What We Learned – MLS Matchday 24

What We Learned – MLS Matchday 24

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Outside90’s Daniel Fraiz-Martinez looks over the major talking points from Matchday 24 of the MLS.

NYCFC is having a Poku Party, but not everyone is invited

Friday night’s opening game of the MLS round saw the struggling NYCFC, surprisingly come from behind to defeat the Supporters Shield leaders DC United 3-1 in what was a highly revealing game in terms of both teams potential future.

New York City FC had to come from behind after Alvaro Saborio had put DC in front, managing to break Bill Hamid’s streak of 400 away minutes without conceding a goal. City emphatically came back into the contest by tallying three without reply. More notable than the achievement itself was the player largely behind the turnaround, young Ghanaian midfielder Kwadwo Poku.

Poku along with Tommy McNamara (who scored the equaliser) has been one of New York’s better performers in their inaugural MLS campaign, but had been expected to make way for the introduction Pirlo and Lampard. Indeed, the Ghanaian was likely only playing due to the former Chelsea and Manchester City midfielder missing out through injury.

The result, coupled with both Poku and the team’s second half performance, will lead to the invariable questions being asked of Jason Kreis should he chose to change the side (as expected) to accommodate his all-star DP’s, as it is clear the youth of Poku and McNamara is needed in the team to balance out the veteran influence’s wavering legs.

Sporting KC and Galaxy make statement wins, as the chase for the Shield takes shape.

Saturday’s MLS fixtures featured two of the more intriguing contests as the season draws closer to its climax. Sporting Kansas City faced off against the Vancouver Whitecaps while FC Dallas took on the current MLS Cup Champions the LA Galaxy. The matches could be seen as young pretenders against two of the more established, successful franchises in recent MLS history. The more dramatic of the two wins was to be played out at Sporting Park.

The home side were down 1-3 against the Whitecaps with only 10 minutes remaining, only to turn things around in the 94th minute winning 4-3. The win came on the back of a brace from the unlikeliest of goal-scoring heroes in veteran Brazilian midfielder Paulo Nagamura, in a yet another glorious advert for MLS enthralling brand of entertainment.

With the team also qualified for an Open Cup final against the Philadelphia Union, and currently leading MLS in terms of points per game (this often proving a more accurate indicator due to the chaotic nature of the MLS fixture schedule) Sporting have quietly inserted themselves into a position to have a hugely successful season.

Over in Texas the LA Galaxy, inspired by their Captain and reigning league MVP Robbie Keane won 2-1 at Toyota Stadium. The Galaxy came from behind to defeat fellow Supporters Shield candidates FC Dallas, thus leaping to the top of the ultra-competitive Western Conference.

The Galaxy’s win, coming off a Keane brace in a five-minute spell just after half-time, was summarily impressive due to not only the nature of their opponent, but also due to the teams much publicised poor record away from home in recent times.

Bruce Arena was able to field his “Galactico” XI for a second consecutive week, with new arrival Giovani Dos Santos again providing a goal – this time for Keane’s eventual winner. The rumblings around the league suggest that there is more than a conceivable chance that LA could well make it the “first to 6” in this very season.

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Seattle’s Crisis is “Oba” as new boys provide an instant impact

Soccer Sunday saw the long overdue return to winning ways of the Seattle Sounders, who even had the luxury of missing a penalty en-route to a 4-0 hammering of a hapless Orlando City SC side.

The Sounders, who had scored one goal or less in their previous nine encounters, were once again indebted to the returning Obafemi Martins, who scored a brace and was only denied a hat-trick by a superb penalty save from Orlando’s overworked goalkeeper Tally Hall.

The win owed much to Seattle’s latest two recruits of pedigree: Paraguayan international striker Nelson Haedo Valdez – who nabbed a debut goal – and the coveted Panamanian defender Roman Torres, who capped an assured defensive display on his debut by creating the Sounders’ fourth and final goal.

The win coupled with the impending return of Dempsey, and the debut of Seattle’s new signing Austrian international midfielder Andreas Ivanschitz, gives the Sounders fans a long awaited cause to return to optimism.

This and the almost comical inability of their playoff rivals to capitalise on a horrendous slump of form, mean Sigi Schmid’s side now look well primed to continue their established history of making the postseason festivities.

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