calls from the referee to come to him. At this point Orlando City captain Ricardo Kaka attempted to calm the young player down, unsuccessfully. With referee Salazar closing in on him, Ramos began giving the ref a piece of his mind. Not a smart move when you consider that the original card pulled out of his pocket was yellow. Possibly after a word from his assistant in his ear, Salazar pulled out a red card. At this point, Ramos started playing the victim, throwing a small hissy fit, taking the long way off the pitch, slowly walking through the Columbus technical area before an Orlando staff member finally got him to the dressing room.
In what was a tight game gently moving in the Crew's favor, Ramos, who had settled in well to his first MLS season prior to this event, saw the red mist descend and gifted an easy victory to the home side. Just another example of a player forgetting his team and throwing away a chance at points for momentary vengeance after a perceived wrong doing on him. The reputation Orlando City is gaining for being a cynical and dirty team is becoming more and more justified as their debut season goes on.
TALKING POINT 2 Wacky Weather: After a stellar start for FC Dallas, scoring after just 29 seconds, they pushed on, scoring again at the 10th and 27th minute marks. Nothing it seemed could slow Dallas down. Then, lightning struck. Literally. A bad storm and lightning caused the match to be halted after 42 minutes. 206 minutes later, the teams came back out to play the final 3 minutes of the half, then return to the locker room for half time. Upon the start of the second half, both teams looked as if the lengthy delays had taken their toll on them. It took until the 84th minute for the match to spring to life again, with the first of Giovinco's 2 goals for Toronto FC, the second following in the 89th minute. In a final rush, Toronto fell short, with the match ending as it should have, a bit of lightning, and a whimper.
WORST PERSON(S) OF THE WEEK: This week, we debut a new section, "Worst Person of the Week", where I shame someone MLS related for their shocking, ignorant, or outlandish behavior. While it would be easy to give the debut gong to Orlando City's Rafael Ramos, instead I would like to give the nod to the Unimas in English commentators. For 90 minutes I had to listen to them call Sacha "Rasputin" Kljestan as "Klechan", and Dax "The Ginger Metronome" McCarty as "McCarthy". Mistakes that would make even the ignoramuses of FOX cringe. Shockingly bad.
Paul Caligiuri and Ramses Sandoval, the Worst People of the Week.
TACTICAL CORNER: Welcome back to the tactical corner, quickly becoming the most popular segment of MLS Matters. This week, we look back at Adrian Heath's tactical decision of using Amobi Okugo as a sitting midfielder in front of his center back pairing of Seb Hines and Aurelien Collin.
To the casual fan, this would automatically be considered to be a master stroke. With a lone striker in Kei Kamara, and Crew talisman Frederico Higuain playing in a central attacking role behind Kamara, putting 3 strong defenders in the middle of the pitch should equate to a clean sheet. The problem here lies in that anyone who watches the Crew can tell you, the Crew attack mainly through the wide areas of the pitch with Justin Meram and Ethan Finley, and Higuain drifting around from touchline to touchline trying to enter the space created by the wide men. And in this match, so it was.
Even before Orlando went down to ten men, handing the match to Columbus, it was the wide play that helped them control the match. The first goal of the match was created by Ethan Finley, slotting in to Higuain, who tapped it in for his first goal of the season, and Finley's third assist.
Columbus' second came after Kamara won the ball in Orlando's box, pushing it back out wide to Meram who knocked in a rocket from distance.
The third came just minutes later as Orlando, who isolated Kaka up front on his own after the red card and began to watch for the wide play, allowed Higuain to slide a ball right up their gut to Kamara, who cheekily chipped Orlando City keeper Donovan Ricketts.
For me, what on the surface could have been tactical genius, was in the end tactical naivety by Heath. Plugging up the middle on a team known for their wide play, was foolhardy and could have cost hi team points. The learning curve in MLS is a steep one, as Heath is well aware. Lets hope he and his staff learn from their mistakes as the season progresses.
MLS MATTERS WEEK 8 POWER RANKINGS:
1) VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC 16 POINTS ON 8 PLAYED
2) NEW YORK RED BULLS 11 POINTS ON 5 PLAYED
3) FC DALLAS 13 POINTS ON 7 PLAYED
4) DC UNITED 11 POINTS ON 6 PLAYED
5) LOS ANGELES GALAXY 11 POINTS ON 7 PLAYED
6) NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION 11 POINTS ON 7 PLAYED
7)SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC 10 POINTS ON 6 PLAYED
WEEK 8 PREVIEW AND PREDICTIONS:
CHICAGO FIRE 2-1 NEW YORK CITY FC: The Unimas Friday Night Match of the Week, Chicago enters having played just 5 matches, having had the last two weekends off. NYCFC enter having not won in their last 5 matches. This week, as Harry Shipp goes, so goes Chicago.
COLORADO RAPIDS 1-1 FC DALLAS: The road team has taken this fixture the last two matches, with Dallas winning three in a row prior to their meeting earlier this season. Three weeks ago, Colorado entered with a goalless and winless streak, but ended up thrashing Dallas 4-0 in Dallas. This week I expect the world to return to normal and Dallas to nick a point at the very least.
COLUMBUS CREW 2-1 PHILADELPHIA UNION: The Crew won all three meetings between these two last season, with a Union win and a draw preceding that. Overall, the Crew have won five of their six all time meetings on home soil, having yet to lose to the Union in Columbus.
NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION 2-2 SPORTING KANSAS CITY: RSL enters with a three match win streak against New England, having not lost in their last seven meetings. They also have an overall five match undefeated streak entering into the match. The X Factor for New England could be the return last week of Jermaine Jones to the mix, shifting from his usual midfield position into his new proposed USMNT position of center back.
HOUSTON DYNAMO 2-2 SPORTING KANSAS CITY: The road team took both meetings last season, with both clubs entering with identical records this season. Houston got a draw at DC last week, as KC saw their unbeaten streak of 4 snapped in LA.
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC 2-1 DC UNITED: Vancouver has two draws and two wins in their last four against DC, drawing at home in their only meeting last season. United are undefeated in their last four, but haven't beaten Vancouver since their first ever clash back in 2011.
NEW YORK RED BULLS 3-1 LOS ANGELES GALAXY: ESPN2's Sunday Night Match of the Week, each club has two victories in their last four meetings. NY enters as the only undefeated team in MLS, having only played five matches, while LA enters with a two match win streak after a four match losing streak. NY has won their last two home meetings with LA. Marsch v Arena should be a tactical feast on par with the football. Could be the match of the week.
ORLANDO CITY SC 1-1 TORONTO FC: The first ever meeting between the two sides is the first of a FS1 Sunday Night Double Header. Toronto enter with a four match losing streak, as Orlando enter having yet to win at home. While I wanted to predict a 0-0 here, with Orlando allowing 8 goals in 7 matches, and TFC allowing 11 in just five, its hard to see a clean sheet for either side in this one.
SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC 3-1 PORTLAND TIMBERS FC: FS1's second part of the Sunday Night Double Header sees Seattle coming in with a two match win streak against Portland, with a draw proceeding it, and two Portland victories before that coming in the 2013 season. In 88 all time meetings, Seattle leads 45-31-12. With Portland conceding a goal per match and Seattle giving up just under a goal per match, as well as 16 goals being scored in their three meetings last season, there should be goals in this one. Another potential match of the week. Still suffering from some major injuries, look for Seattle to continue their winning streak against their arch rival.
WEEK 8 INJURY REPORT:
OUT:
Mike Magee and Patrik Nyarko of Chicago Fire
Markus Halsti, Eddie Johnson, Steve Birnbaum, Collin Martin of DC United
Coy Craft and Stephen Keel of FC Dallas
Brian Perk of LA Galaxy
Adrian Lopez, Justin Mapp, Maxime Crepeau, Caleb Porter of Montreal Impact
George John, Tony Taylor, Jason Hernandez of NYCFC
Tally Hall, Pedro Ribeiro, Martin Paterson of Orlando City
Eric Bird of Philadelphia Union
Will Johnson, Diego Valeri, Michael Nanchoff, Ben Zemanski, Rodney Wallace of Portland Timbers
Joao Plata and Chris Shuler of Real Salt Lake
Chance Myers and Ike Opara of Sporting Kansas City
Clement Simonin of Toronto FC
Andre Lewis and Marco Bustos of Vancouver Whitecaps
QUESTIONABLE:
Michael Stephens of Chicago Fire
Sam Cronin, Marc Burch, Dominique Badji of Colorado Rapids
Wil Trapp of Columbus Crew
Dan Kennedy of FC Dallas
Boniek Garcia of Houston Dynamo
Kenny Walker, Leonardo, Robbie Keane, Jose Villarreal of LA Galaxy
Daigo Kobayashi, Chris Tierney, Jose Goncalves, Darrius Barnes of New England
David Villa, Mix Diskerud, Shay Facey, Josh Williams of NYCFC
Roy Miller and Ronaldo Zubar of NYRB
Lewis Neal and Tony Cascio of Orlando City
Fabinho, Raymond Lee, Vincent Nogueira of Philadelphia Union
Sebastian Jaime of Real Salt Lake
Mark Sherrod, Steven Lenhart, Shuan Francis, Jordan Stewart of San Jose Earthquakes
Damion Lowe of Seattle Sounders
Seth Sinovic and James Rogers of Sporting KC
Steven Caldwell and Mark Bloom of TFC
Diego Rodriguez of Vancouver Whitecaps
Thank you for your time, I hope you enjoyed this weeks look back and forward covering MLS action. The time to get stuck in is now, spread the word. Until next time, as always, remember, MLS Matters.
WEEK 7 RESULTS:
NEW YORK CITY FC 1-1 PHILADELPHIA UNION
NEW YORK RED BULLS 2-0 SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES
DC UNITED 1-1 HOUSTON DYNAMO
COLUMBUS CREW SC 3-0 ORLANDO CITY SC
FC DALLAS 3-2 TORONTO FC
COLORADO 1-3 SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC
REAL SALT LAKE 0-1 VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC
LOS ANGELES GALAXY 2-1 SPORTING KANSAS CITY
PHILADELPHIA UNION 1-2 NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION
NEW YORK CITY FC 0-1 PORTLAND TIMBERS
TALKING POINT 1 Rafael Ramos Red Card: 34 minutes in to the Columbus Crew match with Orlando City, a tight 1-0 match sprang to life with a straight red card from referee Ricardo Salazar for Orlando City right back Rafael Ramos. Seconds after believing he was fouled, Ramos sprinted up the pitch and slid in to the Crew's left back Waylon Francis, studs up. With Francis down on the ground and Crew SC players closing in, Ramos, then began making his way back down the pitch, ignoring calls from the referee to come to him. At this point Orlando City captain Ricardo Kaka attempted to calm the young player down, unsuccessfully. With referee Salazar closing in on him, Ramos began giving the ref a piece of his mind. Not a smart move when you consider that the original card pulled out of his pocket was yellow. Possibly after a word from his assistant in his ear, Salazar pulled out a red card. At this point, Ramos started playing the victim, throwing a small hissy fit, taking the long way off the pitch, slowly walking through the Columbus technical area before an Orlando staff member finally got him to the dressing room.
In what was a tight game gently moving in the Crew's favor, Ramos, who had settled in well to his first MLS season prior to this event, saw the red mist descend and gifted an easy victory to the home side. Just another example of a player forgetting his team and throwing away a chance at points for momentary vengeance after a perceived wrong doing on him. The reputation Orlando City is gaining for being a cynical and dirty team is becoming more and more justified as their debut season goes on.
TALKING POINT 2 Wacky Weather: After a stellar start for FC Dallas, scoring after just 29 seconds, they pushed on, scoring again at the 10th and 27th minute marks. Nothing it seemed could slow Dallas down. Then, lightning struck. Literally. A bad storm and lightning caused the match to be halted after 42 minutes. 206 minutes later, the teams came back out to play the final 3 minutes of the half, then return to the locker room for half time. Upon the start of the second half, both teams looked as if the lengthy delays had taken their toll on them. It took until the 84th minute for the match to spring to life again, with the first of Giovinco's 2 goals for Toronto FC, the second following in the 89th minute. In a final rush, Toronto fell short, with the match ending as it should have, a bit of lightning, and a whimper.
WORST PERSON(S) OF THE WEEK: This week, we debut a new section, "Worst Person of the Week", where I shame someone MLS related for their shocking, ignorant, or outlandish behavior. While it would be easy to give the debut gong to Orlando City's Rafael Ramos, instead I would like to give the nod to the Unimas in English commentators. For 90 minutes I had to listen to them call Sacha "Rasputin" Kljestan as "Klechan", and Dax "The Ginger Metronome" McCarty as "McCarthy". Mistakes that would make even the ignoramuses of FOX cringe. Shockingly bad.
Paul Caligiuri and Ramses Sandoval, the Worst People of the Week.
TACTICAL CORNER: Welcome back to the tactical corner, quickly becoming the most popular segment of MLS Matters. This week, we look back at Adrian Heath's tactical decision of using Amobi Okugo as a sitting midfielder in front of his center back pairing of Seb Hines and Aurelien Collin.
To the casual fan, this would automatically be considered to be a master stroke. With a lone striker in Kei Kamara, and Crew talisman Frederico Higuain playing in a central attacking role behind Kamara, putting 3 strong defenders in the middle of the pitch should equate to a clean sheet. The problem here lies in that anyone who watches the Crew can tell you, the Crew attack mainly through the wide areas of the pitch with Justin Meram and Ethan Finley, and Higuain drifting around from touchline to touchline trying to enter the space created by the wide men. And in this match, so it was.
Even before Orlando went down to ten men, handing the match to Columbus, it was the wide play that helped them control the match. The first goal of the match was created by Ethan Finley, slotting in to Higuain, who tapped it in for his first goal of the season, and Finley's third assist.
Columbus' second came after Kamara won the ball in Orlando's box, pushing it back out wide to Meram who knocked in a rocket from distance.
The third came just minutes later as Orlando, who isolated Kaka up front on his own after the red card and began to watch for the wide play, allowed Higuain to slide a ball right up their gut to Kamara, who cheekily chipped Orlando City keeper Donovan Ricketts.
For me, what on the surface could have been tactical genius, was in the end tactical naivety by Heath. Plugging up the middle on a team known for their wide play, was foolhardy and could have cost hi team points. The learning curve in MLS is a steep one, as Heath is well aware. Lets hope he and his staff learn from their mistakes as the season progresses.
MLS MATTERS WEEK 8 POWER RANKINGS:
1) VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC 16 POINTS ON 8 PLAYED
2) NEW YORK RED BULLS 11 POINTS ON 5 PLAYED
3) FC DALLAS 13 POINTS ON 7 PLAYED
4) DC UNITED 11 POINTS ON 6 PLAYED
5) LOS ANGELES GALAXY 11 POINTS ON 7 PLAYED
6) NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION 11 POINTS ON 7 PLAYED
7)SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC 10 POINTS ON 6 PLAYED
WEEK 8 PREVIEW AND PREDICTIONS:
CHICAGO FIRE 2-1 NEW YORK CITY FC: The Unimas Friday Night Match of the Week, Chicago enters having played just 5 matches, having had the last two weekends off. NYCFC enter having not won in their last 5 matches. This week, as Harry Shipp goes, so goes Chicago.
COLORADO RAPIDS 1-1 FC DALLAS: The road team has taken this fixture the last two matches, with Dallas winning three in a row prior to their meeting earlier this season. Three weeks ago, Colorado entered with a goalless and winless streak, but ended up thrashing Dallas 4-0 in Dallas. This week I expect the world to return to normal and Dallas to nick a point at the very least.
COLUMBUS CREW 2-1 PHILADELPHIA UNION: The Crew won all three meetings between these two last season, with a Union win and a draw preceding that. Overall, the Crew have won five of their six all time meetings on home soil, having yet to lose to the Union in Columbus.
NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION 2-2 SPORTING KANSAS CITY: RSL enters with a three match win streak against New England, having not lost in their last seven meetings. They also have an overall five match undefeated streak entering into the match. The X Factor for New England could be the return last week of Jermaine Jones to the mix, shifting from his usual midfield position into his new proposed USMNT position of center back.
HOUSTON DYNAMO 2-2 SPORTING KANSAS CITY: The road team took both meetings last season, with both clubs entering with identical records this season. Houston got a draw at DC last week, as KC saw their unbeaten streak of 4 snapped in LA.
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC 2-1 DC UNITED: Vancouver has two draws and two wins in their last four against DC, drawing at home in their only meeting last season. United are undefeated in their last four, but haven't beaten Vancouver since their first ever clash back in 2011.
NEW YORK RED BULLS 3-1 LOS ANGELES GALAXY: ESPN2's Sunday Night Match of the Week, each club has two victories in their last four meetings. NY enters as the only undefeated team in MLS, having only played five matches, while LA enters with a two match win streak after a four match losing streak. NY has won their last two home meetings with LA. Marsch v Arena should be a tactical feast on par with the football. Could be the match of the week.
ORLANDO CITY SC 1-1 TORONTO FC: The first ever meeting between the two sides is the first of a FS1 Sunday Night Double Header. Toronto enter with a four match losing streak, as Orlando enter having yet to win at home. While I wanted to predict a 0-0 here, with Orlando allowing 8 goals in 7 matches, and TFC allowing 11 in just five, its hard to see a clean sheet for either side in this one.
SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC 3-1 PORTLAND TIMBERS FC: FS1's second part of the Sunday Night Double Header sees Seattle coming in with a two match win streak against Portland, with a draw proceeding it, and two Portland victories before that coming in the 2013 season. In 88 all time meetings, Seattle leads 45-31-12. With Portland conceding a goal per match and Seattle giving up just under a goal per match, as well as 16 goals being scored in their three meetings last season, there should be goals in this one. Another potential match of the week. Still suffering from some major injuries, look for Seattle to continue their winning streak against their arch rival.
WEEK 8 INJURY REPORT:
OUT:
Mike Magee and Patrik Nyarko of Chicago Fire
Markus Halsti, Eddie Johnson, Steve Birnbaum, Collin Martin of DC United
Coy Craft and Stephen Keel of FC Dallas
Brian Perk of LA Galaxy
Adrian Lopez, Justin Mapp, Maxime Crepeau, Caleb Porter of Montreal Impact
George John, Tony Taylor, Jason Hernandez of NYCFC
Tally Hall, Pedro Ribeiro, Martin Paterson of Orlando City
Eric Bird of Philadelphia Union
Will Johnson, Diego Valeri, Michael Nanchoff, Ben Zemanski, Rodney Wallace of Portland Timbers
Joao Plata and Chris Shuler of Real Salt Lake
Chance Myers and Ike Opara of Sporting Kansas City
Clement Simonin of Toronto FC
Andre Lewis and Marco Bustos of Vancouver Whitecaps
QUESTIONABLE:
Michael Stephens of Chicago Fire
Sam Cronin, Marc Burch, Dominique Badji of Colorado Rapids
Wil Trapp of Columbus Crew
Dan Kennedy of FC Dallas
Boniek Garcia of Houston Dynamo
Kenny Walker, Leonardo, Robbie Keane, Jose Villarreal of LA Galaxy
Daigo Kobayashi, Chris Tierney, Jose Goncalves, Darrius Barnes of New England
David Villa, Mix Diskerud, Shay Facey, Josh Williams of NYCFC
Roy Miller and Ronaldo Zubar of NYRB
Lewis Neal and Tony Cascio of Orlando City
Fabinho, Raymond Lee, Vincent Nogueira of Philadelphia Union
Sebastian Jaime of Real Salt Lake
Mark Sherrod, Steven Lenhart, Shuan Francis, Jordan Stewart of San Jose Earthquakes
Damion Lowe of Seattle Sounders
Seth Sinovic and James Rogers of Sporting KC
Steven Caldwell and Mark Bloom of TFC
Diego Rodriguez of Vancouver Whitecaps
Thank you for your time, I hope you enjoyed this weeks look back and forward covering MLS action. The time to get stuck in is now, spread the word. Until next time, as always, remember, MLS Matters.
Wednesday, April 15, 2015
WEEK 6 REVIEW/WEEK 7 PREVIEW
WEEK 6 RESULTS:
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC 2-2 COLUMBUS CREW SC
FC DALLAS 0-4 COLORADO RAPIDS
NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION 0-0 COLUMBUS CREW SC
PHILADELPHIA UNION 2-1 NEW YORK CITY FC
DC UNITED 2-2 NEW YORK RED BULLS
HOUSTON DYNAMO 3-0 MONTREAL IMPACT
SPORTING KANSAS CITY 0-0 REAL SALT LAKE
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES 1-0 VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC
PORTLAND TIMBERS FC 0-2 ORLANDO CITY SC
LA GALAXY 1-0 SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC
WEEK 6 REVIEW:
The story of the week may have been Colorado finally scoring a goal. Four of them in fact, on the road, against a Dallas side that started well. It was a result no one could have expected, and another reason why we love MLS.
With the start of double game weeks, Vancouver and Columbus both saw double duty, with the two drawing in Vancouver, the Whitecaps losing on the road to San Jose, and the Crew getting 2 road points in the week after drawing the Revs.
In a battle of the potential kings of the East, DC and the Red Bulls battled hard to a stalemate in the nations capital. A case can be made the the new Red Bulls, version Jesse Marsch, could be the best team in the East, if not all of MLS.
Sundays television matches gave us two interesting clashes as Orlando City stunned Portland at home getting a clean sheet as well as two goals themselves. A side everyone predicted to be Kaka-or-bust might finally be starting to gel. In the other matchup, LA Galaxy showed why they are always near the top of the league when they put one goal past the Sounders, then hung on to seal the three points.
TACTICAL CORNER: Over the history of MLS, one thing has proven true. The home side is much more likely to win or draw than they are to lose. Even more so than in many of the top leagues, MLS is a league where you play a high line at home, pressing the game, and attacking to appease the fans. On the road, you play a much deeper line, concede much of the possession, and hope to nick a point on the counter attack.
While there are times common sense says to park the bus, or attack attack attack, why more teams don't play the high line pressing game on the road is beyond me. A good example of this would be Vancouver, a team that often plays the same at home as they do on the road. They often concede possession while using pace on the counter and tactical fouling to control matches the numbers say they didn't control.
Against LA in week 5, Vancouver threw the tactics book out the window, played a high line, pressed the game from minute one, and completely dominated the LA Galaxy in a way Bruce Arena had never experienced during his time with the club. It was a work of art, and my hope was that a talented Vancouver side would now take up the mantle and play this way more often than not, at home or on the road. Then week 6 came, they had a double match week with matches at home and on the road. In both games, they reverted to old form, and walked away with only one point. The team that dominated the kings of MLS, the team with all of the talent needed to play a more aggressive style of football while laying a marker down as to what it takes to be the best in MLS, while a quality side, took their foot back off the gas and played like a quality road side both home and away.
Over the coming weeks we will check back in on the tactical decisions made by managers when their teams play home and away, with particular interest on who shows as much aggression on the road as they do at home, and what the results from this style of play are. Vancouver, facing a tactically changed Real Salt Lake in week 7, has the perfect opportunity to play the high line and force RSL onto the back foot on their own home pitch. Sadly, I predict Vancouver sitting back, fouling, and using the counter in an attempt to steal a point.
WEEK 7 PREDICTIONS AND PREVIEW:
NEW YORK CITY FC 2-1 PHILADELPHIA UNION: Another double game week kicks off Thursday as NYCFC and the Union face off for the second time in history, and the second time in five days. Last Saturday the Union won at home 2-1, and I look for NY to return the favor this week. With Mix Diskerud away on international duty, the hill will be tougher for NY to climb, but my trick elbow says that this is the week David Villa will double his MLS goal tally with a brace.
NEW YORK RED BULLS 2-1 SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES: The UNIMAS Friday night match of the week, Jesse Marsch's men come into the game unbeaten, coming off a dramatic equalizer, with Lloyd Sam in the form of his career, bagging his third goal in 4 matches. San Jose for their part haven't lost in New York since 2011, but also haven't won in NY since 2005. NY could be the best team in MLS early doors, and a win over a tough Dom Kinnear managed side would do much to hush Marsch's summer doubters.
DC UNITED 1-0 HOUTSON DYNAMO: DC are 3-1-1 on the season, without a loss in the last 4. Perry Kitchen had a brace last week, but a strong Red Bulls side came back for a draw, ending DC's win streak. In their first 5 matches, Houston scored 2 goals. Last week, they put 5 past Montreal. The road team has won 3 of the last 5 matches between these two, and what should be a fierce battle could be a draw, but my money is on the home team stealing all three points off a single goal.
COLUMBUS CREW SC 1-0 ORLANDO CITY SC: Columbus sits three points behind Orlando having played a match less. They come home after a coast to coast road swing last week. Up front, Columbus features Kei Kamara, coming off a brace last week, while Orlando features rookie Cyle Larin, fresh off his first career goal. The key matchup this week may be Orlando's Kaka, the man who has scored half of Orlando's goals this season, and the Crew's defensive minded mids. If Trapp is healthy, back Columbus. If not, all bets are off.
FC DALLAS 1-0 TORONTO FC: Bradley is potentially out for international duty. Joey Altidore won't play for the US due to suspension, and is in Texas with the US, so expect him to start. Dallas has won 3 of the last 5 meetings between these teams, with two draws coming in the other results. After starting the season with a win, TFC followed it up with three losses and a bye week. In what should be an interesting match of two teams reeling from recent results, bet the home team.
COLORADO RAPIDS 0-1 SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC: Seattle has won the last four meetings between these two sides, three of those at home, but the most recent coming in Colorado. Of the past 5 matches, Seattle has won twice 4-1, while Colorado won 5-1. While it would be easy to predict that Colorado snapping their 18 match winless streak would give them a boost this week at home, in the end I feel Seattle has enough in the tank to sneak a victory. Clint Dempsey's injury hampers their chances, with Martins being a shadow of himself since Dempsey went down, but this could be a week for Lamar Neagle.
REAL SALT LAKE 1-1 VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC: Last season gave us two score draws in Salt Lake City and a win for the Whitecaps at home. Like the Red Bulls, RSL are the other unbeaten team early this MLS season. While RSL hasn't conceded a goal on the road this season, they have let 4 past themselves at home, where they play more openly. Vancouver has never won at the Rio Tinto. While I am predicting a draw, if Laba and Teibert team in the midfield and Vancouver presses the game throughout, expect a minor upset.
LA GALAXY 2-1 SPORTING KANSAS CITY: The home side has won 4 of the last 5 matches between these two, with one draw KC along the way. With Ike Opara out indefinitely with his knee injury, and Dom Dwyer yet to hit his stride, while Roger Espinoza has yet to have the impact upon his return many expected, the odds may be in LA's favor. KC has to rely on other players returning from injury to give them a spark. Look for LA to continue the home cooking this series has become known for.
PHILADELPHIA UNION 1-1 NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION: ESPN2's Sunday night clash gives us Philly's second match of the week, after they finally came to life last week. After three home wins, the road team has won the last two meetings between these two. After 2 losses to kick the season off, the Revs haven't lost in their last 4, and are finally starting to click. Jermaine Jones is back in training, and the run many of us expect from them could be getting ready to roll. In what should be a fiesty battle of Eastern Conference foes, look for a draw.
NEW YORK CITY FC 1-2 PORTLAND TIMBERS FC: FS1's Sunday night match features the second of NY's home matches of the week, their first ever clash against Portland. After a stunning loss at home against the other expansion side, Portland look to travel from coast to coast and turn the results around. In MLS, the home team often gets the result, and teams that travel from one coast to another for a match are also at a massive disadvantage, and Portland is still without some very key pieces, I have a feeling they will get it done in Prime Time.
Week 7 injury report:
CHICAGO- OUT: Magee and Nyarko. QUESTIONABLE: Johnson.
COLORADO- QUESTIONABLE: Alvarez, Cronin, Sjoberg.
COLUMBUS- QUESTIONABLE: Trapp, Francis.
DC UNITED- OUT: Johnson, Birnbaum. QUESTIONABLE: DeLeon.
FC DALLAS- QUESTIONABLE: Keel, Kennedy, Diaz.
HOUSTON- QUESTIONABLE: Rodriguez, Garcia.
GALAXY- OUT: Perk. QUESTIONABLE: Walker, Leonardo, Keane.
MONTREAL- OUT: Mapp, Porter.
NEW ENGLAND- QUESTIONABLE: Kobayashi.
NYCFC- OUT: John. QUESTIONABLE: Facey.
NYRB- QUESTIONABLE: Miller, Zubar, Perrinelle.
ORLANDO- OUT: Hall. QUESTIONABLE: Ribeiro, Neal.
PHILLY- OUT: Bird, Fabinho. QUESTIONABLE: Maidana, Edu, Aristeguieta.
PORTLAND- OUT: Johnson, Valeri, Zemanski.
RSL- OUT: Plata. QUESTIONABLE: Pecka, Glad.
SAN JOSE- QUESTIONABLE: Sherrod, Stewart, Lenhart, Francis.
SEATTLE- QUESTIONABLE: Dempsey.
SKC- OUT: Opara, Myers. QUESTIONABLE: Zusi, Sinovic.
TFC- OUT: Caldwell. QUESTIONABLE: Perquis, Bloom, Zavaleta.
VANCOUVER- OUT: Lewis, Bustos. QUESTIONABLE: Rosales, Koffie, Rodriguez.
Hope you enjoyed this weeks review/preview. Any questions or comments, feel free to post them below. Hope to see you back next week, and as always, remember, MLS Matters.
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC 2-2 COLUMBUS CREW SC
FC DALLAS 0-4 COLORADO RAPIDS
NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION 0-0 COLUMBUS CREW SC
PHILADELPHIA UNION 2-1 NEW YORK CITY FC
DC UNITED 2-2 NEW YORK RED BULLS
HOUSTON DYNAMO 3-0 MONTREAL IMPACT
SPORTING KANSAS CITY 0-0 REAL SALT LAKE
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES 1-0 VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC
PORTLAND TIMBERS FC 0-2 ORLANDO CITY SC
LA GALAXY 1-0 SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC
WEEK 6 REVIEW:
The story of the week may have been Colorado finally scoring a goal. Four of them in fact, on the road, against a Dallas side that started well. It was a result no one could have expected, and another reason why we love MLS.
With the start of double game weeks, Vancouver and Columbus both saw double duty, with the two drawing in Vancouver, the Whitecaps losing on the road to San Jose, and the Crew getting 2 road points in the week after drawing the Revs.
In a battle of the potential kings of the East, DC and the Red Bulls battled hard to a stalemate in the nations capital. A case can be made the the new Red Bulls, version Jesse Marsch, could be the best team in the East, if not all of MLS.
Sundays television matches gave us two interesting clashes as Orlando City stunned Portland at home getting a clean sheet as well as two goals themselves. A side everyone predicted to be Kaka-or-bust might finally be starting to gel. In the other matchup, LA Galaxy showed why they are always near the top of the league when they put one goal past the Sounders, then hung on to seal the three points.
TACTICAL CORNER: Over the history of MLS, one thing has proven true. The home side is much more likely to win or draw than they are to lose. Even more so than in many of the top leagues, MLS is a league where you play a high line at home, pressing the game, and attacking to appease the fans. On the road, you play a much deeper line, concede much of the possession, and hope to nick a point on the counter attack.
While there are times common sense says to park the bus, or attack attack attack, why more teams don't play the high line pressing game on the road is beyond me. A good example of this would be Vancouver, a team that often plays the same at home as they do on the road. They often concede possession while using pace on the counter and tactical fouling to control matches the numbers say they didn't control.
Against LA in week 5, Vancouver threw the tactics book out the window, played a high line, pressed the game from minute one, and completely dominated the LA Galaxy in a way Bruce Arena had never experienced during his time with the club. It was a work of art, and my hope was that a talented Vancouver side would now take up the mantle and play this way more often than not, at home or on the road. Then week 6 came, they had a double match week with matches at home and on the road. In both games, they reverted to old form, and walked away with only one point. The team that dominated the kings of MLS, the team with all of the talent needed to play a more aggressive style of football while laying a marker down as to what it takes to be the best in MLS, while a quality side, took their foot back off the gas and played like a quality road side both home and away.
Over the coming weeks we will check back in on the tactical decisions made by managers when their teams play home and away, with particular interest on who shows as much aggression on the road as they do at home, and what the results from this style of play are. Vancouver, facing a tactically changed Real Salt Lake in week 7, has the perfect opportunity to play the high line and force RSL onto the back foot on their own home pitch. Sadly, I predict Vancouver sitting back, fouling, and using the counter in an attempt to steal a point.
WEEK 7 PREDICTIONS AND PREVIEW:
NEW YORK CITY FC 2-1 PHILADELPHIA UNION: Another double game week kicks off Thursday as NYCFC and the Union face off for the second time in history, and the second time in five days. Last Saturday the Union won at home 2-1, and I look for NY to return the favor this week. With Mix Diskerud away on international duty, the hill will be tougher for NY to climb, but my trick elbow says that this is the week David Villa will double his MLS goal tally with a brace.
NEW YORK RED BULLS 2-1 SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES: The UNIMAS Friday night match of the week, Jesse Marsch's men come into the game unbeaten, coming off a dramatic equalizer, with Lloyd Sam in the form of his career, bagging his third goal in 4 matches. San Jose for their part haven't lost in New York since 2011, but also haven't won in NY since 2005. NY could be the best team in MLS early doors, and a win over a tough Dom Kinnear managed side would do much to hush Marsch's summer doubters.
DC UNITED 1-0 HOUTSON DYNAMO: DC are 3-1-1 on the season, without a loss in the last 4. Perry Kitchen had a brace last week, but a strong Red Bulls side came back for a draw, ending DC's win streak. In their first 5 matches, Houston scored 2 goals. Last week, they put 5 past Montreal. The road team has won 3 of the last 5 matches between these two, and what should be a fierce battle could be a draw, but my money is on the home team stealing all three points off a single goal.
COLUMBUS CREW SC 1-0 ORLANDO CITY SC: Columbus sits three points behind Orlando having played a match less. They come home after a coast to coast road swing last week. Up front, Columbus features Kei Kamara, coming off a brace last week, while Orlando features rookie Cyle Larin, fresh off his first career goal. The key matchup this week may be Orlando's Kaka, the man who has scored half of Orlando's goals this season, and the Crew's defensive minded mids. If Trapp is healthy, back Columbus. If not, all bets are off.
FC DALLAS 1-0 TORONTO FC: Bradley is potentially out for international duty. Joey Altidore won't play for the US due to suspension, and is in Texas with the US, so expect him to start. Dallas has won 3 of the last 5 meetings between these teams, with two draws coming in the other results. After starting the season with a win, TFC followed it up with three losses and a bye week. In what should be an interesting match of two teams reeling from recent results, bet the home team.
COLORADO RAPIDS 0-1 SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC: Seattle has won the last four meetings between these two sides, three of those at home, but the most recent coming in Colorado. Of the past 5 matches, Seattle has won twice 4-1, while Colorado won 5-1. While it would be easy to predict that Colorado snapping their 18 match winless streak would give them a boost this week at home, in the end I feel Seattle has enough in the tank to sneak a victory. Clint Dempsey's injury hampers their chances, with Martins being a shadow of himself since Dempsey went down, but this could be a week for Lamar Neagle.
REAL SALT LAKE 1-1 VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC: Last season gave us two score draws in Salt Lake City and a win for the Whitecaps at home. Like the Red Bulls, RSL are the other unbeaten team early this MLS season. While RSL hasn't conceded a goal on the road this season, they have let 4 past themselves at home, where they play more openly. Vancouver has never won at the Rio Tinto. While I am predicting a draw, if Laba and Teibert team in the midfield and Vancouver presses the game throughout, expect a minor upset.
LA GALAXY 2-1 SPORTING KANSAS CITY: The home side has won 4 of the last 5 matches between these two, with one draw KC along the way. With Ike Opara out indefinitely with his knee injury, and Dom Dwyer yet to hit his stride, while Roger Espinoza has yet to have the impact upon his return many expected, the odds may be in LA's favor. KC has to rely on other players returning from injury to give them a spark. Look for LA to continue the home cooking this series has become known for.
PHILADELPHIA UNION 1-1 NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION: ESPN2's Sunday night clash gives us Philly's second match of the week, after they finally came to life last week. After three home wins, the road team has won the last two meetings between these two. After 2 losses to kick the season off, the Revs haven't lost in their last 4, and are finally starting to click. Jermaine Jones is back in training, and the run many of us expect from them could be getting ready to roll. In what should be a fiesty battle of Eastern Conference foes, look for a draw.
NEW YORK CITY FC 1-2 PORTLAND TIMBERS FC: FS1's Sunday night match features the second of NY's home matches of the week, their first ever clash against Portland. After a stunning loss at home against the other expansion side, Portland look to travel from coast to coast and turn the results around. In MLS, the home team often gets the result, and teams that travel from one coast to another for a match are also at a massive disadvantage, and Portland is still without some very key pieces, I have a feeling they will get it done in Prime Time.
Week 7 injury report:
CHICAGO- OUT: Magee and Nyarko. QUESTIONABLE: Johnson.
COLORADO- QUESTIONABLE: Alvarez, Cronin, Sjoberg.
COLUMBUS- QUESTIONABLE: Trapp, Francis.
DC UNITED- OUT: Johnson, Birnbaum. QUESTIONABLE: DeLeon.
FC DALLAS- QUESTIONABLE: Keel, Kennedy, Diaz.
HOUSTON- QUESTIONABLE: Rodriguez, Garcia.
GALAXY- OUT: Perk. QUESTIONABLE: Walker, Leonardo, Keane.
MONTREAL- OUT: Mapp, Porter.
NEW ENGLAND- QUESTIONABLE: Kobayashi.
NYCFC- OUT: John. QUESTIONABLE: Facey.
NYRB- QUESTIONABLE: Miller, Zubar, Perrinelle.
ORLANDO- OUT: Hall. QUESTIONABLE: Ribeiro, Neal.
PHILLY- OUT: Bird, Fabinho. QUESTIONABLE: Maidana, Edu, Aristeguieta.
PORTLAND- OUT: Johnson, Valeri, Zemanski.
RSL- OUT: Plata. QUESTIONABLE: Pecka, Glad.
SAN JOSE- QUESTIONABLE: Sherrod, Stewart, Lenhart, Francis.
SEATTLE- QUESTIONABLE: Dempsey.
SKC- OUT: Opara, Myers. QUESTIONABLE: Zusi, Sinovic.
TFC- OUT: Caldwell. QUESTIONABLE: Perquis, Bloom, Zavaleta.
VANCOUVER- OUT: Lewis, Bustos. QUESTIONABLE: Rosales, Koffie, Rodriguez.
Hope you enjoyed this weeks review/preview. Any questions or comments, feel free to post them below. Hope to see you back next week, and as always, remember, MLS Matters.
Tuesday, April 7, 2015
WEEK 5 REVIEW/WEEK 6 PREVIEW
With a short week to write a blog this week with the midweek action for Vancouver vs Columbus, I'm shaking things up a bit with this review/preview. Any questions or comments, feel free to let me know. With that said, lets get stuck in...
TISSUE GATE: What do you get when you combine two young managers filled with passion and a penchant for pissing other managers off? Tissue-gate. After a hotly contested matchup that saw Portland Timbers get past FC Dallas 3-1, Portland manager Caleb Porter approached Dallas manager Oscar Pareja for the customary handshake. At this point, the tale of what happened diverges into a he said/he said. Porter claims Papi Pareja blew his nose on a tissue and tried to hand it to Porter, which Porter grabbed and threw back at him as he walked away. For his side, Pareja claimed he used to tissue to dab a mock tear, telling Porter to take the tissue and stop his constant crying to the ref.
The way I saw events unfold, and from the responses to the case of handbags, it is pretty clear to me that Pareja was being a little whiny himself, but was still in the right. Porter and his staff do constantly complain and whine over every call, as many managers do, and the tissue gag from Pereja was rather funny.
If you are a betting man, wager heavy on both of these managers getting involved in another mock fight this season, possibly against each other, as they are scheduled to face off one more time this season before a potential future matchup in the playoffs.
VANCOUVER RISING: At this stage of the season, the best team in the league changes from week to week, but at this early stage of the season, our new kings of the mountain are the Vancouver Whitecaps. In a week 5 match this past weekend, Vancouver outplayed LA Galaxy, having answers to questions LA hadn't even thought of asking yet. Vancouver controlled possession, against their usual style, and were completely comfortable in the first half, with Ousted not being forced into a single save. In the second, LA began pressing the game and taking chances, which left them more open and vulnerable as a counter attack led to a 1-0 lead as Rosales put Manneh through. Not long after the hour mark, Vancouver doubled the lead with the final score of the match as Octavio Rivero did all of the work himself before laying the ball off to Mezquida, and banging home the rebound.
With a record of 4-1-0, Vancouver currently sit atop the Western Conference, as well as in pole position for the Supporter's Shield. A team loaded with talent, consistency will tell the tale of how they fare this season, but early doors, things are looking up.
TACTICAL CORNER: The 4-3-3/4-5-1 formation has been king as of late in MLS, perhaps due to the quality and depth of attacking midfielders in the league. Rosales, Higuain, Kaka, Diaz, and the like, are the cogs that keep their teams clocks ticking. So far this early season there seems to be two thoughts of how to deal with such important pace setters from the clubs they face. One school of thought is to put your best defensive midfielder on him, be it Beckerman, Alonso, Trapp, etc. While the other school of thought is to drop the man marker, and instead play a sort of zone, sharing the duties between several players.
For me, even when you have a top drawer defensive mid, the best way to deal with an attacking mid who can control a game, is to play a loose triangle around him. With the loose triangle, you can choke out any passing lane open to the player, making his impact on the game almost nil. Without the ball, these players become dead weight to their teams.
Playing the triangle too tight can lead to too much space for the other attacking talents in the opposition, while playing the triangle too loose fails to close off those all important passing lanes. Some might call the loose triangle a rotational man marking system, but the loose triangle term puts an image in your head the rotational man marking system moniker does not.
Over the coming weeks, I will continue to monitor what tactic clubs use against some of the bigger name attacking mids to compare and contrast what works, what doesn't, and why.
WEEK 6 PREDICTIONS:
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC 2-1 COLUMBUS CREW SC: Potentially the match of the week, and a clash of two of my favorite squads of 2015, Vancouver has won the last three meetings between these two clubs, and bring a league leading points total (12) into the match. Columbus on the other hand hasn't won in Vancouver since 2011, Vancouver's expansion season, and is playing in just their 4th match of the season here, while Vancouver will be playing their 6th.
FC DALLAS 3-1 COLORADO RAPIDS: The UNIMAS Friday night matchup, Dallas comes in off a loss to Portland, but is riding a 3 match winning streak against Colorado, who enter the match winless as well as goalless. Colorado has now gone 18 matches between the past two seasons without a win, tying the all time MLS record. While I feel they may finally break their goal drought this week, I foresee a record breaking result in the offing for them. Whether or not they score that goal in the first 23 minutes will decide if they set another record, longest streak to start the season without a goal. So far they have gone 600 minutes without a goal, and may set the new all-time mark currently held by TFC should they go another 23 minutes without a goal.
NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION 1-0 COLUMBUS CREW SC: Are you sensing a theme yet? NE enter the match with a 3 game winning streak against Columbus. The Crew however won two of the three regular season meetings last year, before being demolished in the playoffs by the Revs. While Rowe has been has been hot as of late, the Revs are still missing a key figure in Jermaine Jones, and the Crew could capitalize on this miss as they did last year. Should be a solid Eastern Conference clash.
PHILADELPHIA UNION 0-0 NEW YORK CITY FC: In the match I'm least excited about this week, the Union enter with a 3 match losing streak after their 2 initial draws. NY enters with a mixed bag of results at 1-1-2. Two of the Unions 5 goals this season have been own goals, with new boy Fernando Aristeguieta bagging the other three. NY has scored three goals this season, but hasn't scored in 186 minutes.
DC UNITED 1-1 NEW YORK RED BULLS: NY has won three of their last 5 meetings with DC. DC enter the match with back-to-back added time victories, as well as with the knowledge that the home team walked away with a 2-0 victory in all of the three previous regular season match-ups, and the home team winning in both legs of their playoff clash last season. NY however enters the match having already defeated DC once this season, having scored two more goals than DC, despite having played a match less.
HOUSTON DYNAMO 2-0 MONTREAL IMPACT: The Dynamo haven't scored in 259 minutes. The Impact had a tough midweek clash in Costa Rica. The Dynamo however have won their last 4 against the Impact in Houston, with Montreal's only win of the series coming on home soil. I look for Houston to break their duck this week, and continue the streak.
SPORTING KC 2-2 REAL SALT LAKE: Over the last 4 meetings between these two powers, Sporting won twice, followed by back-to-back draws. KC enter the match coming off two stoppage time goals in a thriller last week against the Union, while RSL snuck by the Earthquakes. RSL hasn't won in KC since 2009, and has never won at Sporting Park. In what should be a good matchup, wise money is on a KC win, but my trick elbow is backing the draw.
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES 2-2 VANCOUVER WHITECAPS: The Caps won their last 3 against San Jose at home, while drawing the last two in San Jose, having only lost to San Jose once in history. This will be the Caps first trip to Avaya stadium, where San Jose suffered their first home loss last week. Vancouver does have a midweek match to deal with, but are young enough to cope unless there are injuries. This should be a true battle between Wondo and Rivero. Could be interesting. I predict Vancouver will go defensive, concede possession, and in the end, get a point.
PORTLAND TIMBERS FC 2-1 ORLANDO CITY SC: ESPN2's Sunday Night Match of the Week, it will be the first meeting between the two squads. Portland enters on a winning note after stunning high flying Dallas, while Orlando enters after losing a match on yet another late goal. So far, 4 of their 5 points have been earned on the road. The atmosphere and Kaka make it one to watch.
LA GALAXY 3-2 SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC: Fox Sports 1's Sunday Night Match of the Week, the home team has won the last three meetings between these two Western Conference and Supporter's Shield giants. LA has had a bit of a wobble as of late, losing their last two matches, while Seattle greeted the return of Dempsey with a win in Houston. Every Seattle goal this season has been scored by DP partnership Martins and Dempsey. While form may suggest Seattle can sneak all three points, I have a feeling Robbie Keane nets a brace, with a mid stepping up and netting a third.
Thank you for reading my Week 5 review (ish) and week 6 preview. IF you have any questions or comments about the format dabbling, feel free to post a comment below. Until next time, remember as always, MLS Matters.
TISSUE GATE: What do you get when you combine two young managers filled with passion and a penchant for pissing other managers off? Tissue-gate. After a hotly contested matchup that saw Portland Timbers get past FC Dallas 3-1, Portland manager Caleb Porter approached Dallas manager Oscar Pareja for the customary handshake. At this point, the tale of what happened diverges into a he said/he said. Porter claims Papi Pareja blew his nose on a tissue and tried to hand it to Porter, which Porter grabbed and threw back at him as he walked away. For his side, Pareja claimed he used to tissue to dab a mock tear, telling Porter to take the tissue and stop his constant crying to the ref.
The way I saw events unfold, and from the responses to the case of handbags, it is pretty clear to me that Pareja was being a little whiny himself, but was still in the right. Porter and his staff do constantly complain and whine over every call, as many managers do, and the tissue gag from Pereja was rather funny.
If you are a betting man, wager heavy on both of these managers getting involved in another mock fight this season, possibly against each other, as they are scheduled to face off one more time this season before a potential future matchup in the playoffs.
VANCOUVER RISING: At this stage of the season, the best team in the league changes from week to week, but at this early stage of the season, our new kings of the mountain are the Vancouver Whitecaps. In a week 5 match this past weekend, Vancouver outplayed LA Galaxy, having answers to questions LA hadn't even thought of asking yet. Vancouver controlled possession, against their usual style, and were completely comfortable in the first half, with Ousted not being forced into a single save. In the second, LA began pressing the game and taking chances, which left them more open and vulnerable as a counter attack led to a 1-0 lead as Rosales put Manneh through. Not long after the hour mark, Vancouver doubled the lead with the final score of the match as Octavio Rivero did all of the work himself before laying the ball off to Mezquida, and banging home the rebound.
With a record of 4-1-0, Vancouver currently sit atop the Western Conference, as well as in pole position for the Supporter's Shield. A team loaded with talent, consistency will tell the tale of how they fare this season, but early doors, things are looking up.
TACTICAL CORNER: The 4-3-3/4-5-1 formation has been king as of late in MLS, perhaps due to the quality and depth of attacking midfielders in the league. Rosales, Higuain, Kaka, Diaz, and the like, are the cogs that keep their teams clocks ticking. So far this early season there seems to be two thoughts of how to deal with such important pace setters from the clubs they face. One school of thought is to put your best defensive midfielder on him, be it Beckerman, Alonso, Trapp, etc. While the other school of thought is to drop the man marker, and instead play a sort of zone, sharing the duties between several players.
For me, even when you have a top drawer defensive mid, the best way to deal with an attacking mid who can control a game, is to play a loose triangle around him. With the loose triangle, you can choke out any passing lane open to the player, making his impact on the game almost nil. Without the ball, these players become dead weight to their teams.
Playing the triangle too tight can lead to too much space for the other attacking talents in the opposition, while playing the triangle too loose fails to close off those all important passing lanes. Some might call the loose triangle a rotational man marking system, but the loose triangle term puts an image in your head the rotational man marking system moniker does not.
Over the coming weeks, I will continue to monitor what tactic clubs use against some of the bigger name attacking mids to compare and contrast what works, what doesn't, and why.
WEEK 6 PREDICTIONS:
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC 2-1 COLUMBUS CREW SC: Potentially the match of the week, and a clash of two of my favorite squads of 2015, Vancouver has won the last three meetings between these two clubs, and bring a league leading points total (12) into the match. Columbus on the other hand hasn't won in Vancouver since 2011, Vancouver's expansion season, and is playing in just their 4th match of the season here, while Vancouver will be playing their 6th.
FC DALLAS 3-1 COLORADO RAPIDS: The UNIMAS Friday night matchup, Dallas comes in off a loss to Portland, but is riding a 3 match winning streak against Colorado, who enter the match winless as well as goalless. Colorado has now gone 18 matches between the past two seasons without a win, tying the all time MLS record. While I feel they may finally break their goal drought this week, I foresee a record breaking result in the offing for them. Whether or not they score that goal in the first 23 minutes will decide if they set another record, longest streak to start the season without a goal. So far they have gone 600 minutes without a goal, and may set the new all-time mark currently held by TFC should they go another 23 minutes without a goal.
NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION 1-0 COLUMBUS CREW SC: Are you sensing a theme yet? NE enter the match with a 3 game winning streak against Columbus. The Crew however won two of the three regular season meetings last year, before being demolished in the playoffs by the Revs. While Rowe has been has been hot as of late, the Revs are still missing a key figure in Jermaine Jones, and the Crew could capitalize on this miss as they did last year. Should be a solid Eastern Conference clash.
PHILADELPHIA UNION 0-0 NEW YORK CITY FC: In the match I'm least excited about this week, the Union enter with a 3 match losing streak after their 2 initial draws. NY enters with a mixed bag of results at 1-1-2. Two of the Unions 5 goals this season have been own goals, with new boy Fernando Aristeguieta bagging the other three. NY has scored three goals this season, but hasn't scored in 186 minutes.
DC UNITED 1-1 NEW YORK RED BULLS: NY has won three of their last 5 meetings with DC. DC enter the match with back-to-back added time victories, as well as with the knowledge that the home team walked away with a 2-0 victory in all of the three previous regular season match-ups, and the home team winning in both legs of their playoff clash last season. NY however enters the match having already defeated DC once this season, having scored two more goals than DC, despite having played a match less.
HOUSTON DYNAMO 2-0 MONTREAL IMPACT: The Dynamo haven't scored in 259 minutes. The Impact had a tough midweek clash in Costa Rica. The Dynamo however have won their last 4 against the Impact in Houston, with Montreal's only win of the series coming on home soil. I look for Houston to break their duck this week, and continue the streak.
SPORTING KC 2-2 REAL SALT LAKE: Over the last 4 meetings between these two powers, Sporting won twice, followed by back-to-back draws. KC enter the match coming off two stoppage time goals in a thriller last week against the Union, while RSL snuck by the Earthquakes. RSL hasn't won in KC since 2009, and has never won at Sporting Park. In what should be a good matchup, wise money is on a KC win, but my trick elbow is backing the draw.
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES 2-2 VANCOUVER WHITECAPS: The Caps won their last 3 against San Jose at home, while drawing the last two in San Jose, having only lost to San Jose once in history. This will be the Caps first trip to Avaya stadium, where San Jose suffered their first home loss last week. Vancouver does have a midweek match to deal with, but are young enough to cope unless there are injuries. This should be a true battle between Wondo and Rivero. Could be interesting. I predict Vancouver will go defensive, concede possession, and in the end, get a point.
PORTLAND TIMBERS FC 2-1 ORLANDO CITY SC: ESPN2's Sunday Night Match of the Week, it will be the first meeting between the two squads. Portland enters on a winning note after stunning high flying Dallas, while Orlando enters after losing a match on yet another late goal. So far, 4 of their 5 points have been earned on the road. The atmosphere and Kaka make it one to watch.
LA GALAXY 3-2 SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC: Fox Sports 1's Sunday Night Match of the Week, the home team has won the last three meetings between these two Western Conference and Supporter's Shield giants. LA has had a bit of a wobble as of late, losing their last two matches, while Seattle greeted the return of Dempsey with a win in Houston. Every Seattle goal this season has been scored by DP partnership Martins and Dempsey. While form may suggest Seattle can sneak all three points, I have a feeling Robbie Keane nets a brace, with a mid stepping up and netting a third.
Thank you for reading my Week 5 review (ish) and week 6 preview. IF you have any questions or comments about the format dabbling, feel free to post a comment below. Until next time, remember as always, MLS Matters.
Thursday, April 2, 2015
WEEK 4 REVIEW/WEEK 5 PREVIEW
Predicting MLS is like predicting the winning lottery numbers, easier said than done. Off to a poor start, hopefully I turn it around this week. Before then, lets review last weeks action...
NEW ENGLAND 2-1 SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES: Snow and a slick pitch made for a slow start from San Jose, with the Revs pressing the game from both sides of the ball. The game started to turn when Rowe swapped the left for the right, with Agudelo moving left. Coming inside from the right, Rowe bagged New England's first two goals of the season.After the half, San Jose made changes and made the game tighter, getting a goal back, but in the end, the Revs did enough for all three points.
MONTREAL IMPACT 2-2 ORLANDO CITY: The first half hour of this match was a mix of poor defending and luck, with the next hour of the match becoming a banal stalemate. The scoring started in the 14th minute, after a St. Ledger handball that Piatti put away, Montreal took a 2-0 lead. Within minutes, Orlando struck back, tying it 2-2 in the first half hour. From there on, Montreal had plenty of corners, and Orlando plenty of free kicks, with nothing come from it. By the 80th minute, Orlando began time wasting, happy with a point.
DC UNITED 1-0 LA GALAXY: A war of attrition is the best way to describe the first hour of the match, with injuries to Leanardo and Beirnbaum forcing each team to make an early sub and a quick rethink about the game plan. The match started to open up after additional subs and tactical changes after 60 minutes, with an added time goal off of a scramble from Pontius stealing three points for DC.
NEW YORK CITY FC 0-1 SPORTING KANSAS CITY: Not much to report here. Opara nicked an early goal, and not much of merit happened after that. NY was chippy as hell, so its not surprising they had two red cards from their first two matches. Both teams are hard battling and tactically sound, but there was very little flash or fire on display from either side.
COLUMBUS CREW 1-2 NEW YORK REDBULLS: A stop/start first half, there wasn't enough quality possession either way. The Crew made the first major mistake of the game when Pogatetz made a silly challenge, running over Sam in the box, with BWP converting the PK. The moment of the match for me came when Sal Zizzo went over rather easily in the box, getting the response "He went down like a Tijuana whore" from the Crew fans. This was followed by Tchani leveling the match off a set piece, before Grella's shot from long distance won the day. While Robles was forced into several great saves down the stretch, the Crew threw away their chances and harmed their next match when Higuain was sent off with a second yellow in the 83rd minute for dissent.
VANCOUVER 2-1 PORTLAND TIMBERS: Portland's Ghanian international Kwarsey continues to struggle in MLS, and both goals for Vancouver did not look good for the new keeper. Mezquida took a lovely free kick, which Kwarsey flapped at in ludicrous manner, before Adi leveled. There were plenty of chances both ways, or at least half chances, when right at the death Robert Earnshaw sealed his debut with a goal, three minutes after coming into the match, where again Kwarsey seemed unaware of how to deal with a basic chip. On the other side, Ousted was immense all match long.
FC DALLAS 0-0 SEATTLE SOUNDERS: Acosta was too geared up for his first action in some time, was sent off. For the first time in MLS history, there was not a single shot on target in the entire match. Enough said about this stinker.
HOUSTON DYNAMO 0-0 COLORADO RAPIDS: Colorado has gone 510 minutes without a goal. Missing key figures due to internationals, Houston had very little bite. Again, enough said.
CHICAGO FIRE 1-0 PHILADELPHIA UNION: Fred was sent off for Philly late. Chicago finally scored a goal. Not much else happened. Pretty dire, as to be expected from both of these sides, though for some reason the main thought coming from the match seems to be that Harry Shipp is the next Blanco. He's ugly, short, and slow. Apart from that, I don't see it. He's more of a poor mans Iniesta than the new Blanco. What generated this buzz for Shipp? He isn't Maloney, which is a plus, and he made a few decent passes, supplying the free kick the goal arose from. Hardly Blanco.
REAL SALT LAKE 2-1 TORONTO FC: The game got off to a slow start, with Mulholland getting the opener as the first half neared its end. The second half was mainly controlled by Toronto, even with some big names missing, with the atomic ant delivering a free kick which Hagglund headed home. A draw would have been a fair result, but near the death, (giving up late goals, something familiar with the US and MLS teams) Allen got the first goal of his career, giving RSL all three points. Both teams played well for the major pieces missing, giving both teams hope that they have the depth for the long slog of the MLS season.
WEEK 5 PREDICTION:
OLRANDO CITY SC 1-1 DC UNITED: Unimas match of the week on Good Friday, expect a hard fought battle with each side happy with a point.
CHICAGO FIRE 0-1 TORONTO FC: The names will be back, which should help TFC, but will it help or hurt Chicago? Being at home should give Chicago a leg up, but I see Toronto breaking their hearts and a new goalless streak starting for the Fire.
COLORADO RAPIDS 0-0 NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION: If there is a goal to be had in this match, expect NE to get it. Colorado's goalless streak should reach 600 minutes.
SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC 1-1 HOUSTON DYNAMO: Sigi vs Owen. Should be fun to watch. Only home pitch advantage may separate these two.
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC 2-2 LA GALAXY: Potentially the match of the week, either team can put a few past the opponent. De LaGarza should be in for the injured Leanardo, which isn't much of a step down. Don't be shocked if a red card decides the match.
PORTLAND TIMBERS FC 1-2 FC DALLAS: Despite last weeks difficult match, most of it down to ten men, I still believe in Dallas. Kwarsey against Blas? Bet on Blas.
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES 2-2 REAL SALT LAKE: ESPN2's Sunday Night Match, I expect a hot crowd, a hard fought battle, and an entertaining match. A nice change for what Sunday has been giving us as of late.
SPORTING KANSAS CITY 2-1 PHILADELPHIA UNION: Fox Sports 1 Sunday Night Match, I can see no other result than Sporting KC going over on a dire Union. Philly is battling the Fire to see who fires their coach first this season, and though they both should, a few more poor results and Philly may get the itchy trigger finger first.
Its a holiday weekend, now would be a good time to get stuck in.
Thanks for reading, and remember as always, MLS Matters.
NEW ENGLAND 2-1 SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES: Snow and a slick pitch made for a slow start from San Jose, with the Revs pressing the game from both sides of the ball. The game started to turn when Rowe swapped the left for the right, with Agudelo moving left. Coming inside from the right, Rowe bagged New England's first two goals of the season.After the half, San Jose made changes and made the game tighter, getting a goal back, but in the end, the Revs did enough for all three points.
MONTREAL IMPACT 2-2 ORLANDO CITY: The first half hour of this match was a mix of poor defending and luck, with the next hour of the match becoming a banal stalemate. The scoring started in the 14th minute, after a St. Ledger handball that Piatti put away, Montreal took a 2-0 lead. Within minutes, Orlando struck back, tying it 2-2 in the first half hour. From there on, Montreal had plenty of corners, and Orlando plenty of free kicks, with nothing come from it. By the 80th minute, Orlando began time wasting, happy with a point.
DC UNITED 1-0 LA GALAXY: A war of attrition is the best way to describe the first hour of the match, with injuries to Leanardo and Beirnbaum forcing each team to make an early sub and a quick rethink about the game plan. The match started to open up after additional subs and tactical changes after 60 minutes, with an added time goal off of a scramble from Pontius stealing three points for DC.
NEW YORK CITY FC 0-1 SPORTING KANSAS CITY: Not much to report here. Opara nicked an early goal, and not much of merit happened after that. NY was chippy as hell, so its not surprising they had two red cards from their first two matches. Both teams are hard battling and tactically sound, but there was very little flash or fire on display from either side.
COLUMBUS CREW 1-2 NEW YORK REDBULLS: A stop/start first half, there wasn't enough quality possession either way. The Crew made the first major mistake of the game when Pogatetz made a silly challenge, running over Sam in the box, with BWP converting the PK. The moment of the match for me came when Sal Zizzo went over rather easily in the box, getting the response "He went down like a Tijuana whore" from the Crew fans. This was followed by Tchani leveling the match off a set piece, before Grella's shot from long distance won the day. While Robles was forced into several great saves down the stretch, the Crew threw away their chances and harmed their next match when Higuain was sent off with a second yellow in the 83rd minute for dissent.
VANCOUVER 2-1 PORTLAND TIMBERS: Portland's Ghanian international Kwarsey continues to struggle in MLS, and both goals for Vancouver did not look good for the new keeper. Mezquida took a lovely free kick, which Kwarsey flapped at in ludicrous manner, before Adi leveled. There were plenty of chances both ways, or at least half chances, when right at the death Robert Earnshaw sealed his debut with a goal, three minutes after coming into the match, where again Kwarsey seemed unaware of how to deal with a basic chip. On the other side, Ousted was immense all match long.
FC DALLAS 0-0 SEATTLE SOUNDERS: Acosta was too geared up for his first action in some time, was sent off. For the first time in MLS history, there was not a single shot on target in the entire match. Enough said about this stinker.
HOUSTON DYNAMO 0-0 COLORADO RAPIDS: Colorado has gone 510 minutes without a goal. Missing key figures due to internationals, Houston had very little bite. Again, enough said.
CHICAGO FIRE 1-0 PHILADELPHIA UNION: Fred was sent off for Philly late. Chicago finally scored a goal. Not much else happened. Pretty dire, as to be expected from both of these sides, though for some reason the main thought coming from the match seems to be that Harry Shipp is the next Blanco. He's ugly, short, and slow. Apart from that, I don't see it. He's more of a poor mans Iniesta than the new Blanco. What generated this buzz for Shipp? He isn't Maloney, which is a plus, and he made a few decent passes, supplying the free kick the goal arose from. Hardly Blanco.
REAL SALT LAKE 2-1 TORONTO FC: The game got off to a slow start, with Mulholland getting the opener as the first half neared its end. The second half was mainly controlled by Toronto, even with some big names missing, with the atomic ant delivering a free kick which Hagglund headed home. A draw would have been a fair result, but near the death, (giving up late goals, something familiar with the US and MLS teams) Allen got the first goal of his career, giving RSL all three points. Both teams played well for the major pieces missing, giving both teams hope that they have the depth for the long slog of the MLS season.
WEEK 5 PREDICTION:
OLRANDO CITY SC 1-1 DC UNITED: Unimas match of the week on Good Friday, expect a hard fought battle with each side happy with a point.
CHICAGO FIRE 0-1 TORONTO FC: The names will be back, which should help TFC, but will it help or hurt Chicago? Being at home should give Chicago a leg up, but I see Toronto breaking their hearts and a new goalless streak starting for the Fire.
COLORADO RAPIDS 0-0 NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION: If there is a goal to be had in this match, expect NE to get it. Colorado's goalless streak should reach 600 minutes.
SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC 1-1 HOUSTON DYNAMO: Sigi vs Owen. Should be fun to watch. Only home pitch advantage may separate these two.
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC 2-2 LA GALAXY: Potentially the match of the week, either team can put a few past the opponent. De LaGarza should be in for the injured Leanardo, which isn't much of a step down. Don't be shocked if a red card decides the match.
PORTLAND TIMBERS FC 1-2 FC DALLAS: Despite last weeks difficult match, most of it down to ten men, I still believe in Dallas. Kwarsey against Blas? Bet on Blas.
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES 2-2 REAL SALT LAKE: ESPN2's Sunday Night Match, I expect a hot crowd, a hard fought battle, and an entertaining match. A nice change for what Sunday has been giving us as of late.
SPORTING KANSAS CITY 2-1 PHILADELPHIA UNION: Fox Sports 1 Sunday Night Match, I can see no other result than Sporting KC going over on a dire Union. Philly is battling the Fire to see who fires their coach first this season, and though they both should, a few more poor results and Philly may get the itchy trigger finger first.
Its a holiday weekend, now would be a good time to get stuck in.
Thanks for reading, and remember as always, MLS Matters.
Thursday, March 26, 2015
WEEK 3 RECAP/WEEK 4 PREVIEW
After two outstanding weeks in MLS, week three returned us to Earth a little, starting with a snowed out Friday night match on Unimas, continuing with a goal drought, and some more red cards. Lets get stuck in...
Philadelphia Union 0-2 FC Dallas gave us one of the worst fouls in recent MLS history, when Zach Pfeffer lost his mind during a hard fought and hard foul filled match, when he intentionally (no matter what he says after the event, the evidence is crystal clear) threw and elbow/forearm into the head of Mauro Diaz. Going down to ten men threw Philly into tailspin and allowed Dallas to gain control of the match, as Tesho Akindele and Ryan Hollingshead keep Dallas perfect through the early season. Overall, it wasn't a pretty match, and we can all be grateful that when the snow vanished and this match finally happened, its the only time this season these two sides will face off.
NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION 0-0 MONTREAL IMPACT saw two winless and goalless clubs leave as they entered. While Montreal has been fantastic in CONCACAF Champions League, for two weeks in a row they have stuttered in league play, and took a massive blow to their season and CCL hopes when young up and coming forward Cameron Porter went down with a knee injury that will see him miss the rest of the season. Jack McInerney took his place and continued to disappoint. New England also has stumbled out of the blocks this season, and look lost without DP Jermaine Jones. They have kept clean sheets, but look lost in transition.
COLORADO RAPIDS 0-0 NEW YORK CITY FC gave us a Colorado side finally coming to life, though still unable to get more than a point, and a NYCFC side still trying to find the right chemistry. While Colorado had the better of the first half chances, it was a more even competition through most of the second half, until loanee from Manchester City Shay Facey saw a second yellow and got sent off in his NYCFC debut. Overall, a pretty dire affair with poor finishing.
ORLANDO CITY SC 0-1 VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC while no thrilling encounter, gave hope for the matches ahead. The vast majority of the match was rather lifeless with only brief glimpses of promise, with Vancouver even resorting to time wasting tactics in added time. Near the death, Orlando had a few half chances that just didn't fall. In the 6th minute of 5 added minutes which was added to in part due to silly fouls on Orlando combined with Vancouver's time wasting saw a cross into the box flicked on by new boy Octavio Rivero to give Vancouver the full share of the spoils. Easily the most exciting end to a match in week 3, it helped us forget the first 90 minutes.
SPORTING KANSAS CITY 0-0 PORTLAND TIMBERS FC was yet another goalless draw where finishing was lacking and the game only sprang to life in brief spells. What I had predicted to be a match of the week, was more of the same of what we had seen in the first four matches. Zusi, Adi, and Nagbe all attempted to bring their teams to life but failed. Both of these teams seem to still be trying to find their way, which is interesting for two of the teams with the least change during the offseason. Portland can say that injuries have weakened them early in the season, but KC really can't make such excuses.
LOS ANGELES GALAXY 1-1 HOUSTON DYNAMO gave us a fun and exhilarating first 11 minutes, then petered out to a finish. Robbie Keane opened the scoring after just three minutes, with former Galaxy (among several others) man Nathan Sturgis equalized for the Dynamo. While the match became stop/start for the majority of the next 80 minutes, Dynamo may have paid a heavy price for the point, with midfielder Ricardo Clark and defender Demarcus Beasley both going off due to injury. Houston seems to be settling in well under Coyle, but summer still can't come soon enough, when El Cubo Torres arrives, hopefully bringing goals. For LA, also awaiting a key summer addition in Steven "38 second" Gerrard, they are a solid team built for the long haul, but still missing a little something in the midfield without Landon Donovan and Marcelo Sarvas.
NEW YORK RED BULLS 2-0 DC UNITED saw Bradley Wright Phillips and countryman Lloyd Sam put their bitter rival to the sword in one of the better matches of the week. The scorers all put in quality performances, as did McCarty, Robles, and Felipe for the home side, while Rolfe and Hamid both had decent performances for the road team, which clearly misses talisman Fabian Espindola and DP Eddie Johnson.
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES 2-1 CHICAGO FIRE opened Avaya Stadium in the final match of the week, a match which started strong, hit a lull, sprung to life again, and was a bitter battle until the final whistle. Fatai Alashe scored the first goal in stadium history, while defender Ty Harden scored his first ever MLS goal in his 100th match to double the lead for the Quakes. The game then settled down before Harry Shipp got one back for the Fire, their first goal of the season, and then the Quakes got tense before the rabid home support and the Fire pushed on for an equalizer. It didn't quite come off, and San Jose got the result they desperately wanted. San Jose is still a work in progress under the returned Dom Kenner, while Chicago continues to struggle. They showed signs of life finally, and got DP David Accam on the pitch for the first time in the second half, but their other DP's have still failed to ignite. Amarikwa and Shipp are still the best players in the side and need to be featured until the DP's perform.
WEEK 4 PREDICTIONS:
NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION 0-0 SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES
MONTREAL IMPACT 1-0 ORLANDO CITY SC (If Piatti returns, they should get the points)
DC UNITED 1-1 LA GALAXY
NEW YORK CITY FC 0-0 SPORTING KANSAS CITY (Look for a hard fought battle on a tight Yankee Stadium pitch, with Roger Espinoza playing a key role for KC, and Mix Diskeruud the key man for NY)
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC 2-2 PORTLAND TIMBERS FC (A match of the week contender, the Cascadia rivalries are always fun, and you never know what might happen)
DALLAS FC 2-2 SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC (FC Dallas is off to a flyer, trying to prove they are a real contender in the West. With Dempsey out of action this week, a win would seal their position as early season favorite in the conference for Dallas. A win for Seattle would lay down a marker that they are still the team to beat in the supporters shield race.)
HOUSTON DYNAMO 1-0 COLORADO RAPIDS
CHICAGO FIRE 0-0 PHILADEPHIA UNION (ESPN2 Sunday night match)
REAL SALT LAKE 1-0 TORONTO FC (FS1 match of the week, Toronto is without Bradley and Altidore who are with the US, so look for Cassar's men to sneak the points at home)
COLUMBUS CREW SC 2-1 NEW YORK RED BULLS (My pick for match of the week, the Crew return to action after a bye week looking to make some noise at home against a conference rival in the Red Bulls. New York had a quality result against a bitter rival last week and looks to push on under Jesse Marsch against the Crew. Expect quality football and entertainment, no matter the result.)
I hope you enjoyed my review/preview, and I hope you have been getting stuck in with season 20 of MLS. This week brought news of a new addition in 2018 with NASL side Minnesota United FC joining the league. Things are looking up. we just need to hope as the years progress, we won't have MLS playing a full 10 match schedule again when 57 players are out with their national teams.
Until next time, remember, MLS Matters.
Philadelphia Union 0-2 FC Dallas gave us one of the worst fouls in recent MLS history, when Zach Pfeffer lost his mind during a hard fought and hard foul filled match, when he intentionally (no matter what he says after the event, the evidence is crystal clear) threw and elbow/forearm into the head of Mauro Diaz. Going down to ten men threw Philly into tailspin and allowed Dallas to gain control of the match, as Tesho Akindele and Ryan Hollingshead keep Dallas perfect through the early season. Overall, it wasn't a pretty match, and we can all be grateful that when the snow vanished and this match finally happened, its the only time this season these two sides will face off.
NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION 0-0 MONTREAL IMPACT saw two winless and goalless clubs leave as they entered. While Montreal has been fantastic in CONCACAF Champions League, for two weeks in a row they have stuttered in league play, and took a massive blow to their season and CCL hopes when young up and coming forward Cameron Porter went down with a knee injury that will see him miss the rest of the season. Jack McInerney took his place and continued to disappoint. New England also has stumbled out of the blocks this season, and look lost without DP Jermaine Jones. They have kept clean sheets, but look lost in transition.
COLORADO RAPIDS 0-0 NEW YORK CITY FC gave us a Colorado side finally coming to life, though still unable to get more than a point, and a NYCFC side still trying to find the right chemistry. While Colorado had the better of the first half chances, it was a more even competition through most of the second half, until loanee from Manchester City Shay Facey saw a second yellow and got sent off in his NYCFC debut. Overall, a pretty dire affair with poor finishing.
ORLANDO CITY SC 0-1 VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC while no thrilling encounter, gave hope for the matches ahead. The vast majority of the match was rather lifeless with only brief glimpses of promise, with Vancouver even resorting to time wasting tactics in added time. Near the death, Orlando had a few half chances that just didn't fall. In the 6th minute of 5 added minutes which was added to in part due to silly fouls on Orlando combined with Vancouver's time wasting saw a cross into the box flicked on by new boy Octavio Rivero to give Vancouver the full share of the spoils. Easily the most exciting end to a match in week 3, it helped us forget the first 90 minutes.
SPORTING KANSAS CITY 0-0 PORTLAND TIMBERS FC was yet another goalless draw where finishing was lacking and the game only sprang to life in brief spells. What I had predicted to be a match of the week, was more of the same of what we had seen in the first four matches. Zusi, Adi, and Nagbe all attempted to bring their teams to life but failed. Both of these teams seem to still be trying to find their way, which is interesting for two of the teams with the least change during the offseason. Portland can say that injuries have weakened them early in the season, but KC really can't make such excuses.
LOS ANGELES GALAXY 1-1 HOUSTON DYNAMO gave us a fun and exhilarating first 11 minutes, then petered out to a finish. Robbie Keane opened the scoring after just three minutes, with former Galaxy (among several others) man Nathan Sturgis equalized for the Dynamo. While the match became stop/start for the majority of the next 80 minutes, Dynamo may have paid a heavy price for the point, with midfielder Ricardo Clark and defender Demarcus Beasley both going off due to injury. Houston seems to be settling in well under Coyle, but summer still can't come soon enough, when El Cubo Torres arrives, hopefully bringing goals. For LA, also awaiting a key summer addition in Steven "38 second" Gerrard, they are a solid team built for the long haul, but still missing a little something in the midfield without Landon Donovan and Marcelo Sarvas.
NEW YORK RED BULLS 2-0 DC UNITED saw Bradley Wright Phillips and countryman Lloyd Sam put their bitter rival to the sword in one of the better matches of the week. The scorers all put in quality performances, as did McCarty, Robles, and Felipe for the home side, while Rolfe and Hamid both had decent performances for the road team, which clearly misses talisman Fabian Espindola and DP Eddie Johnson.
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES 2-1 CHICAGO FIRE opened Avaya Stadium in the final match of the week, a match which started strong, hit a lull, sprung to life again, and was a bitter battle until the final whistle. Fatai Alashe scored the first goal in stadium history, while defender Ty Harden scored his first ever MLS goal in his 100th match to double the lead for the Quakes. The game then settled down before Harry Shipp got one back for the Fire, their first goal of the season, and then the Quakes got tense before the rabid home support and the Fire pushed on for an equalizer. It didn't quite come off, and San Jose got the result they desperately wanted. San Jose is still a work in progress under the returned Dom Kenner, while Chicago continues to struggle. They showed signs of life finally, and got DP David Accam on the pitch for the first time in the second half, but their other DP's have still failed to ignite. Amarikwa and Shipp are still the best players in the side and need to be featured until the DP's perform.
WEEK 4 PREDICTIONS:
NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION 0-0 SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES
MONTREAL IMPACT 1-0 ORLANDO CITY SC (If Piatti returns, they should get the points)
DC UNITED 1-1 LA GALAXY
NEW YORK CITY FC 0-0 SPORTING KANSAS CITY (Look for a hard fought battle on a tight Yankee Stadium pitch, with Roger Espinoza playing a key role for KC, and Mix Diskeruud the key man for NY)
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC 2-2 PORTLAND TIMBERS FC (A match of the week contender, the Cascadia rivalries are always fun, and you never know what might happen)
DALLAS FC 2-2 SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC (FC Dallas is off to a flyer, trying to prove they are a real contender in the West. With Dempsey out of action this week, a win would seal their position as early season favorite in the conference for Dallas. A win for Seattle would lay down a marker that they are still the team to beat in the supporters shield race.)
HOUSTON DYNAMO 1-0 COLORADO RAPIDS
CHICAGO FIRE 0-0 PHILADEPHIA UNION (ESPN2 Sunday night match)
REAL SALT LAKE 1-0 TORONTO FC (FS1 match of the week, Toronto is without Bradley and Altidore who are with the US, so look for Cassar's men to sneak the points at home)
COLUMBUS CREW SC 2-1 NEW YORK RED BULLS (My pick for match of the week, the Crew return to action after a bye week looking to make some noise at home against a conference rival in the Red Bulls. New York had a quality result against a bitter rival last week and looks to push on under Jesse Marsch against the Crew. Expect quality football and entertainment, no matter the result.)
I hope you enjoyed my review/preview, and I hope you have been getting stuck in with season 20 of MLS. This week brought news of a new addition in 2018 with NASL side Minnesota United FC joining the league. Things are looking up. we just need to hope as the years progress, we won't have MLS playing a full 10 match schedule again when 57 players are out with their national teams.
Until next time, remember, MLS Matters.
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
WEEK 3 PREVIEW/WEEK 2 RECAP
Week two was an exciting week in MLS, full of red cards, dives, questionable no calls, offsides decisions, and goals. So this week, I'm giving a new format a try, we'll see how she goes...
THE WEEK THAT WAS...
The weekend kicked off with HOUSTON DYNAMO hosting ORLANDO CITY. After a week of heroics, standing on his head making save after save on the way to a small upset win over Columbus Crew, Tyler Deric was well on his way to doing the same again against O City. Then, in a moment of madness which really should have seen him sent off, Deric gave away the ball, then rode Ribero like a cowboy riding a horse, as he punched the ball into his own net, sending himself and Ribero tumbling after. Not a great match by any stretch, decided by a fluke, we shall see how Deric rebounds this week. HOUSTON 0-1 ORLANDO
Next up was CHICAGO FIRE taking on VANCOUVER WHITECAPS. In another match where the beautiful game was not quite so beautiful,this match will be remembered (if at all) for two things, the debut of Matt Polster in front of a Chicago crowd, and the shameless diving of new man Octavio Rivero. Poster started off shaky, getting carded in the first 3 minutes, and could have easily been sent off for a second yellow later in the game, but for the most part, he settled down and showed flashes of what has some predicting his spot in the race for rookie of the year. Rivero on the other hand showed flashes of brilliance and pace, but also showed his south american credentials as on two separate occasions, he threw himself to the ground without contact begging for a penalty, not getting one, but also not getting carded for his theatrics. With two goals in two matches, he surely has the talent to become a star in MLS, but his diving could distract from his skill set. CHICAGO 0-1 VANCOUVER
Then came one of the games I predicted to be a match of the week, and it did not disappoint for talking points, though in the end it was not exactly the game I anticipated when COLUMBUS CREW took on TORONTO FC. For the majority of the first half this was a fantastic matchup and great advertisement for MLS, full of chances for each side. Then just before the half, Justin Morrow slid through Ethan Finley in the box. Morrow won the ball cleanly after the wide man intercepted a pass and broke for the box. After winning the ball, Morrow slide through the tackle and knocked over Finlay. While Morrow stopped a clear goal scoring attempt, he also had help entering the box on his backside. To call him the last man may have been harsh. After mistaken identity, the ref finally found the right man and red carded Morrow. From that point on, there was only one winner. Of side interest, TFC's Michael Bradley made news last season lambasting the referee in question as "Not good enough". For the second season in a row, I don't see the two sharing christmas cards. COLUMBUS 2-0 TORONTO
Up next was the clash between FC DALLAS and SPORTING KC. A hard fought battle as was expected, FC Dallas came out victorious on the back of forward Blas Perez. But the game was full of talking points. Perez's second goal was clearly offside. Matt Hedges was judged to have fouled KC's Anor in the box, leading to a penalty, even though Anor was attempting an overhead kick, whiffing, and falling into Hedges who knew very little about the challenge he was called for. In a small bit of karmic justice, Dom Dwyer ended up failing on the PK, but Sporting can consider it poor luck that another penalty shout was not given to them, perhaps because the referee knew he blundered on the first call. DALLAS 3-1 KC
Next up was REAL SALT LAKE against PHILADELPHIA UNION. In the match most likely to see a goal fest, as Philly's defense is still suspect, and RSL is still finding their feet in a new formation, the goals did come. In what could have been a fair 2-2 draw, the final result was added to thanks to an own goal gift by Jamison Olave, followed by a highly questionable penalty call for RSL on a challenge by Philly's Maurice Edu which had minimal contact. In the end, it had the excitement of goals, but all the ugliness or poor defending. RSL 3-3 PHILLY
Then we had the upset special of the week. After thumping New England in week one, SEATTLE SOUNDERS looked to do it again at home against SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES. San Jose however had other ideas. San Jose was on the front foot against a Seattle side that looked a step slow all match long, before San Jose's Bernardez was rightly red carded for a horrific challenge on Azira. While it gave Seattle life, only a late possibly offside (Andy Rose) pass to a wide open Obafemi Martins made it a thrilling finish. What stood out most this week was the fact that Brad Evans is not and never should be played at center back. At fault for two goals, how Sigi Schmid handles the bye week and Evans could tell the story of how their season develops. SEATTLE 2-3 SAN JOSE
Then came ESPN's Sunday night match, the home debut in Yankee Stadium for NEW YORK CITY FC against NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION. Not exactly the most scintillating football of the week, this match may be best known for setting a new MLS merchandise record for a single match. It may also be known as the match David Villa announced his presence in MLS, though for me the match boiled down to one key moment, New England's Conclaves getting sent off by referee Mark Geiger (the best ref in MLS and CONCACAF) after being conned by NYCFC's Shelton. It would have been nearly impossible to see from Geiger's perspective, but Shelton was already heading to ground when Conclaves made contact. From that point on, there was only going to be one winner. Lets all hope NYCFC gets a stadium of their own as soon as possible, because a baseball field is about the worst place possible for the beautiful game to take place. While it gave us a large and happy crowd, watching the game be played in that stadium was a disgrace. I guess a $100,000,000 buy in means you can play in the subway if you so desire. (Some disagree with me) NYCFC 2-0 NEW ENGLAND
Finally we had another match I tipped as a match of the week on FS1, and the final five minutes did not disappoint. Though with two points after two home matches, I'm sure PORTLAND TIMBERS were not happy with the result against reigning defending undisputed champions, LOS ANGELES GALAXY. Portland's Fanendo Adi was at his best as he opened the scoring, before Gyasi Zardes equalized. The first half was an open affair with plenty of chances to be found, but LA tightened their defensive belt in the second half before Darlington Nagbe found Adi for his second with only stoppage time to play. Then, on a corner, just before the final whistle, substitute Alan Gordon found the back of the net, stunning the home crowd and the Timbers themselves. Portland's direct style, missing mids, and defensive frailties were still on display, while LA still looks to be finding their way after the retirement of Landon Donovan and trade of Marcelo Sarvas. Husidic is not the answer while they wait for Steven Gerard to arrive in July. PORTLAND 2-2 GALAXY
A general point which had a current running through nearly every match in week two was the intentional high hand to neck or face by several players. It can be assumed that it will continue to happen until cards get handed out, so it will be something to watch for in the coming weeks. My money is on referee Ricardo Salazaar being the man to finally put his foot down.
WEEK 3 PREDICTIONS AND MATCH OF THE WEEK PREVIEWS:
PHILADELPHIA UNION 1-2 FC DALLAS (If Dallas is for real, they win on the road live on Unimas)
NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION 2-1 MONTREAL IMPACT (Impact had a midweek match in CCL)
COLORADO RAPIDS 1-1 NEW YORK CITY FC (If you only watch one match this week, don't watch this one)
ORLANDO CITY SC 2-2 VANCOUVER WHITECAPS (Should be a match of highs and lows for each side)
LOS ANGELES GALAXY 3-1 HOUSTON DYNAMO (Arena will want to show up new manager Owen Coyle)
NEW YORK RED BULLS 2-1 DC UNITED (A great rivalry, back the home team on ESPN2)
SPORTING KC v PORTLAND TIMBERS FC: Marriage has not suited Dom Dwyer, as even his new wife has taken a shot at her husband on twitter over his lack of a finish this season. With the return of Besler after suspension, look for KC to be more organized this week in defense. With no Diego Valeri to mark out of the game this week as he did with Mauro Diaz last week, look for Roger Espinoza to push forward on occasion this week, putting pressure on a weak Timbers midfield and suspect defense, allowing the wide men and Graham Zusi to have open space to run into for the final killer pass from Espinoza. On Portland's side of the ball, they need to tighten up their defense, and with Liam Ridgwell and Nat Borchers as a CB pair, there is no reason they can't. The eventual returns of Johnson and Valeri will help take pressure off, but until then, Diego Chara may need to step up in a deep lying role, while Nagbe will need to stretch defenses with his pace. Adi will also need to show his class again this week if Portland is to have a chance. SPORTING KC 2-1 PORTLAND TIMBERS
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES v CHICAGO FIRE: Why would I pick this matchup on FS1 as a match of the week? Because San Jose will be opening a new stadium, and Chicago is a dead team walking so far early doors. The crowd in San Jose will be up for it. The players will be up for it. Chicago is still trying to gel their new CB pairing, while putting rookie CB Polster in the mid, and awaiting the debut of DP David Accam. If you are a betting man, bet big on San Jose. The Fire could find their feet in a few weeks, but not this week. They should wave the white flag already. SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES 3-0 CHICAGO FIRE
I hope you enjoyed the new format for my week 2 review and week 3 preview. If you have any questions, comments, or your own observations to make, feel free to add them in the comments section. The first 2 weeks of MLS have been barn burners, lets hope week 3 keeps the trend going.
Until next time, remember, as always, MLS MATTERS.
THE WEEK THAT WAS...
The weekend kicked off with HOUSTON DYNAMO hosting ORLANDO CITY. After a week of heroics, standing on his head making save after save on the way to a small upset win over Columbus Crew, Tyler Deric was well on his way to doing the same again against O City. Then, in a moment of madness which really should have seen him sent off, Deric gave away the ball, then rode Ribero like a cowboy riding a horse, as he punched the ball into his own net, sending himself and Ribero tumbling after. Not a great match by any stretch, decided by a fluke, we shall see how Deric rebounds this week. HOUSTON 0-1 ORLANDO
Next up was CHICAGO FIRE taking on VANCOUVER WHITECAPS. In another match where the beautiful game was not quite so beautiful,this match will be remembered (if at all) for two things, the debut of Matt Polster in front of a Chicago crowd, and the shameless diving of new man Octavio Rivero. Poster started off shaky, getting carded in the first 3 minutes, and could have easily been sent off for a second yellow later in the game, but for the most part, he settled down and showed flashes of what has some predicting his spot in the race for rookie of the year. Rivero on the other hand showed flashes of brilliance and pace, but also showed his south american credentials as on two separate occasions, he threw himself to the ground without contact begging for a penalty, not getting one, but also not getting carded for his theatrics. With two goals in two matches, he surely has the talent to become a star in MLS, but his diving could distract from his skill set. CHICAGO 0-1 VANCOUVER
Then came one of the games I predicted to be a match of the week, and it did not disappoint for talking points, though in the end it was not exactly the game I anticipated when COLUMBUS CREW took on TORONTO FC. For the majority of the first half this was a fantastic matchup and great advertisement for MLS, full of chances for each side. Then just before the half, Justin Morrow slid through Ethan Finley in the box. Morrow won the ball cleanly after the wide man intercepted a pass and broke for the box. After winning the ball, Morrow slide through the tackle and knocked over Finlay. While Morrow stopped a clear goal scoring attempt, he also had help entering the box on his backside. To call him the last man may have been harsh. After mistaken identity, the ref finally found the right man and red carded Morrow. From that point on, there was only one winner. Of side interest, TFC's Michael Bradley made news last season lambasting the referee in question as "Not good enough". For the second season in a row, I don't see the two sharing christmas cards. COLUMBUS 2-0 TORONTO
Up next was the clash between FC DALLAS and SPORTING KC. A hard fought battle as was expected, FC Dallas came out victorious on the back of forward Blas Perez. But the game was full of talking points. Perez's second goal was clearly offside. Matt Hedges was judged to have fouled KC's Anor in the box, leading to a penalty, even though Anor was attempting an overhead kick, whiffing, and falling into Hedges who knew very little about the challenge he was called for. In a small bit of karmic justice, Dom Dwyer ended up failing on the PK, but Sporting can consider it poor luck that another penalty shout was not given to them, perhaps because the referee knew he blundered on the first call. DALLAS 3-1 KC
Next up was REAL SALT LAKE against PHILADELPHIA UNION. In the match most likely to see a goal fest, as Philly's defense is still suspect, and RSL is still finding their feet in a new formation, the goals did come. In what could have been a fair 2-2 draw, the final result was added to thanks to an own goal gift by Jamison Olave, followed by a highly questionable penalty call for RSL on a challenge by Philly's Maurice Edu which had minimal contact. In the end, it had the excitement of goals, but all the ugliness or poor defending. RSL 3-3 PHILLY
Then we had the upset special of the week. After thumping New England in week one, SEATTLE SOUNDERS looked to do it again at home against SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES. San Jose however had other ideas. San Jose was on the front foot against a Seattle side that looked a step slow all match long, before San Jose's Bernardez was rightly red carded for a horrific challenge on Azira. While it gave Seattle life, only a late possibly offside (Andy Rose) pass to a wide open Obafemi Martins made it a thrilling finish. What stood out most this week was the fact that Brad Evans is not and never should be played at center back. At fault for two goals, how Sigi Schmid handles the bye week and Evans could tell the story of how their season develops. SEATTLE 2-3 SAN JOSE
Then came ESPN's Sunday night match, the home debut in Yankee Stadium for NEW YORK CITY FC against NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION. Not exactly the most scintillating football of the week, this match may be best known for setting a new MLS merchandise record for a single match. It may also be known as the match David Villa announced his presence in MLS, though for me the match boiled down to one key moment, New England's Conclaves getting sent off by referee Mark Geiger (the best ref in MLS and CONCACAF) after being conned by NYCFC's Shelton. It would have been nearly impossible to see from Geiger's perspective, but Shelton was already heading to ground when Conclaves made contact. From that point on, there was only going to be one winner. Lets all hope NYCFC gets a stadium of their own as soon as possible, because a baseball field is about the worst place possible for the beautiful game to take place. While it gave us a large and happy crowd, watching the game be played in that stadium was a disgrace. I guess a $100,000,000 buy in means you can play in the subway if you so desire. (Some disagree with me) NYCFC 2-0 NEW ENGLAND
Finally we had another match I tipped as a match of the week on FS1, and the final five minutes did not disappoint. Though with two points after two home matches, I'm sure PORTLAND TIMBERS were not happy with the result against reigning defending undisputed champions, LOS ANGELES GALAXY. Portland's Fanendo Adi was at his best as he opened the scoring, before Gyasi Zardes equalized. The first half was an open affair with plenty of chances to be found, but LA tightened their defensive belt in the second half before Darlington Nagbe found Adi for his second with only stoppage time to play. Then, on a corner, just before the final whistle, substitute Alan Gordon found the back of the net, stunning the home crowd and the Timbers themselves. Portland's direct style, missing mids, and defensive frailties were still on display, while LA still looks to be finding their way after the retirement of Landon Donovan and trade of Marcelo Sarvas. Husidic is not the answer while they wait for Steven Gerard to arrive in July. PORTLAND 2-2 GALAXY
A general point which had a current running through nearly every match in week two was the intentional high hand to neck or face by several players. It can be assumed that it will continue to happen until cards get handed out, so it will be something to watch for in the coming weeks. My money is on referee Ricardo Salazaar being the man to finally put his foot down.
WEEK 3 PREDICTIONS AND MATCH OF THE WEEK PREVIEWS:
PHILADELPHIA UNION 1-2 FC DALLAS (If Dallas is for real, they win on the road live on Unimas)
NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION 2-1 MONTREAL IMPACT (Impact had a midweek match in CCL)
COLORADO RAPIDS 1-1 NEW YORK CITY FC (If you only watch one match this week, don't watch this one)
ORLANDO CITY SC 2-2 VANCOUVER WHITECAPS (Should be a match of highs and lows for each side)
LOS ANGELES GALAXY 3-1 HOUSTON DYNAMO (Arena will want to show up new manager Owen Coyle)
NEW YORK RED BULLS 2-1 DC UNITED (A great rivalry, back the home team on ESPN2)
SPORTING KC v PORTLAND TIMBERS FC: Marriage has not suited Dom Dwyer, as even his new wife has taken a shot at her husband on twitter over his lack of a finish this season. With the return of Besler after suspension, look for KC to be more organized this week in defense. With no Diego Valeri to mark out of the game this week as he did with Mauro Diaz last week, look for Roger Espinoza to push forward on occasion this week, putting pressure on a weak Timbers midfield and suspect defense, allowing the wide men and Graham Zusi to have open space to run into for the final killer pass from Espinoza. On Portland's side of the ball, they need to tighten up their defense, and with Liam Ridgwell and Nat Borchers as a CB pair, there is no reason they can't. The eventual returns of Johnson and Valeri will help take pressure off, but until then, Diego Chara may need to step up in a deep lying role, while Nagbe will need to stretch defenses with his pace. Adi will also need to show his class again this week if Portland is to have a chance. SPORTING KC 2-1 PORTLAND TIMBERS
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES v CHICAGO FIRE: Why would I pick this matchup on FS1 as a match of the week? Because San Jose will be opening a new stadium, and Chicago is a dead team walking so far early doors. The crowd in San Jose will be up for it. The players will be up for it. Chicago is still trying to gel their new CB pairing, while putting rookie CB Polster in the mid, and awaiting the debut of DP David Accam. If you are a betting man, bet big on San Jose. The Fire could find their feet in a few weeks, but not this week. They should wave the white flag already. SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES 3-0 CHICAGO FIRE
I hope you enjoyed the new format for my week 2 review and week 3 preview. If you have any questions, comments, or your own observations to make, feel free to add them in the comments section. The first 2 weeks of MLS have been barn burners, lets hope week 3 keeps the trend going.
Until next time, remember, as always, MLS MATTERS.
Friday, March 13, 2015
WEEK 2 PREVIEW AND PREDICTIONS
Week one of MLS saw one road team getting the full three points (Toronto FC), two scoreless draws, two scored draws, three one-nil scoreline, and two comfortable clean sheet multi-goal victories (LA and Seattle). For game week two, we have four clubs facing a bye (Colorado Rapids, DC United, Montreal Impact, and New York Red Bulls) with the schedule makers looking ahead to CONCACAF Champions League, which DC United crashed out of, but Montreal Impact remain in. Again we have a Friday night match (available in English) on Unimas, and Sunday matches on ESPN and Fox Sports 1.
HOUSTON DYNAMO v ORLANDO CITY SC: Houston is at home for the second week in a row to start the season under new manager Owen Coyle, and I would expect something very similar to what we saw last week, which was what we saw for many years under Dominic Kinnear. While getting the 1-0 win over arguably the better side, Columbus Crew, they did it by being a disciplined defense who took their chance when it presented itself. Against Orlando City, you would expect they would have a slightly easier run of it. Orlando will be facing their first road test of the season, after getting a late deflection on a Kaka free kick to draw with fellow new boys New York City FC. A poor game between two clubs still trying to find their identity, Orlando showed signs of life due to Kaka's skill, fullbacks finding themselves nearer the opposition box for more of the game than their own, and determination not to let 62,000+ fans down.
It will be interesting this week to see how Houston approaches this match. Will Bruin get the start again with Barnes as the trailing striker? Will Chandler Hoffman see some pitch time in mop up duty? Can Tyler Deric again stand on his head and keep another clean sheet? On the Orlando side, who will start up top? Will the fullbacks, in particular Shea, keep playing like midfielders with defensive responsibilities? Can Kaka once again pull them out of the fire?
Injury List Houston: None
Injury List Orlando: GK Talley Hall, F Martin Peterson
Prediction: Houston Dynamo 2-0 Orlando City SC (Match on Unimas in spanish and english)
CHICAGO FIRE v VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC: After a difficult road game against perennial MLS Cup Champion LA Galaxy, the Chicago Fire kick off their home season against a rising Vancouver team. Loaded with talent, Vancouver look to bounce back after a difficult loss to Toronto FC in a Canadian derby against an also reeling Chicago side.
Chicago has been rebuilt for the 2015 season, but was struggling to put the pieces together last week in LA. Some home cooking could be just what the doctor ordered. Shaun Maloney showed signs of promise, while defensive pair Eric Gehrig and Jeff Larentowicz showed signs of a developing understanding. If they remain the starting duo, or if rookie Matt Polster slides in over the coming weeks could tell us what coach Frank Yallop feels about his decision to slide veteran midfielder Larentowicz to center back. On the Whitecaps side of the ball, they had their chances last week, but wilted under the pressure of Toronto's big two up top. If they can solidify their defensive frailties against a pace filled Chicago attack, with the help of a now fit Kofie in a holding role, Vancouver should be able to get a result.
My key questions this week are, will coffee or Laba be chosen to mark Maloney? Will Kofie get the start at all over up and coming Teibert or Bustos? With David Accam likely out this week, will Chicago turn to another new DP, or last seasons key youth in attack?
Injury List Chicago: F Mike Magee, M Patrick Nyarko, (did not practice Wednesday, questionable) F David Accam
Injury List Vancouver: M Andre Lewis
Prediction: Chicago Fire 1-1 Vancouver Whitecaps FC
FC DALLAS v SPORTING KC: Home for the second week in a row, FC Dallas nicked three points against a game San Jose team last week right at the death. Oscar Pareja's side struggled to get it going last week, with the team continuing to struggle when they look to Mauro Diaz to carry the load, instead of everyone doing their own share. KC finds themselves on the road for the first time this season, after a home draw last week against the Red Bulls that saw Matt Besler get sent off. While the new free role for Graham Zusi appears to be something to watch this season, so far it has yet to click.
My key questions this week are, how will the KC defense do on the road without either of last seasons CB pair, the suspended Besler, and the departed Collin? Can Zusi control a match the way other attacking mids have in MLS? Can Dallas go as Diaz goes, while also carrying themselves when Diaz eats space they wanted? While my gut says draw, my head wants to know if home cooking will dominate this week as it did last week.
Injury List Dallas: M/F Coy Craft, D Stephen Keel
Injury List KC: D Chance Myers
Prediction: FC Dallas 2-1 Sporting KC
REAL SALT LAKE v PHILADELPHIA UNION: Both of these teams are coming off of scoreless draws in week one. RSL battled hard on the road for a point against Portland, while the Union took on a ten man Colorado team at home, and still couldn't nick a goal. Neither team was impressive last week. The Luis Gill experiment for RSL, sliding an attack minded number 10 further back into the midfield could be promising, he needs to be on the pitch, but it could take several weeks to really hit its stride. For Philly, after throwing the kitchen sink at a tactically fouling Colorado side, a chance to play a more open game this week could show us more of what they are really about.
What I'll be looking for this week is how will Philly score? With a combination of fast and skilled players, who will take control as the goal scorer every team needs? When it come to RSL, the Gill experiment will be something I watch closely, but beyond that, I'll be watching the new formation of RSL, and if it can deliver the success or attractive football of the old Jason Kreis model. Over all, I want to see if either team can score.
Injury List RSL: F Joao Plata, M John Stertzer, D Justen Glad
Injury List Union: GK Andre Blake, F C.J. Sapong
Prediction: Real Salt Lake 0-0 Philadelphia Union
SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC v SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES: Seattle put on the display of the week against a New England side without Jermaine Jones which travelled across the country, while San Jose had a heartbreaking late loss on the road in Dallas.
The fact that they had fewer new pieces to put into place during the preseason meant Seattle has hit the ground running, with Tyrone Mears sliding into the boots of DeAndre Yedlin with no issues during match week one. The lack of fresh blood still concerns me, as does the Evans experiment at center back, but as long as the DP's, Dempsey and Martins continue to perform, it can cover all matter of ills. With San Jose, the Dominic Kinnear era began as you would expect, a well drilled and patient team, which was unlucky to lose all three points right at the death. Another road game, especially in Seattle, will be quite the test for Dom's men.
This week I'll be looking to see if Martins and Dempsey continue firing, if Evans can build a lasting partnership with Marshall, and of particular interest will be the fullbacks for Seattle. If Mears continues to gel with his new teammates, and who gets chosen the most often at left back. For San Jose, I would like to see who gets a goal. Will Emaghara net for the first time in his MLS career? Will Tommy Thompson gain more traction over the season until the point that he becomes a USMNT regular?
Injury List Seattle: M Osvaldo Alonso
Injury List San Jose: F Mark Sherrod, F Steven Lenhart, D Clarence Goodson (did not practice midweek)
Prediction: Seattle Sounders FC 2-0 San Jose Earthquakes
NEW YORK CITY FC v NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION: A week after opening up Orlando's home season, the Yankee stadium debut for NYCFC has arrived. New England had a cross country flight back home after a difficult start in Seattle, but remains on the road in front of another potentially raucous crowd. This will be ESPN's Sunday night matchup.
City had moments of class last week in Orlando, but for the most part looked like a team struggling to find an identity while getting to know each other. Without a Beckerman type in his mid, Jason Kreis has slotted Mix Diskerud into that deep lying playmaking role, which saw Mix get the first goal in City's franchise history. New England on the other hand had very little going their way in Seattle. Without the man who pulled the strings last season, Lee Nguyen, and the man who pulled it all together for them Jermaine Jones, New England looked toothless. The return of MVLee can't come soon enough.
My key areas of interest this week will be the atmosphere created during City's first home match, in a baseball stadium not meant to house the beautiful game. Will Jason Kreis change his formation or line up for home matches, or will he keep a consistent team throughout the season? Will David Villa get his first MLS goal? For New England, will Nguyen return? Can Agudelo or Davies get on the score sheet? Will the Farrell experiment at center back be the best decision Jay Heaps ever made?
Injury List NYCFC: D George John, GK Ryan Meara (probable)
Injury List Revs: M Jermaine Jones, M Teal Bunbury, M Lee Nguyen (questionable)
Prediction: New York City FC 1-1 New England Revolution
MATCHES OF THE WEEK:
COLUMBUS CREW SC v TORONTO FC: By far the match I am looking forward to the most this week, Columbus heads home after a disappointing opener against Houston. They were the better team for large stretches of the match, but failed to put the ball into the back of the net despite their chances, with one small mistake led to their demise. Toronto, for week number two of a nine week stretch are on the road, after an impressive debut from new attacking options Jozy Altidore and Sebastian Giovinco which led to 3-1 victory over a quality Vancouver side.
Toronto's season started off with a bang, with Jozy Altidore netting twice on his return to MLS, one created by new boy, the Atomic Ant Giovinco, and another goal added by fellow TFC new boy Robbie Findley. While the first half was difficult and had some sloppy moments, following the break in play at half time, TFC came out the better team, showing flashes of what they are expected to be. If the stars can continue to perform, this could finally be the season Toronto makes it to the playoffs. For the Crew, some home cooking could be just what the doctor ordered. Kei Kamara fit in very well with his new side and looks to be a big addition to a team that had everything last season but a forward scoring goals at a regular clip. The final ball is all that separated the Crew last week from a result they wanted.
My key areas to watch this week will be how Jozy Altidore and Giovinco continue to combine and develop a partnership. Will Bloom reclaim his position last season at right back? Will Perquis and Caldwell continue to develop their partnership, as well as Cheyrou and Bradley, making it three new duos down the spine of TFC. For Columbus, can Higuain deliver the final ball Kamara needs to get on the score sheet? With Trapp already a regular, can other young talents Ben Speas or Ben Swanson find their way onto the pitch to continue their development? With both teams working five man midfields, whose mid wins the day?
Injury List Columbus: M Romain Gall
Injury List Toronto: None
Prediction: Columbus Crew SC 2-2 Toronto FC
PORTLAND TIMBERS FC v LA GALAXY: FS1's Sunday night clash sees Portland Timbers home again after a difficult 0-0 with RSL last week, while LA comes off a league opener which saw them handle a game Chicago Fire side with relative ease in the end with a 2-0 victory.
With three key injuries, Portland is still looking more like the Portland of last year as opposed to the Portland of two years ago. Where the goals are going to come from, and a questionable defense are all still there, and Darlington Nagbe has yet to really light the league on fire. Against RSL, the defense held, but the creation and goal scoring were lacking. LA on the other hand had a difficult first half, but put it together in the second, and could have scored more than the two they did. The Villarreal experiment on the left worked well, but if it doesn't continue, Zardes, Jamieson IV, or Rogers could slide into the role. Every choice is interesting, but for now, the young Villareal out in a competent shift.
My keys to watch this week are LA's left side. Will the young Villareal get another start, or will Arena make a switch? Can Ishizaki hold down his role without nearly getting punched again by Robbie Keane. Should Nagbe play on the right, will Arena put Rogers and his younger legs or Dunnivant and his wiser head at left back? If on the left, will De La Garza get the start at right back? For Portland, will Nagbe play behind the striker while Valeri remains out, or stay out wide? Can the midfield hold together until the key components return, or will they falter in possession and fail to protect the defense?
Injury List Portland: M Will Johnson, M Diego Valeri, M Ben Zemanski, M Diego Chara (questionable), M Michael Nanchoff (questionable)
Injury List LA: None
Prediction: Portland Timbers FC 1-2 LA Galaxy
Thats it for this weeks matches, check them all out on Unimas, ESPN, FS1, and MLS Live. The time to get stuck in is now. And as always, remember, MLS Matters.
HOUSTON DYNAMO v ORLANDO CITY SC: Houston is at home for the second week in a row to start the season under new manager Owen Coyle, and I would expect something very similar to what we saw last week, which was what we saw for many years under Dominic Kinnear. While getting the 1-0 win over arguably the better side, Columbus Crew, they did it by being a disciplined defense who took their chance when it presented itself. Against Orlando City, you would expect they would have a slightly easier run of it. Orlando will be facing their first road test of the season, after getting a late deflection on a Kaka free kick to draw with fellow new boys New York City FC. A poor game between two clubs still trying to find their identity, Orlando showed signs of life due to Kaka's skill, fullbacks finding themselves nearer the opposition box for more of the game than their own, and determination not to let 62,000+ fans down.
It will be interesting this week to see how Houston approaches this match. Will Bruin get the start again with Barnes as the trailing striker? Will Chandler Hoffman see some pitch time in mop up duty? Can Tyler Deric again stand on his head and keep another clean sheet? On the Orlando side, who will start up top? Will the fullbacks, in particular Shea, keep playing like midfielders with defensive responsibilities? Can Kaka once again pull them out of the fire?
Injury List Houston: None
Injury List Orlando: GK Talley Hall, F Martin Peterson
Prediction: Houston Dynamo 2-0 Orlando City SC (Match on Unimas in spanish and english)
CHICAGO FIRE v VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC: After a difficult road game against perennial MLS Cup Champion LA Galaxy, the Chicago Fire kick off their home season against a rising Vancouver team. Loaded with talent, Vancouver look to bounce back after a difficult loss to Toronto FC in a Canadian derby against an also reeling Chicago side.
Chicago has been rebuilt for the 2015 season, but was struggling to put the pieces together last week in LA. Some home cooking could be just what the doctor ordered. Shaun Maloney showed signs of promise, while defensive pair Eric Gehrig and Jeff Larentowicz showed signs of a developing understanding. If they remain the starting duo, or if rookie Matt Polster slides in over the coming weeks could tell us what coach Frank Yallop feels about his decision to slide veteran midfielder Larentowicz to center back. On the Whitecaps side of the ball, they had their chances last week, but wilted under the pressure of Toronto's big two up top. If they can solidify their defensive frailties against a pace filled Chicago attack, with the help of a now fit Kofie in a holding role, Vancouver should be able to get a result.
My key questions this week are, will coffee or Laba be chosen to mark Maloney? Will Kofie get the start at all over up and coming Teibert or Bustos? With David Accam likely out this week, will Chicago turn to another new DP, or last seasons key youth in attack?
Injury List Chicago: F Mike Magee, M Patrick Nyarko, (did not practice Wednesday, questionable) F David Accam
Injury List Vancouver: M Andre Lewis
Prediction: Chicago Fire 1-1 Vancouver Whitecaps FC
FC DALLAS v SPORTING KC: Home for the second week in a row, FC Dallas nicked three points against a game San Jose team last week right at the death. Oscar Pareja's side struggled to get it going last week, with the team continuing to struggle when they look to Mauro Diaz to carry the load, instead of everyone doing their own share. KC finds themselves on the road for the first time this season, after a home draw last week against the Red Bulls that saw Matt Besler get sent off. While the new free role for Graham Zusi appears to be something to watch this season, so far it has yet to click.
My key questions this week are, how will the KC defense do on the road without either of last seasons CB pair, the suspended Besler, and the departed Collin? Can Zusi control a match the way other attacking mids have in MLS? Can Dallas go as Diaz goes, while also carrying themselves when Diaz eats space they wanted? While my gut says draw, my head wants to know if home cooking will dominate this week as it did last week.
Injury List Dallas: M/F Coy Craft, D Stephen Keel
Injury List KC: D Chance Myers
Prediction: FC Dallas 2-1 Sporting KC
REAL SALT LAKE v PHILADELPHIA UNION: Both of these teams are coming off of scoreless draws in week one. RSL battled hard on the road for a point against Portland, while the Union took on a ten man Colorado team at home, and still couldn't nick a goal. Neither team was impressive last week. The Luis Gill experiment for RSL, sliding an attack minded number 10 further back into the midfield could be promising, he needs to be on the pitch, but it could take several weeks to really hit its stride. For Philly, after throwing the kitchen sink at a tactically fouling Colorado side, a chance to play a more open game this week could show us more of what they are really about.
What I'll be looking for this week is how will Philly score? With a combination of fast and skilled players, who will take control as the goal scorer every team needs? When it come to RSL, the Gill experiment will be something I watch closely, but beyond that, I'll be watching the new formation of RSL, and if it can deliver the success or attractive football of the old Jason Kreis model. Over all, I want to see if either team can score.
Injury List RSL: F Joao Plata, M John Stertzer, D Justen Glad
Injury List Union: GK Andre Blake, F C.J. Sapong
Prediction: Real Salt Lake 0-0 Philadelphia Union
SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC v SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES: Seattle put on the display of the week against a New England side without Jermaine Jones which travelled across the country, while San Jose had a heartbreaking late loss on the road in Dallas.
The fact that they had fewer new pieces to put into place during the preseason meant Seattle has hit the ground running, with Tyrone Mears sliding into the boots of DeAndre Yedlin with no issues during match week one. The lack of fresh blood still concerns me, as does the Evans experiment at center back, but as long as the DP's, Dempsey and Martins continue to perform, it can cover all matter of ills. With San Jose, the Dominic Kinnear era began as you would expect, a well drilled and patient team, which was unlucky to lose all three points right at the death. Another road game, especially in Seattle, will be quite the test for Dom's men.
This week I'll be looking to see if Martins and Dempsey continue firing, if Evans can build a lasting partnership with Marshall, and of particular interest will be the fullbacks for Seattle. If Mears continues to gel with his new teammates, and who gets chosen the most often at left back. For San Jose, I would like to see who gets a goal. Will Emaghara net for the first time in his MLS career? Will Tommy Thompson gain more traction over the season until the point that he becomes a USMNT regular?
Injury List Seattle: M Osvaldo Alonso
Injury List San Jose: F Mark Sherrod, F Steven Lenhart, D Clarence Goodson (did not practice midweek)
Prediction: Seattle Sounders FC 2-0 San Jose Earthquakes
NEW YORK CITY FC v NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION: A week after opening up Orlando's home season, the Yankee stadium debut for NYCFC has arrived. New England had a cross country flight back home after a difficult start in Seattle, but remains on the road in front of another potentially raucous crowd. This will be ESPN's Sunday night matchup.
City had moments of class last week in Orlando, but for the most part looked like a team struggling to find an identity while getting to know each other. Without a Beckerman type in his mid, Jason Kreis has slotted Mix Diskerud into that deep lying playmaking role, which saw Mix get the first goal in City's franchise history. New England on the other hand had very little going their way in Seattle. Without the man who pulled the strings last season, Lee Nguyen, and the man who pulled it all together for them Jermaine Jones, New England looked toothless. The return of MVLee can't come soon enough.
My key areas of interest this week will be the atmosphere created during City's first home match, in a baseball stadium not meant to house the beautiful game. Will Jason Kreis change his formation or line up for home matches, or will he keep a consistent team throughout the season? Will David Villa get his first MLS goal? For New England, will Nguyen return? Can Agudelo or Davies get on the score sheet? Will the Farrell experiment at center back be the best decision Jay Heaps ever made?
Injury List NYCFC: D George John, GK Ryan Meara (probable)
Injury List Revs: M Jermaine Jones, M Teal Bunbury, M Lee Nguyen (questionable)
Prediction: New York City FC 1-1 New England Revolution
MATCHES OF THE WEEK:
COLUMBUS CREW SC v TORONTO FC: By far the match I am looking forward to the most this week, Columbus heads home after a disappointing opener against Houston. They were the better team for large stretches of the match, but failed to put the ball into the back of the net despite their chances, with one small mistake led to their demise. Toronto, for week number two of a nine week stretch are on the road, after an impressive debut from new attacking options Jozy Altidore and Sebastian Giovinco which led to 3-1 victory over a quality Vancouver side.
Toronto's season started off with a bang, with Jozy Altidore netting twice on his return to MLS, one created by new boy, the Atomic Ant Giovinco, and another goal added by fellow TFC new boy Robbie Findley. While the first half was difficult and had some sloppy moments, following the break in play at half time, TFC came out the better team, showing flashes of what they are expected to be. If the stars can continue to perform, this could finally be the season Toronto makes it to the playoffs. For the Crew, some home cooking could be just what the doctor ordered. Kei Kamara fit in very well with his new side and looks to be a big addition to a team that had everything last season but a forward scoring goals at a regular clip. The final ball is all that separated the Crew last week from a result they wanted.
My key areas to watch this week will be how Jozy Altidore and Giovinco continue to combine and develop a partnership. Will Bloom reclaim his position last season at right back? Will Perquis and Caldwell continue to develop their partnership, as well as Cheyrou and Bradley, making it three new duos down the spine of TFC. For Columbus, can Higuain deliver the final ball Kamara needs to get on the score sheet? With Trapp already a regular, can other young talents Ben Speas or Ben Swanson find their way onto the pitch to continue their development? With both teams working five man midfields, whose mid wins the day?
Injury List Columbus: M Romain Gall
Injury List Toronto: None
Prediction: Columbus Crew SC 2-2 Toronto FC
PORTLAND TIMBERS FC v LA GALAXY: FS1's Sunday night clash sees Portland Timbers home again after a difficult 0-0 with RSL last week, while LA comes off a league opener which saw them handle a game Chicago Fire side with relative ease in the end with a 2-0 victory.
With three key injuries, Portland is still looking more like the Portland of last year as opposed to the Portland of two years ago. Where the goals are going to come from, and a questionable defense are all still there, and Darlington Nagbe has yet to really light the league on fire. Against RSL, the defense held, but the creation and goal scoring were lacking. LA on the other hand had a difficult first half, but put it together in the second, and could have scored more than the two they did. The Villarreal experiment on the left worked well, but if it doesn't continue, Zardes, Jamieson IV, or Rogers could slide into the role. Every choice is interesting, but for now, the young Villareal out in a competent shift.
My keys to watch this week are LA's left side. Will the young Villareal get another start, or will Arena make a switch? Can Ishizaki hold down his role without nearly getting punched again by Robbie Keane. Should Nagbe play on the right, will Arena put Rogers and his younger legs or Dunnivant and his wiser head at left back? If on the left, will De La Garza get the start at right back? For Portland, will Nagbe play behind the striker while Valeri remains out, or stay out wide? Can the midfield hold together until the key components return, or will they falter in possession and fail to protect the defense?
Injury List Portland: M Will Johnson, M Diego Valeri, M Ben Zemanski, M Diego Chara (questionable), M Michael Nanchoff (questionable)
Injury List LA: None
Prediction: Portland Timbers FC 1-2 LA Galaxy
Thats it for this weeks matches, check them all out on Unimas, ESPN, FS1, and MLS Live. The time to get stuck in is now. And as always, remember, MLS Matters.
Saturday, March 7, 2015
Week One Preview/Club Preview Recap
Before digging in to a preview of the first week in the 2015 MLS season, here is a brief recap of the 20 club dedicated season previews I posted over the past several days. (Feel free to check out them all)
Predicted 2015 Eastern Conference Finishes:
1) New England Revolution
2) Columbus Crew SC
3) New York Red Bulls
4) Toronto FC
5) Chicago Fire
6) DC United
7) Montreal Impact
8) Philadelphia Union
9) Orlando City SC
10) New York City FC
Predicted 2015 Western Conference Finishes:
1) Los Angeles Galaxy
2) Sporting Kansas City
3) Seattle Sounders FC
4) Vancouver Whitecaps FC
5) FC Dallas
6) Real Salt Lake
7) San Jose Earthquakes
8) Houston Dynamo
9) Portland Timbers
10) Colorado Rapids
Teams to watch in 2015:
EASTERN CONFERENCE:
New England Revolution, last seasons MLS Cup finalist, looking to take the next step with the return of Juan Agudelo.
Columbus Crew, the most exciting young team in MLS, filled with potential and an exciting young manager.
Toronto FC, big spenders, big names, ready to plow their way into the playoffs for the first time ever. It will either be a thing of beauty, or a train wreck. Well worth a watch.
WESTERN CONFERENCE:
LA Galaxy, the perennial champions, holding the line until Mr. Liverpool arrives.
Sporting KC, new conference, Espinoza returns, Zusi moves to a new role, well worth a watch.
Vancouver Whitecaps, in a year of strong Canadian teams, perhaps the strongest of them all. Amazing young prospects, but is Carl Robinson the man to lead them to glory?
WEEK ONE PREVIEW AND PREDICTIONS:
LA Galaxy V Chicago Fire: LA are the champs, LA is at home, and Chicago is still trying to find its feet with new pieces. Will Zardes, Villarreal, Rogers, or Jamieson IV fill Landon Donovan's boots? Will Adailton, Polster, or Gehrig team with Laurentowicz in central defense. Should be a fun match to kick off the season, the only time the two will meet unless they both make MLS Cup Final.
Prediction: LA Galaxy 2-1 Chicago Fire
DC United V Montreal Impact: DC went from worst to first last season and look to push on in a "weak" East featuring two expansion clubs in place of Sporting KC and Houston Dynamo. In what could be a break out season for Pontius, they look to start off on the right foot despite the absence of key forwards Espindola and Johnson. Meanwhile, Montreal looks to continue their impressive early season form after two great results in CONCACAF Champions League, something DC failed to do.
Prediction: DC United 1-1 Montreal Impact
Philadelphia Union V Colorado Rapids: In the match up I look forward to the least (meaning it will be a cracking game) the Union will look to show off their attacking prowess in their home and season debut, while protecting a questionable defense. Colorado look to hit the ground running after a difficult season following the departure of Oscar Pareja, with Pablo Mastreoni in the hot seat as the season begins.
Prediction: Philadelphia Union 3-1 Colorado Rapids
Houston Dynamo V Columbus Crew SC: Houston kick off the season at home with a new manager in Owen Coyle, a Dominic Kinnear type without the MLS experience, and will look to start strong against a difficult opponent in the Crew. With El Cubo Torres on loan until the summer, look for Will Bruin and potentially Giles Barnes or Chandler Hoffman to spark the team. The Crew will see the former Eastern opponent on the road as a good test, and will expect Kamara to show why they brought him in. Will Romain Gall get a start? Come in off the bench? This should be an enthralling matchup between a solid compact defense minded team and potentially the most entertaining attack in all of MLS.
Prediction: Houston Dynamo 1-2 Columbus Crew SC
FC Dallas V San Jose Earthquakes: Dominic Kinnear will return to Texas to kick off the season as he brings Kinnear-ball to San Jose. Meanwhile FC Dallas will want to start the season off right showing off one of the best attacks in MLS. Their defense is however questionable. Will Loyd settle quickly in his new role as a center back? Will Diaz return to his best? Will Emeghara show why so many MLS defenders should be afraid of his pace while forming a quick partnership with Wondo?
Prediction: FC Dallas 1-1 San Jose Earthquakes
Portland Timbers FC V Real Salt Lake: Portland has one of the best atmospheres in MLS, one of the brightest young coaching minds, but one of the nastiest injury lists of any midfield in MLS. Who fills the boots of Will Johnson, Ben Zemanski, and Diego Valeri? On the RSL side, can Olave return to be a rock in the back? Will Luis Gil get a start, and if so, in a further back role than the attacking position he desires? Can Saborio find the back of the net?
Prediction: Portland Timbers FC 0-1 Real Salt Lake
Sporting Kansas City V New York Red Bulls: Sporting KC kick off their new place in the Western Conference with a familiar foe from the Eastern Conference. On front of a spirited crowd, look for Roger Espinoza to be up for his return to MLS and KC. But also watch for the inevitable card he will get from the adrenaline. The main questions for KC are, will Graham Zusi move to the number 10 role and will he be effective, as well as will Matt Besler return to the form that slipped away after he returned from the World Cup? On the New York side, can Jesse Marsch win the fans over? A road win to start the season would be a nice first step. Will BWP maintain his goal scoring prowess without Theirry Henry? Will Sacha Kljestan fill those boots for his former teammate Marsch? Tune in to FS1 to see this one Sunday before Seattle V New England, and after ESPN's Orlando v NYCFC matches.
Prediction: Sporting KC 2-1 New York Red Bulls
MATCHES OF THE WEEK:
Seattle Sounders FC V New England Revolution: The second match in FS1's Sunday Night doubleheader pits two of the best teams from 2014 clashing in front of the always raucous crowd in Seattle. Seattle decided to stand pat after a Supporter's Shield winning performance in 2014, while the Revs decided to add a key piece to their potent attack. How will Tyrone Mears fill the boots of DeAndre Yedlin? Will Juan Agudelo get the starting nod over Charlie Davies?
Prediction: Seattle Sounders FC 3-2 New England Revolution
Vancouver Whitecaps FC V Toronto FC: A Canadian derby, we get our first taste of the new TFC. Will Altidore hit the ground running? Will the Atomic Ant prove his worth from the start? Will the new additions in the midfield and defense solidify TFC's key problem areas of 2014? On the Vancouver side, home field could be a deciding factor as one of the most potent attacks in MLS looks to test that 2014 weakness of TFC. Expect goals, expect action, expect passion.
Prediction: Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2-2 Toronto FC
Orlando City SC V New York City FC: With the Eastern Conference expansion derby, we get our first official look at Jason Kreis' City side featuring the expected most potent finisher in MLS, David Villa. We also get our first look at Mix Diskerud in MLS, as well as their formation. Will it be a Kreis special, a tight diamond 4-4-2, or will he switch to something a little more defensive in their debut on the road? On the Orlando side, we get to see the MLS debut of Ricardo Kaka. More strong than people expect, and as skillful as the day is long, how many games can Kaka win for Orlando on his own? Are either of these teams ready for prime time? Check the match out on ESPN on Sunday, the first of a triple header between ESPN and FS1.
Prediction: Orlando City SC 0-0 New York City FC
Thank you for reading this weeks preview, as well as the recap of my overall season predictions. I hope you get stuck in, and don't forget that this year we have dedicated time slots for MLS games on Unimas, FOX Sports, and ESPN. Thanks again, and remember, as always, MLS Matters.
Predicted 2015 Eastern Conference Finishes:
1) New England Revolution
2) Columbus Crew SC
3) New York Red Bulls
4) Toronto FC
5) Chicago Fire
6) DC United
7) Montreal Impact
8) Philadelphia Union
9) Orlando City SC
10) New York City FC
Predicted 2015 Western Conference Finishes:
1) Los Angeles Galaxy
2) Sporting Kansas City
3) Seattle Sounders FC
4) Vancouver Whitecaps FC
5) FC Dallas
6) Real Salt Lake
7) San Jose Earthquakes
8) Houston Dynamo
9) Portland Timbers
10) Colorado Rapids
Teams to watch in 2015:
EASTERN CONFERENCE:
New England Revolution, last seasons MLS Cup finalist, looking to take the next step with the return of Juan Agudelo.
Columbus Crew, the most exciting young team in MLS, filled with potential and an exciting young manager.
Toronto FC, big spenders, big names, ready to plow their way into the playoffs for the first time ever. It will either be a thing of beauty, or a train wreck. Well worth a watch.
WESTERN CONFERENCE:
LA Galaxy, the perennial champions, holding the line until Mr. Liverpool arrives.
Sporting KC, new conference, Espinoza returns, Zusi moves to a new role, well worth a watch.
Vancouver Whitecaps, in a year of strong Canadian teams, perhaps the strongest of them all. Amazing young prospects, but is Carl Robinson the man to lead them to glory?
WEEK ONE PREVIEW AND PREDICTIONS:
LA Galaxy V Chicago Fire: LA are the champs, LA is at home, and Chicago is still trying to find its feet with new pieces. Will Zardes, Villarreal, Rogers, or Jamieson IV fill Landon Donovan's boots? Will Adailton, Polster, or Gehrig team with Laurentowicz in central defense. Should be a fun match to kick off the season, the only time the two will meet unless they both make MLS Cup Final.
Prediction: LA Galaxy 2-1 Chicago Fire
DC United V Montreal Impact: DC went from worst to first last season and look to push on in a "weak" East featuring two expansion clubs in place of Sporting KC and Houston Dynamo. In what could be a break out season for Pontius, they look to start off on the right foot despite the absence of key forwards Espindola and Johnson. Meanwhile, Montreal looks to continue their impressive early season form after two great results in CONCACAF Champions League, something DC failed to do.
Prediction: DC United 1-1 Montreal Impact
Philadelphia Union V Colorado Rapids: In the match up I look forward to the least (meaning it will be a cracking game) the Union will look to show off their attacking prowess in their home and season debut, while protecting a questionable defense. Colorado look to hit the ground running after a difficult season following the departure of Oscar Pareja, with Pablo Mastreoni in the hot seat as the season begins.
Prediction: Philadelphia Union 3-1 Colorado Rapids
Houston Dynamo V Columbus Crew SC: Houston kick off the season at home with a new manager in Owen Coyle, a Dominic Kinnear type without the MLS experience, and will look to start strong against a difficult opponent in the Crew. With El Cubo Torres on loan until the summer, look for Will Bruin and potentially Giles Barnes or Chandler Hoffman to spark the team. The Crew will see the former Eastern opponent on the road as a good test, and will expect Kamara to show why they brought him in. Will Romain Gall get a start? Come in off the bench? This should be an enthralling matchup between a solid compact defense minded team and potentially the most entertaining attack in all of MLS.
Prediction: Houston Dynamo 1-2 Columbus Crew SC
FC Dallas V San Jose Earthquakes: Dominic Kinnear will return to Texas to kick off the season as he brings Kinnear-ball to San Jose. Meanwhile FC Dallas will want to start the season off right showing off one of the best attacks in MLS. Their defense is however questionable. Will Loyd settle quickly in his new role as a center back? Will Diaz return to his best? Will Emeghara show why so many MLS defenders should be afraid of his pace while forming a quick partnership with Wondo?
Prediction: FC Dallas 1-1 San Jose Earthquakes
Portland Timbers FC V Real Salt Lake: Portland has one of the best atmospheres in MLS, one of the brightest young coaching minds, but one of the nastiest injury lists of any midfield in MLS. Who fills the boots of Will Johnson, Ben Zemanski, and Diego Valeri? On the RSL side, can Olave return to be a rock in the back? Will Luis Gil get a start, and if so, in a further back role than the attacking position he desires? Can Saborio find the back of the net?
Prediction: Portland Timbers FC 0-1 Real Salt Lake
Sporting Kansas City V New York Red Bulls: Sporting KC kick off their new place in the Western Conference with a familiar foe from the Eastern Conference. On front of a spirited crowd, look for Roger Espinoza to be up for his return to MLS and KC. But also watch for the inevitable card he will get from the adrenaline. The main questions for KC are, will Graham Zusi move to the number 10 role and will he be effective, as well as will Matt Besler return to the form that slipped away after he returned from the World Cup? On the New York side, can Jesse Marsch win the fans over? A road win to start the season would be a nice first step. Will BWP maintain his goal scoring prowess without Theirry Henry? Will Sacha Kljestan fill those boots for his former teammate Marsch? Tune in to FS1 to see this one Sunday before Seattle V New England, and after ESPN's Orlando v NYCFC matches.
Prediction: Sporting KC 2-1 New York Red Bulls
MATCHES OF THE WEEK:
Seattle Sounders FC V New England Revolution: The second match in FS1's Sunday Night doubleheader pits two of the best teams from 2014 clashing in front of the always raucous crowd in Seattle. Seattle decided to stand pat after a Supporter's Shield winning performance in 2014, while the Revs decided to add a key piece to their potent attack. How will Tyrone Mears fill the boots of DeAndre Yedlin? Will Juan Agudelo get the starting nod over Charlie Davies?
Prediction: Seattle Sounders FC 3-2 New England Revolution
Vancouver Whitecaps FC V Toronto FC: A Canadian derby, we get our first taste of the new TFC. Will Altidore hit the ground running? Will the Atomic Ant prove his worth from the start? Will the new additions in the midfield and defense solidify TFC's key problem areas of 2014? On the Vancouver side, home field could be a deciding factor as one of the most potent attacks in MLS looks to test that 2014 weakness of TFC. Expect goals, expect action, expect passion.
Prediction: Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2-2 Toronto FC
Orlando City SC V New York City FC: With the Eastern Conference expansion derby, we get our first official look at Jason Kreis' City side featuring the expected most potent finisher in MLS, David Villa. We also get our first look at Mix Diskerud in MLS, as well as their formation. Will it be a Kreis special, a tight diamond 4-4-2, or will he switch to something a little more defensive in their debut on the road? On the Orlando side, we get to see the MLS debut of Ricardo Kaka. More strong than people expect, and as skillful as the day is long, how many games can Kaka win for Orlando on his own? Are either of these teams ready for prime time? Check the match out on ESPN on Sunday, the first of a triple header between ESPN and FS1.
Prediction: Orlando City SC 0-0 New York City FC
Thank you for reading this weeks preview, as well as the recap of my overall season predictions. I hope you get stuck in, and don't forget that this year we have dedicated time slots for MLS games on Unimas, FOX Sports, and ESPN. Thanks again, and remember, as always, MLS Matters.
Season Preview: VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC
Welcome to my 7th annual MLS Season Preview, this year with a dedicated preview for each club. Lets get stuck in with the Vancouver Whitecaps FC...
IN:
M Marco Bustos (9/15/14 - Homegrown)
F Octavio Rivero (12/25/14 - transfer from O'Higgins FC)
D Diego Rodriguez (1/14/15 - loan from Juventud de las Piedras)
D Pa Modou Kah (1/21/15 - free)
M Ben McKendry (1/26/15 - Homegrown)
M Deybi Flores (2/24/15 - loan from Motagua)
OUT:
D Jay DeMerit (retired)
D Carlyle Mitchell (11/14/14 - out of contract)
M Bryce Alderson (11/14/14 - option declined)
F Omar Salgado (12/8/14 - traded to NYCFC)
F Mamadou Diouf (12/8/14 - option declined)
M Sebastian Fernandez (12/8/14 - option declined)
D Johnny Leveron (12/8/14 - option declined)
M Mehdi Ballouchy (12/10/14 - Expansion Draft to NYCFC)
D Andy O'Brien (12/31/14 - out of contract)
MANAGER: Carl Robinson
Up front, Vancouver has made a fantastic new addition in Octavio Rivero. MLS defenders be warned, he has pace and skill, and is a massive improvement over the rotation used last season of Mattocks and Salgado. Mattocks is still around to spell Rivero and learn under him, but Rivero could be the most exciting addition to the MLS forward ranks.
In the mid, the marvelous Pedro Morales returns in the number 10 role, while the attacking three in completed with the pace filled Manneh on the left, in what could be his breakout star making season, and the veteran Rosales on the right. A better three attacking mids may not exist in MLS. In the holding roles, the impressive Laba will be joined by Kofi when fit, but until then, homegrown Marco Bustos looks to fill in, as well as potential wide man and midfield super replacement Russell Teibert. While not the sexiest line up in MLS, there are few MLS sides that can say they have so many potential super stars in their front six.
Defense is where the real questions lie about Vancouver's season. Rodriguez or Pa Modou Kah will join with the strong Waston in central defense, while the moderately serviceable Harvey and Beitashour fill in the fullback positions. Lana and Kofi should go a long way to protecting the back four, but they need to step up if Vancouver is finally going to be taken seriously as an MLS Cup contender. The veteran Pat Ousted returns between the sticks.
Overall, I have high expectations for Vancouver, though am cautiously optimistic. There are so many talented young players waiting to light up MLS, if they can put it all together, they could be the surprise package of the MLS season.
2014 Western Conference Finish: 5th
Predicted 2015 Western Conference Finish: 4th
Thank you for reading my season preview for Vancouver Whitecaps FC, please feel free to read any or all of the other club previews, and as always, remember, MLS Matters.
IN:
M Marco Bustos (9/15/14 - Homegrown)
F Octavio Rivero (12/25/14 - transfer from O'Higgins FC)
D Diego Rodriguez (1/14/15 - loan from Juventud de las Piedras)
D Pa Modou Kah (1/21/15 - free)
M Ben McKendry (1/26/15 - Homegrown)
M Deybi Flores (2/24/15 - loan from Motagua)
OUT:
D Jay DeMerit (retired)
D Carlyle Mitchell (11/14/14 - out of contract)
M Bryce Alderson (11/14/14 - option declined)
F Omar Salgado (12/8/14 - traded to NYCFC)
F Mamadou Diouf (12/8/14 - option declined)
M Sebastian Fernandez (12/8/14 - option declined)
D Johnny Leveron (12/8/14 - option declined)
M Mehdi Ballouchy (12/10/14 - Expansion Draft to NYCFC)
D Andy O'Brien (12/31/14 - out of contract)
MANAGER: Carl Robinson
Up front, Vancouver has made a fantastic new addition in Octavio Rivero. MLS defenders be warned, he has pace and skill, and is a massive improvement over the rotation used last season of Mattocks and Salgado. Mattocks is still around to spell Rivero and learn under him, but Rivero could be the most exciting addition to the MLS forward ranks.
In the mid, the marvelous Pedro Morales returns in the number 10 role, while the attacking three in completed with the pace filled Manneh on the left, in what could be his breakout star making season, and the veteran Rosales on the right. A better three attacking mids may not exist in MLS. In the holding roles, the impressive Laba will be joined by Kofi when fit, but until then, homegrown Marco Bustos looks to fill in, as well as potential wide man and midfield super replacement Russell Teibert. While not the sexiest line up in MLS, there are few MLS sides that can say they have so many potential super stars in their front six.
Defense is where the real questions lie about Vancouver's season. Rodriguez or Pa Modou Kah will join with the strong Waston in central defense, while the moderately serviceable Harvey and Beitashour fill in the fullback positions. Lana and Kofi should go a long way to protecting the back four, but they need to step up if Vancouver is finally going to be taken seriously as an MLS Cup contender. The veteran Pat Ousted returns between the sticks.
Overall, I have high expectations for Vancouver, though am cautiously optimistic. There are so many talented young players waiting to light up MLS, if they can put it all together, they could be the surprise package of the MLS season.
2014 Western Conference Finish: 5th
Predicted 2015 Western Conference Finish: 4th
Thank you for reading my season preview for Vancouver Whitecaps FC, please feel free to read any or all of the other club previews, and as always, remember, MLS Matters.
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