Welcome footy fans to my 8th annual MLS season preview. Last season I went for the long form preview, a specified blog for each club. This season I'll give a brief overview as what to watch for each team, as well as my world famous (hey, people outside the US will read this, so I'll stick to my claim) season predictions. Lets get stuck in...
CHICAGO FIRE: Veljko Paunovic joins the Fire as their 5th manager in the past seven seasons. With a complete retooling of their lineup, the major question this season will be, can Paunovic turn the worst team in the league into a respectable bunch? There are still major questions about the new look side, what formation will work best for them, and will yet another management change from the front office down to the coach have the desired effect?
COLORADO RAPIDS: Manager Pablo Mastroeni is entering his third season in Colorado, stunning when you consider how dire the team has been during his first two seasons. After scoring only 33 goals in 34 matches last year, John Spencer has been brought in as an offensive guru for the club. With much turnover yet again, its hard to see what the Rapids can do to become relevant again. One attempt they are making is to bring in USMNT goalkeeper Tim Howard from Everton in the summer on a DP salary. Yep, their entire season seems to hinge on John Spencer adding goals and Tim Howard coming in the summer to stop leaking them. Seriously.
COLUMBUS CREW SC: With minimal subtractions and depth additions, along with a new DP contract for Kei Kamara, last seasons MLS Cup runners up look set to pick up where they left off. With a solid young foundation only getting better as each season progresses, there are only two real questions marks regarding the Crew. First, can the few aging stars on the club, Higuain, Kamara, and Parkhurst, maintain their high levels of performance as they add an extra season to their legs, and two, can season three of Gregg Berhalter be as effective as the first two.
DC UNITED: Luciano Acosta. The entire season for DC may come down to how well the Boca Juniors loanee Acosta adjusts to MLS and his new teammates. MLS All Time foul sufferer Davy Arnaud needed to retire from the side due to concussions, but he has joined the coaching staff. Former LA Galaxy and Colorado Rapids man, Marcelo Sarvas, looks to fill the gap.
FC DALLAS: Fabian Castillo. Maxi Urruti. Mauro Diaz. Jesse Gonzalez. Mauro Rosales. Carlos Gruezo. Acosta. Hedges. Akindele. Manager Oscar Pereja. What more do you need to know? Dallas is the one team in the stacked West capable of winning the Supporters Shield. Will Castillo find himself leaving in the summer as the largest transfer fee ever paid for an MLS player? Could be, but anyway you slice it, Dallas is the team to watch this season. I just wish they didn't play in the middle of nowhere.
HOUSTON DYNAMO: Owen Coyle enters season two in Houston, and many are left wondering what exactly he is bringing to the table other than being a less MLS successful version of Dom Kinnear. This season there are two major questions apart from the manager which will tell the tale of the Dynamo's season. One, will Cubo Torres put a poor loan spell and assault allegations from 2015 behind him and return to his Chivas USA form for the Dynamo? And two, will Christian Maidana be the spark that gets Houston into the playoffs, or the spark that sees them falter even below last seasons mediocre performances.
LA GALAXY: Bruce Arena enters into the last season of his contract in LA by selling Omar Gonzalez and Juninho to Mexican clubs, but adding veteran European talent in Nigel De Jong, Ca$hley Cole, and Jelle Van Damm, veteran MLS talent in Dan Kennedy, Mike Magee, Jeff Larentowicz, as well as Ghanian Emmanuel Boateng. Will they have the legs to last a season in MLS packed with travel and weather? One thing I know for certain, never under estimate Bruce Arena, even when he makes "crazy" decisions like brining in Cole.
MONTREAL IMPACT: Will Didier Drogba play more or less than 14 games this season? Thats where I place the over/under. With him, they are a title contender. Without him, they are a mediocre side. How often Drogba plays, if he still has the legs, and if Cameron Porter comes back and hits the ground running in Drogue's absence may tell the tale of the season.
NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION: Out goes Jermaine Jones and his DP salary. In comes Gershon Koffie. Newly signed DP mid Xavier Kouassi suffered injury seeing out his contract in Switzerland, and will miss the beginning of the season. Apart from that, not much has changed in New England.
NEW YORK CITY FC: Patrick Viera. Patrick Viera. Patrick Viera. Manchester City would love for Viera to prove himself in MLS before replacing Pep Guardiola in the City hot seat in a few seasons time, but the chances seem slim based on the history of managers new to MLS, let alone the game itself apart from Man City's youth team. NYCFC is still to me a hopelessly unbalanced team, with Pirlo, Lampard, and Villa yet to gel. While Villa had his moments, and Lampard wasn't awful, Pirlo was awful. And while they are in the team with their old legs, younger talents like Mix and Poku are going to be riding the bench. Another major concern this season for NYCFC will be how those ancient legs respond to counter attacks. I smell another mediocre season, but the fallout should be fun to watch.
NEW YORK RED BULLS: Matt Miazga exits for Chelsea while Gideon Baah enters. Apart from that, last seasons Supporter's Shield winners are remarkably the same. Will the league have figured them out, or will Jesse Marsch add enough new wrinkles to keep the train rolling down the tracks?
ORLANDO CITY SC: Antonio Nocerino comes in, as well as Kevin Alston. Apart from that, the one major change Orlando will hope for in 2016 is Kevin Molino being healthy for the entire season. While Orlando had a decent first season, Kaka isn't in MLS to not make the playoffs.
PHILADELPHIA UNION: After a decade in the Netherlands building teams on a budget, the Earnie Stewart era begins in Philly. Youth and undervalued talent seem to be his aims in season one. Will it give the Sons of Ben the winner they deserve? Will Jim Curtain last the season? The experiment will be interesting to watch.
PORTLAND TIMBERS FC: Last seasons Champions, Portland has seen the exits of Will Johnson, Maxi Urutti, Rodney Wallace, and Jorge Villafana. In the always competitive West, its hard to look at Portland and say they are better than last season. While a lot of talent remains, its hard to see a repeat performance in a parity filled MLS.
REAL SALT LAKE: Yura Movsisyan and El Burrito enter as Gil and Jamie exit. While boring boring RSL finished 9th in the West last season, they did evolve into a 4-3-3 formation down the stretch. With a healthy Plata and the new additions, RSL should be fighting for the playoffs.
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES: It won't be pretty, but it may be affective. Um... yeah.
SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC: Obafemi Martins leaves for China as Jordan Morris finally turns pro and enters MLS with Seattle. With a DP slot to fill come summer, the Sounders we see the first half of the season may not be exactly as it is come the end of the season. With the money spent and the fan support they have garnered, for me, it is do or die this season for Sigi Schmid. Win or retire. Even if by force.
SPORTING KANSAS CITY: MLS goal of the year winner Krisztian Nemeth takes his 16 goals to Qatar, making many ask where the goals will come from apart from Dom Dwyer, leading to the acquisition of new man Nuno Andre Coelho. And the service to the front men will be improved with the depth added through MLS veterans Justin Mapp and Brad Davis. Sporting should be solid in 2016, if not must see TV.
TORONTO FC: Last season on the back of the Atomic Ant, Toronto made the playoffs for the first time. While solid up front with Giovinco, the newly slimmed Jozy Altidore, and Michael Bradley, the defense was flawed at best. This year they look to take advantage of a weak East by solidifying the back through Drew Moor, Clint Irwin, Will Johnson, and Steven Beitashour. If they can survive injuries and summer internationals, this could be the year TFC makes a serious run.
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC: The caps were a young, solid, and entertaining side last season, and apart from the subtraction of Gershon Koffie in the mid, they seem to be all set to keep up last seasons good work. They added depth up front with Blas Perez and Masato Kudo, and midfield talent with Christian Bolanos. If you're looking for an MLS team to adopt, this could be it. Think of them as a Canadian Tottenham Hotspur.
So now its time for all of my gloriously inaccurate predictions.(Its MLS, batting .500 is amazing) First, my general thoughts, followed by my final predictions...
WESTERN CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS: Its a straight battle between FC Dallas and Vancouver Whitecaps. LA and Seattle are built for the playoffs, and perhaps not the long grind of a season.
EASTERN CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS: Columbus, NYRB, and TFC. Only the Revs are even near the conversation.
SUPPORTER'S SHIELD WINNER: Dallas, Vancouver, Columbus, NYRB, or TFC.
US OPEN CUP WINNER: Sporting KC, Philly, Seattle, or Portland.
LEAGUE MVP: Kei Kamara, Sebastian Giovinco, Robbie Keane, David Villa, Fabian Castillo.
WESTERN CONFERENCE STANDINGS:
FC Dallas
Vancouver Whitecaps FC
Seattle Sounders FC
Sporting KC
LA Galaxy
Portland Timbers
Houston Dynamo
Real Salt Lake
San Jose Earthquakes
Colorado Rapids
EASTERN CONFERENCE STANDINGS:
Columbus Crew SC
New York Red Bulls
Toronto FC
New England Revolution
Montreal Impact
DC United
Orlando City SC
New York City FC
Philadelphia Union
Chicago Fire
SUPPORTER'S SHIELD WINNER: FC Dallas
MLS CUP WINNER: LA Galaxy
US OPEN CUP WINNER: Portland Timbers FC
LEAGUE MVP: Robbie Keane
Thank you for reading my 8th annual MLS Season preview. If you have any comments or questions, feel free to let me know. It should be a great season in MLS.
Until next time, remember, MLS Matters.
Saturday, March 5, 2016
Thursday, May 7, 2015
THE 7 YEAR PLAN: THE PATH TO BECOMING A "TOP" LEAGUE
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
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
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.
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