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.