MLS Week 4.5 Review: A Glimpse, Because That's All I Can Do

Each of us will see different things. This is the hive-mind....

Due to a full weekend of recovery and its causes, I’m starting this far later (now ending it far earlier) than I’d expected, so expect a bit of a rush job. Not shitty, more something that just sort of pours forth in good time and the right quantity. Feel like I went too long last week…not that this improved on that.

I wanted to put two thoughts up top - the easy one first. It felt like I saw a lot of early goals this week and, for whatever reason, my brain will always read that as a weakness – almost a personal feeling, only at the team level. Think showing up for a big speech without pants. Mistakes, I can forgive, they happen, but showing up unprepared? And without pants? Who raised these people?

Second, I got hung-up on the idea of “systems” this weekend - e.g., the idea of teams that have a game plan and can execute it on a level that’s just a few steps below muscle memory. That came to me watching Toronto FC win on cruise control over Real Salt Lake (links to everything but specific moments are below [ed. - and will go up later]), mostly because Toronto’s movement and coordination on the field functioned smoothly and with some forethought, or a full-blown game-plan – something that stood out most in playing out of defense and in transition. RSL, meanwhile, didn’t look like great shakes anywhere out there. Sure, their right found a way around Toronto’s left a couple times, but they could only really break through when Joao Plata got involved, and he finished more plays (or was in decent position to) than he built. Luis Silva, on the other hand, didn’t get the ball much and tended to start with a bad touch every time he did get it. When that didn’t leave much for Toronto’s defense to stop, and with Toronto knowing several great ways to get the ball into the attack, putting away RSL only took as long as Jozy Altidore sorting out the right runs. (With a Swiss Army skill-set (at least in MLS), remarkable physical control/speed, and a pretty nimble mind for reading the game, Altidore is just good, and I’m not easily persuaded off that point.)

I’d guess Toronto’s players are probably better than RSL’s, player-to-player, but that thing about players knowing how to work together, and with most of the improvising happening up top (where it’s still hot, but safer), probably explains what Toronto did last season and why they’ll still be good this season. I think I saw something similar at work in New York City FC’s road win against the San Jose Earthquakes. I don’t feel as confident calling the margin between players on these teams as I do with Toronto and RSL, but - and this is a theory - San Jose looks like they picked up some decent talent in Magnus Eriksson (and maybe Valeri Qazaishvili), so I’m not sure NYC wins this one on raw talent, or just players better and more confident in their roles (Maxi Moralez chief among them). That said, don’t totally overlook the tantalizing nuggets in the box score, which cushion the blow a bit for San Jose – e.g., 19 shots to NYC’s 9; San Jose put 10 of those on target too.

Before I get too far carried away, I must note that I watched all of only three games this weekend - Toronto v. RSL, the Houston Dynamo’s agonizing running-into-the-wall routine against the New England Revolution, and the Portland Timbers’ near-seizing of all three points against the Chicago Fire. I’ll expand on Houston v. New England below (somewhat), but I just have to acknowledge how much reading between the lines I’m doing in these posts in order to feel good about me. I’m watching highlights, nearly all of which now run under 5 minutes (some fucking lazy interns, y’all), checking box scores, and reading recaps that fill in some blanks, but draw a pretty firm line against doing anything more. Put it this way: if I checked all three of those sources separately (that’s highlights, recap, and box score) for, say, the Colorado Rapids’ 3-0 win over the Philadelphia Union, I would have called it: the Rapids rolling over a beleaguered Union team; a universe in which Rapids’ forward Dominique Badji does everything (except pass himself the ball for his third goal); and a game Philly probably should have won, if I take them in the order they appear in those parentheses. None of that is true, all of that is true, and now you see my dilemma.

Basically, take any specific thing I said about NYC up above as part memory, part impression of memory, part imperfect memory, part 1,000 words worth of uneven description, part a bunch of disconnected video clips that show a team’s attack at its best and the other team’s defense at its worst: that’s what I’m using to make sense of all this. Plus Matt Doyle’s weekly stuff, plus as much MLS video content as I can stomach (this shrinking…). I try to deepen the base of knowledge by switching up the teams I watch besides the Portland Timbers, but I even fuck that up because some teams just look more interesting than the other ones, and then there’s my Orlando City SC problem, which I can’t explain, etc.

Basically, I’m approaching this humbly, with full knowledge of my limitations. For the most part, these posts will try to build reasonably accurate big-picture narratives possible for each team that played every week of the 2018 season. Those narratives can’t shoot from anything but high altitude, because…I mean, just the top of the previous paragraph. I’ll frame the discussion around each of the games each week, filling it in with whatever thoughts seem helpful. Just know where those thoughts come from and take them with what salt you need. (I’d expect a preamble like this week’s too. Hopefully, the full games I watch help me come up with good topics.) OK, taking them in the order I watched them - and I’ll take a little more time on Houston v. New England…with apologies to both for not giving them enough.

Toronto FC 3-1 Real Salt Lake

I gave both teams enough time up above that I’ll be brief here. Concerned as I am about opening with losses and maybe grinding down their star players early between MLS and CCL, Toronto remains a good team. As for RSL, I’ve watched them twice this season (their thieving of the New York Red Bulls), and they never quite look like they know what they’re doing – and, significantly, this loss improved on the New York win. Plata threatened more than anyone for Salt Lake, but, just to note it, Demar Phillips looked possessed out there, like a man playing for his job. It didn’t produce a lot besides the clearest possible signal to RSL coach Mike Petke that Phillips can play some very, very determined soccer. To take a stab at the issue, they don’t seem to know how to find Albert Rusnak, or how to get the most of him when they do. They get better when he gets touches near the attack, even when he doesn’t always go forward, because he’s probing out there. Uh, what else? Justen Glad had a weak outing - and not just for the PK he coughed up – and they absolutely can’t afford that (or giving up two penalties in the first 25 minutes). Oh, and Nick Rimando absolutely exploded at Damir Kreilach for checking out on a defensive play. To sum it up succinctly, though, no small part of this exists in a talent gap that spans the considerable width between Luis Silva and Jozy Altidore.

Houston Dynamo 0-2 New England Revolution

To lead with the biggest story, Alberth Elis dominated a half of soccer in a way that I see once every two months; it looked like exactly what happens when a player that strong and fast is totally switched on. He literally did everything but score, but he failed so spectacularly that he left the field drained, demoralized and with nothing to show for 40 minutes, or thereabouts, of berzerker soccer. If that’s not Houston’s season, that’s certainly their past two weeks. Their only attacking player who looked totally hopeless was Mauro Manotas (dude was playing another game, maybe even another sport), but Tomas Martinez had a couple moments/passes, Andrew Wenger blundered around to some effect, and even rookie/sub Matt Steeves had a moment: but  the way Elis cleaved through New England meant they couldn’t help but feed him the ball, and he just couldn’t swing even one goal. He would even miss two clear chances past his berserker period and, nope. In what’s threatening to become a bad season, Houston has only themselves to blame for this one. To give Elis a breather, Darwin Ceren put his team in the hole with the back-breaking mistake that led to New England’s winner. To finally talk New England, Cristian Penilla looks like a good signing (he unbalanced Alphonso Machado something embarrassing on the Revs’ insurance goal), and he’ll be great if he keeps producing near this level. I’ve also keyed on how Scott Caldwell has morphed into something useful this year. All in all, and a couple gaps acknowledged, I’d keep an eye on the Revs this season, even with the Eastern Conference looking hairy. Houston, though…picking up the free-fall where FC Dallas left it at the end of last season. (Does that shit spread around the league like a cold?)

Chicago Fire 2-2 Portland Timbers

I wrote up this one, at length, in my wrap on the Timbers. Long story short, Chicago looks remarkably fragile so far - and that’s probably why they’re dropping Bastian Schweinsteiger. Portland, meanwhile, looks closer to some kind of final product and, holy shit, I hope that’s not it, because, not helpful.

Orlando City SC 4-3 New York Red Bulls

The game I wish I’d watched (also a game with an early goal), but I got hung up thinking I’d watched New York too much, and I’ve got this allergy to Orlando. Credit to them for battling back and all the way through, starting early as the 16th minute (and how badly New York handled Justin Meram...whoof; also, the way the defense switched off on a throw-in to Dom Dwyer (welcome back!) for his second goal), but the box score paints as decent outing for Orlando. All the same, what the Red Bulls are doing so far is still pretty novel: even rotating their squad like nuts, they’re making just about every team sweat. Think of that in the context of a road game in the playoffs, and you have your point of interest.

Columbus Crew SC 1-2 Vancouver Whitecaps

Think I’ve watched (suffered through?) Vancouver twice this season, and can’t unsee the ugly, ugly soccer that makes me hate them with the heat of a red dwarf sun. More than anything else, I get a, “holy shit, that worked!?” vibe from them this season – and that just makes cobbling together an impression of them more frustrating. That goes double because Columbus has played well this season - and Gyasi Zardes is scoring steadily (4 goals), Pipa Higuain has looked fine and svelte every time I’ve seen him, etc. - but, near as I can tell, Vancouver blocked, countered and stole all three points. A fully-functioning, effective Brek Shea feels like a real factor in keeping their heads above water. And Wil Trapp marking Kei Kamara can only be a gift.

Los Angeles Galaxy 4-3 Los Angeles FC

Of course Zlatan Ibrahimovic fulfilled the hype. The universe loves winners to remind the rest of us how very much it hates us. The part of me that resents that wants to believe that LAFC played the better game (you can see a wee edge in the box score with the right kind of eyes), and the Galaxy got lucky on a goal that Zlatan will only score once in every 100 attempts (Fine. One in five. Fuck that guy.), but a pair of MLS fringe-stars (Sebastian Lletget and Chris Pontius) started the Galaxy comeback – and that’s got to make them feel better, especially better than giving up three goals. I’m not going to put much thought into how either team stacks up against the rest of MLS, but both point to having higher ceilings than lower ones. Also, Marco Urena is the best argument for a second forward in MLS. And Carlos Vela is no slouch.

Minnesota United FC 0-1 Atlanta United FC

Another early goal conceded, and a real turd of an own goal to boot. The game did not improve much from there, apparently, especially after Leandro Gonzalez Pirez got sent off for being stupid twice within the game’s first 30 minutes (or less). Credit Minnesota for what looked like a strong, late rally, but they couldn’t even roll a ball over the line. Minnesota is hinting they won’t be patsies this season, which could be why their fans kept up the singing to the end. As for Atlanta, the most relevant talking points showed up in the recap with regards to a good performance (from Michael Parkhurst; might get another good year out of him), and a heavy bite on injuries (to Jeff Larentowicz, Greg Garza, and…wait for it, Michael Parkhurst). No word on severity, but can Atlanta tilt the field far enough forward to cover that many absences in the D?

San Jose Earthquakes 1-2 New York City FC

The most concerning thing I saw was the way San Jose midfielders let themselves get run past on the game winner; Nick Lima had to clear a ball off the line besides, but, per the cliché, this looks like a case of “just that little bit of quality” – which NYC has either collectively and individually, where San Jose does not. Happily for them, Eriksson popped up all over the highlights, which means he was active and involved at least sporadically. I noted the balance of shots in this game up above – which speak well of the ‘Quakes (and, conversely, NYC’s Sean Johnson, who made 9 whopping saves) – but New York held the edge in a few noteworthy places that suggest a certain level of control – e.g., more passes, higher passing accuracy, more possession, etc.

Sporting Kansas City 1-0 DC United

From a distance (god is watching us, for one), this presents as the restoration of order to the MLS universe: SKC grinding out a game is what we all know, not the high-wire act of the season’s early days. Personally, I’d love to stop hating KC, but they’ve got to add the players to do that. Once again, this game’s one and only goal came early and ugly; the commentating team called it a mistake by Frederic Brillant, but that looks more like Felipe Gutierrez getting lucky to me. The most telling note on DC United comes with the total absence of commentary in the recap. More significantly, DC’s (apparent) stab at a rebuild for the season when they open their long-awaited new stadium doesn’t look like it’s taking. Ulises Segura hasn’t found his feet, Zoltan Steiber hasn’t impressed me, and Darren Mattocks is Darren Mattocks.

Colorado Rapids 3-0 Philadelphia Union

I don’t have much to add to what I listed up top, but the box score and stray comments heard during the highlights (e.g., “Tim Howard hasn’t had much to do in this second half”) give some hints as to what happened in this game: Against an impulse to call this Philly reverting to type, it looks like they tried to play as best they could, while Colorado bunkered, countered, and scored off set pieces. The ball bounced luckier for Badji for two of his goals to credit him too much with “right time in the right place.” And, again, Colorado was dire the last time I watched them.

Seattle Sounds 0-1 Montreal Impact

Seattle can’t be happy to have opened with three straight losses, but the highlights showed at least one moment where they showed intent/desperation by all but flinging bodies forward. Also, I haven’t seen this much Nicolas Lodeiro (even in the highlights), so that feels like a positive. For Montreal, having Ignacio Piatti on the field means they only need to keep a game close in order to steal it. All the same, I’d glance at the box score because Montreal punched pretty even…and not necessarily as you’d expect.

OK, that’s to everything. To put together all the above, I’d only list a few teams as being in any kind of real, apparent danger early – e.g., Houston (because they can’t score), DC (because they can’t do anything), Chicago, and maybe RSL, because I can their ceiling topping out below the playoffs; Seattle can't be feeling too hot, obviously, but they've got a little history (and consecutive runs to MLS Cup) under their wings. Going the other way, I’d rate the following teams as the strongest starters: NYCFC, the Red Bulls, and, as implied above (and heavily), I think Toronto will come good in the end, and SKC feels like they’ll be in the right part of the mix. Columbus probably belongs in that mix to (so....why can't I put them there?), and I’m guessing the same will probably apply to both LA teams…which still feels weird to type (Galaxy’s are big, y’all!).

It all feels like a big muddle after that, with some teams showing more promise (e.g., Montreal), than others (e.g., Portland). That's probably the best, most-detailed stuff I can produce by way of trying to get an impression of 23 teams while only watching one team every week. I'll try to go bigger when writing up the teams I watch besides Portland, because, otherwise, it’s like trying to describe an entire room, only looking through a keyhole and with the lights out in the room. Then again, Beethoven wrote music to the end in similar fashion – and with a different one of his five senses restricted. If he can do that (yes, on epic scale), I can try this (aim for the ceiling, realize there’s one in that vast darkened room, etc.). Till next week.