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| I object! Not Seattle! |
MLS Cup will dominate the
headlines through Sunday I figure (for they will still speak of it the day
after, even if it sucks), but it’s also that time of year when the post-mortems
start to roll in. MLSSoccer.com posted a sort of weird early edition, something
they called a “tactical review” of each MLS club. I’ve read better, but I’ve
also read worse; call it “of interest.” Almost started my own reviews last
night (true story), but. 1) I’m still processing, and 2) not everyone’s done
and that felt like driving away from a wedding just because all involved didn’t
respect your objection to the proceedings. (Also, I’ll need something to do
over the off-season.)
Getting back to MLS Cup, I’m
short on things to say about Saturday’s match-up for some reason. That Toronto
FC v. Seattle Sounders sure looks like a solid match-up only makes that a
little weirder. Maybe it’s simple as the notion that, regardless what’s said
going in, those two teams will meet on Saturday and something will happen. No
one knows what, either, which I suppose is the hallmark of a good final. Dunno,
still working on it, I guess. Maybe inspiration hits tomorrow.
Others are trying, of course, but
most of what I’ve read so far interests me only tangentially. For instance, a write-up on Seattle’s Stefan Frei got me thinking about how to best evaluate a
‘keeper. When Frei went to Seattle, I remember telling a couple Sounders-loving
friends that they landed a good ‘keeper. Frei got shelled when he played for
TFC, but that only made the argument for looking past something basic the
number of goals Frei “allowed,” because, when it comes to letting in goals,
‘keepers typically have “helpers.” Frei typically came off looking like the
best part of a bad system, and that was enough to recommend him. Timbers fans
should have a comfortable grasp on after 2016…not that Gleeson didn’t let a
couple slip (see, Vancouver).
One other take, one that has less
to do about either team in MLS Cup, but about the league as a whole, came from
Matt Doyle, The Armchair Analyst. He (or someone else) crunched the numbers on
the balance between foreign and domestic players in MLS. The headline contends
that Toronto leaned more heavily than most into their domestic pool, a
perfectly respectable choice, but the more interesting details point to
league-wide trends. One point of interest is that the decline in domestic v.
foreign players isn’t linear (e.g. it ticks down one year, then bounces back
up), but it’s also worth noting the rate of decline. On the one hand, it’s
slower than I expected (e.g. from just over 60% domestic in 2010 to about
(never mind, precisely) 53.66% last year), but the more interesting wrinkle
comes from elsewhere – specifically, the 2016 MLS Best XI, as chosen by the
lackeys in the Bureau of Information (aka, MLSSoccer.com). (And maybe others.
Didn’t check.) Regardless, the extent to which that Starting XI is ‘Murican
should catch the eye, because that says something else about the international/domestic
balance, and where teams seem to look when they need next-level guys. Back to
the original piece, it’s worth checking your own team to see where they fit
into that whole scheme.
Speaking of next-level guys, I’m
confident that this is the last place you read about Miguel Almiron signing on with Atlanta United FC. While I hereby claim ignorance of Almiron (while also
sniffing at the value of “youtube scouting”), I have only this observation:
it’s getting easier to predict when a player will work out in MLS, because the
hype they get coming in feels a little bit different. I can’t put that
distinction into words, so file under the “porn” standard (e.g. we know it when
we see it), but, between his youthful age, the Young Designated player status,
and his CV, Almiron comes in with a vibe similar to Mauro Diaz, or Nicolas
Lodeiro (some difference in age notwithstanding). Atlanta still needs to bring
the cast, but it’s always best to lay a good foundation.
Another signing popped up in
today’s Kickoff, one that feels that little more heartening in the context of
the domestic/foreign divide dwelled on above. New York City FC picked up young forward Sean Okoli off Cincinnati FC*, a kid in a “skill position” (aka, just
an attacking piece) who also happens to be (goddamn right), red-blooded
American (well, I’m assuming; he got some calls ups for the youth U.S. Men’s
team). As much as I’m never disappointed to see good foreign players like
Almiron (or even Laurent Ciman) come in, we’ve got a National Team to stock,
and that means needing promising young Americans to keep popping up wherever
they do. That specific context – e.g., a guy like Okoli signing somewhat
quietly for one of the league’s glamor clubs – hits the whole idea of American
players proving themselves abroad in a funny way. The latter might be the
preferred theoretical path, but what’s it say when American attacking players
struggle to find the field in MLS?
I can think of a couple things,
but that’s for another day. Back tomorrow. Just had a brain-fart-storm.
(* Still coming to terms with
what it will mean, personally, if my hometown team joins MLS. I mean besides
developing a stronger hatred for Columbus.)
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