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| She sees all... |
Well, that’s the 7th week of hot, Major League Soccer action in the books. As I did last week, I listed the results in the order they either surprised me or struck me as somehow significant in the long, rambling saga that is the MLS regular season; the higher the result, the bigger it seems, etc. Of the 13 games played, I counted seven that felt noteworthy, i.e., the first seven results listed below - sometimes due more to the magnitude of the result than the result itself. To tip the hand a little, that last observation puts my Portland Timbers in the same boat as Inter Miami CF, which, here, means a shitty little dinghy with holes in it.
At any rate, here are the results with some notes on each. There’s a link to the MLSSoccer.com data center stuff embedded in each score, plus some stray links to things I’d call worth seeing. I’ll wrap up the post with some stock-up/stock-down stuff after the results. Again, I based most observations on what I saw in the MLS in 15 videos and the box score, aka, that's the Silver Service Review. The games with asterisks after them received the equivalent of a glance.
Los Angeles FC 1-2 New York City FC
Call it the kind of game you’d expect - e.g., few chances going either way, and everything a couple steps heightened - but a final score you wouldn’t. And it took LAFC really fucking up on defending the winner; seriously, you just can’t leave the back-post that sleepwalking wide-open without giving up something. That said, NYCFC looked worthy of the points and, missed gift from Sean Johnson that Carlos Vela should have buried aside, LAFC wasn’t really missing anything, up to and including Vela. Over and above that, they got first cute, then buried on the first goal they gave up, which makes it a day of errors. More than anything else, NYCFC backed up my theories about their defense (i.e., it’s good), while continuing to show they’ve got enough weapons to cover the spread in the event any of those same weapons aren’t firing. This looked like a great win and a good game for Les Pigeons, but, no less significantly, more of the stagnant same from an LAFC team that can neither let go of Plan A, nor make it work. From a long-view perspective, I’m not sure whether I should be more impressed by NYCFC, or more guarded about LAFC.
Red Bull New York 2-1 Orlando City SC
The Red Bulls looked like their old ravenous selves in this one - forever rolling forward whether by pass, run or pressure until they run over the opposition. Curiously, they put the game away during a pause - that was a helluva free-kick by Cristian Casseres, Jr., fwiw - but they worked the familiar formula of gegen-pressing to suffocation and forcing Orlando to cough up looks until they broke through. Orlando, for their part, did not look prepared for it - something I didn’t expect from a possession team (by reputation), and something that should give future opponents ideas. It looks like Orlando got their foot on the ride around the 70th minute, but they never looked like salvaging the points. That made for a really unexpected way for Orlando to pick up their first loss of 2021. Doesn’t have me questioning them yet; just filing it away. As for the Red Bulls…maybe they do have life in them. And, to flag some players: Pedro Gallese continues to strike me as one hell of a ‘keeper, and both Patryck Klimala and Fabio looked promising for the Red Bulls…who just became interesting for me.
Philadelphia Union 3-0 Portland Timbers
Won’t lie, I went into this game with hopes both loose and high, but Portland pissed ‘em away and Philly exploited at least three of the failings they offered them to the hilt. As recorded in my extended notes on this game, this looked like a super-bad day at the office for Portland - and I’m taking it as such - but Philly also opened a respect-worthy goal differential on the Timbers’ backs, and that’s to their actual credit. For context, they’ve allowed one goal in the last five games…and Portland was the “best” team they’ve played over that period (fwiw, New England is the other good team, and they got the one goal).
Sporting Kansas City 3-2 Houston Dynamo FC
I took two things from this one:
1) SKC looks as good as their record, because;
2) Houston gave them a run for it, but of course there’s a but.
First, Gianluco Busio should be in demand for as long as he can hit free-kicks like the one he scored, or even the one he did not; I mean, who wouldn’t take even a mediocre player who can place a dead-ball with that much speed/precision? To riff on the same thought, Busio tracks like the real distinction between the two teams - i.e., these are two good teams, but SKC is better player-to-player, and so. Something else that struck me: SKC’s goals looked like dunks - i.e., they forced the kinds of breakdowns that any good team can finish, they kept finding the right pass, etc. And yet…and yet, Houston kept hanging around - and I’m less impressed by their early, go-ahead goal than I am by their very late, therefore pointless goal. Sleep on this Houston team at your peril. They’re scrappy as shit. More than most teams I’ve seen, they remind me of the 2012 Earthquakes, only without the skeleton key of the “Bash Brothers” formula.
Colorado Rapids 3-0 FC Dallas*
First, why is there no MLS in 15 for this game?! After that, the stats run hard against the score-line, and it took Willliam Yarbrough making….some number of brilliant saves to keep a clean sheet. Going the other way, Diego Rubin missed penalty for the Rapids and they still won 3-0 on some truly shit defending from Dallas. Say what you will about either team, but, so far, Colorado is going places and Dallas is at the bottom of the West. Yes, the bottom bottom.
Chicago Fire FC 0-1 Club de Foot Montreal
Everything in the numbers says this was Chicago’s game to lose, but that does nothing to erase two stubborn realities: 1) Fabian Herbers miss on (I think) Ignacio Aliseda’s pass amounted to an insult, and 2) a team can’t readily fix Federico Calvo’s terrible marking on Montreal’s winning goal without radio signals, ear pieces and quite possibly shock therapy for Calvo. Again, Chicago owned literally every fucking number…how does a team fix that? Again, this side of a shock collar for Calvo, which I’m pretty sure is illegal. Chicago feels due for a win…doesn’t mean they’ll get one.
Inter Miami CF 0-3 DC United
Everything about this game looked awful - the refereeing, the passing, the play in general, the ball rolling aimlessly around between the players - but nothing looked quite as bad as Miami. At this point, there are only two reasons to watch them: 1) they’re playing your team, or 2) to listen to Ray Hudson visceral commentary and/or groans. The stats say Miami got three shots on goal, but I don’t recall even one of them. DC didn’t look much better, but they had Miami’s mistakes to feast on (see Ola Kamara’s first goal), and had the odd good moment (see Kamara’s second goal), and that’s more than enough against a team as listless and baffled as Miami.
Columbus Crew SC 2-1 Toronto FC
Could yet another TFC loss be put down to something simple as a decision to play a higher defensive line than they can manage? Luis Diaz’s coast-to-coast breakaway goal makes a case for it - and credit to Pedro Santos for (somehow) getting the first two assists of Columbus’ 2021 season. Toronto didn’t look glaringly awful - they put up nearly as many shots (on paper), they held close on the xG, etc. - but they also didn’t look terribly effectual on video. Good things rarely happen when Nick DeLeon is a team’s most active player, and the score-line could easily have been one goal worse had Toronto’s Alex Bono not held strong between the sticks. The big picture…well, it sucks for them right now. Toronto’s at the bottom of the table with just Chicago and Cincinnati below them, and they’ve only won once all season - against Columbus, in fact, which only makes that one look like more of an anomaly. Long story short, the Crew has found more of their feet - enough to knock off real rivals two weeks running.
Seattle Sounders 0-0 Austin FC*
First things first, I want to flag some top-notch positional work by Stefan Cleveland; Seattle’s ad-hoc Stefan looks well up to the task at hand so far. He had his best moment against (I think) Austin’s Jared Stroud, but the fact I’m talking about Seattle’s ‘keeper as much as I am in this blurb gets to a basic reality about this game: either team could have won it, but neither of them did. Near as I can tell, Austin even got the better looks - and with Seattle playing something like it’s first team. I don’t think this changes anything - e.g., Cascadia kind of made a silent, collective pact to take Week 7 off. That said, and point of curiosity, this makes two straight games the Sounders haven’t won at home against teams you'd expect them to work. Just…noted.
Atlanta United FC 2-2 Nashville SC
File this one away, because it could come back to hurt either team later. Someone’s going to have to explain to me how MLS’s stats page tracks possession, because Nashville gave up 2/3 of possession in one place, while holding a constant advantage through most of the game in the bar graph down the page. As for specifics, Atlanta’s Eric Lopez scored what I’d call the goal of the week (I don't get as geeked up as most on free-kicks) for what looked for all the world like the winner, only to have Hany Mukhtar knock in a well-taken brace - and on Nashville’s first goal in particular. The draw feels like a flop for Atlanta, and mostly because Mukhtar scored both goals inside three late minutes in the second half, but Atlanta also failed to bury this thing…and on two less chances than Nashville. Even if they’re both riding good fundamentals and semi-soft attacks, both teams still look like playoff material to me.
FC Cincinnati 0-1 New England Revolution
The stats don’t lie on this one - the Revs made more and better chances and generally paced the game - but, as explained in my extended notes on the game, Cincy stayed in this one and had a real shot at getting at least a point out of it. Cincinnati has played progressively better teams over the past three weeks and, by my eye, they’ve looked better in each game. It’s even becoming possible to think that’s a light at the end of the tunnel, instead of just another train barreling toward them. New England, meanwhile, just keeps rolling…
Los Angeles Galaxy 1-0 San Jose Earthquakes*
The number to mind here is the number of saves by LA’s ‘keeper (Jonathan Bond) versus San Jose’s (J. T. Marcinkowski); it’s literally double, for one, but it also equals the number of shots San Jose put on goal. Going the other way, Kevin Cabral had at least two great chances, and Efraim Alvarez had another two he should have put away at a minimum. Both teams coulda/shoulda walked away with three points, only just one of them did - and I guess that’s the take-away.
Real Salt Lake 1-1 Minnesota United FC
The box score flattered Minnesota’s Saturday a hell of a lot more than the video. It wasn’t an attacking bonanza for either team, by any means, but at least RSL had better ideas than Minnesota, who kept hanging high crosses for Zac MacMath to catch. Then again, the Loons equalized on one of the those crappy crosses; it’s not every day the ‘keeper punches a ball into your winger making a run up the inside channel, and it’s not every day the ball bounces back into the net, but that’s the story of how Minnesota stole a point from this one. RSL looked the better team, but not by much.
So, what’s all that mean as MLS pauses its season for the international break? I hope you’ll indulge a little incoherence, because, after seeing some kind of surprise in seven results, I’m calling just under half the league’s teams some form of predictable. Or, with a nod to April March…
It’s Really Nothing New
Chicago Fuego (bad…but I like those two words together…REBRAND!)
Orlando City (I believe in good bones)
FC Cincinnati (keep trying, l’il guy!)
New England (good, but imperfect)
Los Angeles Galaxy (on the high side of middling…still)
DC United (bad, but not Miami bad)
Houston Dynamo (firmly middling, and without fresh prospects)
Portland Timbers (won’t know till the parts come in)
Seattle Sounders (everyone needs a breather)
Austin FC (swimming in the deep end is harder, y’all)
Vancouver Whitecaps (who I almost forgot)
Real Salt Lake (see Houston)
Next, the teams who look to have their shit together, even if just recently:
Stock Up
Columbus Crew
New York City FC
Sporting KC
Colorado Rapids (yes, them, and I’ll fight you)
Philadelphia Union (2021’s early kings of the grind)
And their opposite numbers:
Stock Down
Toronto FC
Los Angeles FC
San Jose Earthquakes (you can’t just lose four straight, guys)
Inter Miami CF (who are Miami bad)
FC Dallas (after losing Matt Hedges…damn)
Finally, the teams that linger on the precipice of one category or the other, the ones who could move either up or down over the next 5-6 games, depending on how they play them:
Watch List
CF Montreal (they’re doing the barely able, yet resilient thing again)
Atlanta United (feel like the beginning of a good thought)
Nashville SC (they’ll get to “stock up” when they turn some Ds into Ws)
Red Bull New York (if they get to geggenin’ again, look out)
Minnesota (aka, the only team in this group that looks closer to falling down than rising up)
And…yeah, that’s it. I’ll pick this up after the break…and once I figure out how to manage a future of doubleheaders, which could sincerely undo this entire project.
At any rate, here are the results with some notes on each. There’s a link to the MLSSoccer.com data center stuff embedded in each score, plus some stray links to things I’d call worth seeing. I’ll wrap up the post with some stock-up/stock-down stuff after the results. Again, I based most observations on what I saw in the MLS in 15 videos and the box score, aka, that's the Silver Service Review. The games with asterisks after them received the equivalent of a glance.
Los Angeles FC 1-2 New York City FC
Call it the kind of game you’d expect - e.g., few chances going either way, and everything a couple steps heightened - but a final score you wouldn’t. And it took LAFC really fucking up on defending the winner; seriously, you just can’t leave the back-post that sleepwalking wide-open without giving up something. That said, NYCFC looked worthy of the points and, missed gift from Sean Johnson that Carlos Vela should have buried aside, LAFC wasn’t really missing anything, up to and including Vela. Over and above that, they got first cute, then buried on the first goal they gave up, which makes it a day of errors. More than anything else, NYCFC backed up my theories about their defense (i.e., it’s good), while continuing to show they’ve got enough weapons to cover the spread in the event any of those same weapons aren’t firing. This looked like a great win and a good game for Les Pigeons, but, no less significantly, more of the stagnant same from an LAFC team that can neither let go of Plan A, nor make it work. From a long-view perspective, I’m not sure whether I should be more impressed by NYCFC, or more guarded about LAFC.
Red Bull New York 2-1 Orlando City SC
The Red Bulls looked like their old ravenous selves in this one - forever rolling forward whether by pass, run or pressure until they run over the opposition. Curiously, they put the game away during a pause - that was a helluva free-kick by Cristian Casseres, Jr., fwiw - but they worked the familiar formula of gegen-pressing to suffocation and forcing Orlando to cough up looks until they broke through. Orlando, for their part, did not look prepared for it - something I didn’t expect from a possession team (by reputation), and something that should give future opponents ideas. It looks like Orlando got their foot on the ride around the 70th minute, but they never looked like salvaging the points. That made for a really unexpected way for Orlando to pick up their first loss of 2021. Doesn’t have me questioning them yet; just filing it away. As for the Red Bulls…maybe they do have life in them. And, to flag some players: Pedro Gallese continues to strike me as one hell of a ‘keeper, and both Patryck Klimala and Fabio looked promising for the Red Bulls…who just became interesting for me.
Philadelphia Union 3-0 Portland Timbers
Won’t lie, I went into this game with hopes both loose and high, but Portland pissed ‘em away and Philly exploited at least three of the failings they offered them to the hilt. As recorded in my extended notes on this game, this looked like a super-bad day at the office for Portland - and I’m taking it as such - but Philly also opened a respect-worthy goal differential on the Timbers’ backs, and that’s to their actual credit. For context, they’ve allowed one goal in the last five games…and Portland was the “best” team they’ve played over that period (fwiw, New England is the other good team, and they got the one goal).
Sporting Kansas City 3-2 Houston Dynamo FC
I took two things from this one:
1) SKC looks as good as their record, because;
2) Houston gave them a run for it, but of course there’s a but.
First, Gianluco Busio should be in demand for as long as he can hit free-kicks like the one he scored, or even the one he did not; I mean, who wouldn’t take even a mediocre player who can place a dead-ball with that much speed/precision? To riff on the same thought, Busio tracks like the real distinction between the two teams - i.e., these are two good teams, but SKC is better player-to-player, and so. Something else that struck me: SKC’s goals looked like dunks - i.e., they forced the kinds of breakdowns that any good team can finish, they kept finding the right pass, etc. And yet…and yet, Houston kept hanging around - and I’m less impressed by their early, go-ahead goal than I am by their very late, therefore pointless goal. Sleep on this Houston team at your peril. They’re scrappy as shit. More than most teams I’ve seen, they remind me of the 2012 Earthquakes, only without the skeleton key of the “Bash Brothers” formula.
Colorado Rapids 3-0 FC Dallas*
First, why is there no MLS in 15 for this game?! After that, the stats run hard against the score-line, and it took Willliam Yarbrough making….some number of brilliant saves to keep a clean sheet. Going the other way, Diego Rubin missed penalty for the Rapids and they still won 3-0 on some truly shit defending from Dallas. Say what you will about either team, but, so far, Colorado is going places and Dallas is at the bottom of the West. Yes, the bottom bottom.
Chicago Fire FC 0-1 Club de Foot Montreal
Everything in the numbers says this was Chicago’s game to lose, but that does nothing to erase two stubborn realities: 1) Fabian Herbers miss on (I think) Ignacio Aliseda’s pass amounted to an insult, and 2) a team can’t readily fix Federico Calvo’s terrible marking on Montreal’s winning goal without radio signals, ear pieces and quite possibly shock therapy for Calvo. Again, Chicago owned literally every fucking number…how does a team fix that? Again, this side of a shock collar for Calvo, which I’m pretty sure is illegal. Chicago feels due for a win…doesn’t mean they’ll get one.
Inter Miami CF 0-3 DC United
Everything about this game looked awful - the refereeing, the passing, the play in general, the ball rolling aimlessly around between the players - but nothing looked quite as bad as Miami. At this point, there are only two reasons to watch them: 1) they’re playing your team, or 2) to listen to Ray Hudson visceral commentary and/or groans. The stats say Miami got three shots on goal, but I don’t recall even one of them. DC didn’t look much better, but they had Miami’s mistakes to feast on (see Ola Kamara’s first goal), and had the odd good moment (see Kamara’s second goal), and that’s more than enough against a team as listless and baffled as Miami.
Columbus Crew SC 2-1 Toronto FC
Could yet another TFC loss be put down to something simple as a decision to play a higher defensive line than they can manage? Luis Diaz’s coast-to-coast breakaway goal makes a case for it - and credit to Pedro Santos for (somehow) getting the first two assists of Columbus’ 2021 season. Toronto didn’t look glaringly awful - they put up nearly as many shots (on paper), they held close on the xG, etc. - but they also didn’t look terribly effectual on video. Good things rarely happen when Nick DeLeon is a team’s most active player, and the score-line could easily have been one goal worse had Toronto’s Alex Bono not held strong between the sticks. The big picture…well, it sucks for them right now. Toronto’s at the bottom of the table with just Chicago and Cincinnati below them, and they’ve only won once all season - against Columbus, in fact, which only makes that one look like more of an anomaly. Long story short, the Crew has found more of their feet - enough to knock off real rivals two weeks running.
Seattle Sounders 0-0 Austin FC*
First things first, I want to flag some top-notch positional work by Stefan Cleveland; Seattle’s ad-hoc Stefan looks well up to the task at hand so far. He had his best moment against (I think) Austin’s Jared Stroud, but the fact I’m talking about Seattle’s ‘keeper as much as I am in this blurb gets to a basic reality about this game: either team could have won it, but neither of them did. Near as I can tell, Austin even got the better looks - and with Seattle playing something like it’s first team. I don’t think this changes anything - e.g., Cascadia kind of made a silent, collective pact to take Week 7 off. That said, and point of curiosity, this makes two straight games the Sounders haven’t won at home against teams you'd expect them to work. Just…noted.
Atlanta United FC 2-2 Nashville SC
File this one away, because it could come back to hurt either team later. Someone’s going to have to explain to me how MLS’s stats page tracks possession, because Nashville gave up 2/3 of possession in one place, while holding a constant advantage through most of the game in the bar graph down the page. As for specifics, Atlanta’s Eric Lopez scored what I’d call the goal of the week (I don't get as geeked up as most on free-kicks) for what looked for all the world like the winner, only to have Hany Mukhtar knock in a well-taken brace - and on Nashville’s first goal in particular. The draw feels like a flop for Atlanta, and mostly because Mukhtar scored both goals inside three late minutes in the second half, but Atlanta also failed to bury this thing…and on two less chances than Nashville. Even if they’re both riding good fundamentals and semi-soft attacks, both teams still look like playoff material to me.
FC Cincinnati 0-1 New England Revolution
The stats don’t lie on this one - the Revs made more and better chances and generally paced the game - but, as explained in my extended notes on the game, Cincy stayed in this one and had a real shot at getting at least a point out of it. Cincinnati has played progressively better teams over the past three weeks and, by my eye, they’ve looked better in each game. It’s even becoming possible to think that’s a light at the end of the tunnel, instead of just another train barreling toward them. New England, meanwhile, just keeps rolling…
Los Angeles Galaxy 1-0 San Jose Earthquakes*
The number to mind here is the number of saves by LA’s ‘keeper (Jonathan Bond) versus San Jose’s (J. T. Marcinkowski); it’s literally double, for one, but it also equals the number of shots San Jose put on goal. Going the other way, Kevin Cabral had at least two great chances, and Efraim Alvarez had another two he should have put away at a minimum. Both teams coulda/shoulda walked away with three points, only just one of them did - and I guess that’s the take-away.
Real Salt Lake 1-1 Minnesota United FC
The box score flattered Minnesota’s Saturday a hell of a lot more than the video. It wasn’t an attacking bonanza for either team, by any means, but at least RSL had better ideas than Minnesota, who kept hanging high crosses for Zac MacMath to catch. Then again, the Loons equalized on one of the those crappy crosses; it’s not every day the ‘keeper punches a ball into your winger making a run up the inside channel, and it’s not every day the ball bounces back into the net, but that’s the story of how Minnesota stole a point from this one. RSL looked the better team, but not by much.
So, what’s all that mean as MLS pauses its season for the international break? I hope you’ll indulge a little incoherence, because, after seeing some kind of surprise in seven results, I’m calling just under half the league’s teams some form of predictable. Or, with a nod to April March…
It’s Really Nothing New
Chicago Fuego (bad…but I like those two words together…REBRAND!)
Orlando City (I believe in good bones)
FC Cincinnati (keep trying, l’il guy!)
New England (good, but imperfect)
Los Angeles Galaxy (on the high side of middling…still)
DC United (bad, but not Miami bad)
Houston Dynamo (firmly middling, and without fresh prospects)
Portland Timbers (won’t know till the parts come in)
Seattle Sounders (everyone needs a breather)
Austin FC (swimming in the deep end is harder, y’all)
Vancouver Whitecaps (who I almost forgot)
Real Salt Lake (see Houston)
Next, the teams who look to have their shit together, even if just recently:
Stock Up
Columbus Crew
New York City FC
Sporting KC
Colorado Rapids (yes, them, and I’ll fight you)
Philadelphia Union (2021’s early kings of the grind)
And their opposite numbers:
Stock Down
Toronto FC
Los Angeles FC
San Jose Earthquakes (you can’t just lose four straight, guys)
Inter Miami CF (who are Miami bad)
FC Dallas (after losing Matt Hedges…damn)
Finally, the teams that linger on the precipice of one category or the other, the ones who could move either up or down over the next 5-6 games, depending on how they play them:
Watch List
CF Montreal (they’re doing the barely able, yet resilient thing again)
Atlanta United (feel like the beginning of a good thought)
Nashville SC (they’ll get to “stock up” when they turn some Ds into Ws)
Red Bull New York (if they get to geggenin’ again, look out)
Minnesota (aka, the only team in this group that looks closer to falling down than rising up)
And…yeah, that’s it. I’ll pick this up after the break…and once I figure out how to manage a future of doubleheaders, which could sincerely undo this entire project.
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