Cascadia rivalry takes on new intensity
Regional rivalries make football great even in the most mundane competitive circumstances, but MLS’ Pacific Northwestern rivals Vancouver, Portland and Seattle taking things to a new level as the 2014 MLS season comes to a close.
This weekend features probably the biggest game in the Western Conference outside of LA vs FC Dallas, and it happens to be a derby match that will also decide the winner of the 2014 Cascadia Cup as well as play a definitive role in determining the Supporters Shield winner and which team will secure the fifth and final playoff spot in the West. Sigi Schmid’s title-chasing Seattle Sounders will host the Vancouver Whitecaps on Friday night, and both teams have inverse Achilles’ heels on the pitch.
While the Sounders have been scoring piles of goals thanks to the hard work of the Clint Dempsey/Obafemi Martins partnership up front, they’ve also conceded a good many too. Seattle last posted a clean sheet on August 30 in a 1-0 win against the Colorado Rapids, and of their 47 goals conceded all season, 14 of them were scored in their last six matches. The makeshift defence comprising Jalil Anibaba at centreback and Brad Evans at left back isn’t working – Seattle’s best defence has been their offence of late.
By contrast, the Whitecaps have done well at stopping goals but terrible at scoring them. Though they’ve improved of late, scoring four in their last two games (both wins), that’s the same total they had scored in the eight preceding matches. The improved performance of former Sounder Mauro Rosales in midfield has played an integral role; the Argentinian has linked superbly with Erik Hurtado and Sebastián Fernández up front. Meanwhile the head coach, Carl Robinson, has been relying on some bench depth with Darren Mattocks and Kekuta Manneh making several late appearances, though Mattocks will be absent on international duty this weekend with Jamaica. The Caps will need to score to have a prayer against Seattle.
Something’s gotta give for both teams, and with Timbers hoping for a Vancouver loss to help them stay over the red line, the destiny of three fierce derby rivals hangs in the balance.
Eastern playoff race depends on New York Red Bulls vs Toronto FC
MLSsoccer.com has compiled a very handy list of scenarios ahead of another weekend of uncertainty in the clown car that is the Easter Conference playoff race. Reading the list of possible outcomes, it’s quickly apparent that the assured future of several clubs depends on New York getting a result over the demoralized Toronto FC.
On Wednesday night the Canadian club lost 1-0 at ten-man Houston despite taking 26 shots to the Dynamo’s nine (though don’t tell TFC fans about game states and the effect of going down a goal early). The loss sees Toronto lose their long-standing trump card, what coach Greg Vanney termed the “margin of error” in the fight for the final playoff spot. They’ll likely need to take nine points from their remaining three matches, a tall order for a team with two road games to go – Saturday’s match against New York and their final game of the season at Gillette Stadium against the New England Revolution. They’ve got Defoe back, so that’s something.
New York meanwhile will be wary of TFC despite their apparent change in respective fortunes. Toronto has already earned a 2-0 win and a 2-2 tie this season against NYRB. Mike Petke’s team will play knowing a win guarantees them a playoff berth, which would allow them to play out the season in preparation for an MLS Cup run in November. They’ll be without Tim Cahill on international duty (and on a red card suspension) so losing to TFC would complicate things.
The Red Bulls losing would also potentially complicate things for the Revs if New England fails to beat Montreal. Though not exactly a lynchpin, all eyes will be on this result ... it could help stop tape in the weeks long game of musical chairs in the East.
Lame duck teams can still play spoiler as season nears end
It’s a common, if seldom talked about problem in MLS: with half the teams qualifying for the postseason and with no lingering threat of relegation, what exactly do officially eliminated teams in MLS have left to play for? And for that matter, what reason is there for the neutral to watch these teams play?
This year is slightly different; with Chivas USA set to go on hiatus next season, individual players are playing in part to audition for any interested takers, which may explain why the Goats somehow managed to beat Real Salt Lake 1-0 last Sunday courtesy of Felix Borja’s goal. But there are several out-of-contention clubs who may be spurred on this weekend by something much darker than glory – schadenfreude, the joy in wrecking the hopes and dreams of their opponents.
Chicago Fire can put some sugar in Sporting KC’s tank should they manage more than the customary draw against a team that can still theoretically overtake DC United for first in the East. The eliminated Montreal Impact can make life difficult for the Revs at Stade Saputo, or at least put off their official 2014 MLS Cup playoff berth for another day should TFC manage to beat the Red Bulls. And lame duck San Jose can find a way to compound RSL’s misery after their shock loss last week, and even put remote fears of playoff elimination into the minds of some nervous fans of the Claret and Cobalt.
They may have nothing to play for themselves, but they can at least drag a few potential playoff contenders down with them. Hopefully it will provide something more attractive to fans than a pointless run out to end the season.
Supporters Shield-chasing LA Galaxy are the entertainers
There are a lot of reasons to watch the LA Galaxy these days. The promising development of a young, exciting American talent in Gyasi Zardes. The league MVP-deserving form of Robbie Keane (he’s out this weekend on international duty with Ireland). The continued good form of soon-to-be retired Landon Donovan, now off for a controversial “testimonial” US mens national team friendly that could see the American star at loggerheads with German coach Jurgen Klinsmann over some silly email drama. Their late season bid to storm up the table and snatch the Supporters Shield from the feet of the Sounders.
But even without the league drama and the individually brilliant performances, LA are one of the most tactically exciting teams to watch in MLS, playing in a way that gives credence to their longstanding, unofficial role as the league’s flagship team. We saw a little of that style last weekend against Toronto FC. League analyst Matthew Doyle highlighted an incredible 80 second, 23 pass sequence which led to Robbie Keane’s stunning, Goal of the Week nominated strike.
LA has been touting their “tiki-taco” approach for a while now, a total team, possession-based ethos which Bruce Arena has been working on developing for several seasons. Though the Galaxy have always been at the top of the table, the latter stage of the 2014 season feels like something of an apex – in their last six matches LA has scored 18 goals and allowed 4.
This Sunday they’ll visit Toyota Stadium to play an FC Dallas side that was once a title dark horse and the darling of coach Oscar Pareja’s eye, and is now trying to ward off the unlikely threat of elimination danger. Though LA’s away form has been decidedly less stellar than their performances at StubHub (5-6-4), the team will be buoyed by keeping dreams alive for their first Supporters Shield win in three years. Neutrals meanwhile can tune in the hopes of seeing something wonderful, again.
How will clubs cope with loss of key players to international duty?
Here is a handy site on which you can see every single MLS player currently called up on international duty. If you’re a fan of an MLS club, you may see this list with mixed emotions. On the one hand, international caps are a sign of global relevance and sporting success. The more players on your roster out on international duty, the better your team. On the other hand, that recognition doesn’t really offer much tangible benefit to the club itself. In other parts of the world, an international cap might raise transfer value, which means more money in the bank for future transfers. Single entity MLS of course doesn’t work that way.
And of course there’s the niggling reality that we’re three games away from the end of the regular season. Though the callups are admirably diplomatic for the most part, there are some notable absences. Robbie Keane and Omar Gonzalez for LA (Ireland, USA). Darren Mattocks for Vancouver (Jamaica). Blas Pérez for FC Dallas (Panama), and Joao Plata and Álvaro Saborío for RSL (Ecuador, Costa Rica). DeAndre Yedlin for Seattle (USA).
Though the clubs hit hardest are not exactly in dire straights with the regular season coming to a close, this weekend will be a minor depth test at a crucial time in the league. Though those clubs on the line were spared, there are other teams that, while not exactly in imminent danger, are still capable of falling through the floor between now and the end of October. They would ideally would have liked to have full strength sides this weekend. MLS of course has made its bed, and its clubs and fans for the most part are lying in it without complaint. But if a few results go pear-shaped, we’ll see if any managers play the club v country card.
