With New England ruling the East and FC Dallas atop in the West, Daniel Fraiz-Martinez dissects all the action from Matchday 9 of Major League Soccer.
Brave Montreal Fall 45 Minutes short of CONCACAF Champions League glory
While not strictly in MLS play, huge credit has to go to the Montreal Impact this week, who came within 45 minutes of becoming MLS’ first ever CONCACAF Champions League winner. In the end, however, a deserved Club America ran out 4-2 winners on the night, 5-3 overall.
Nonetheless, much has to be admired from Montreal’s brave run to the final, and many fans are perhaps left wondering if the result would have been different had starting goalkeeper Evan Bush not been suspended for the decisive second leg of the final.
And while the opportunists have been out in force to use the defeat to take a swipe at the MLS Salary Cap restrictions (the new legislature coincidentally being released this week) overall the moral of the story should be positive, with the Impact proving that even one of the leagues less dominant sides is capable of seriously competing with CONCACAF’s finest.
Friday night rout means “El Capitan” looks to be heading to Dallas
Spurred on by the dynamic midfield duo of Argentine playmaker Mauro Diaz and Colombian livewire Fabian Castillo, FC Dallas stormed the BBVA Compass stadium under the Friday night lights to inflict a humbling 4-1 rout over hosts the Houston Dynamo.
Owen Coyle’s men had no answer to Dallas’ South American duo, as their incisive, attacking transitions tore through the usually reliable* Dyanmo defence ( the second consecutive week they have conceded four goals).
Ryan Hollingshead with a blast to open the scoring for @FCDallas. #HOUvDAL https://t.co/hTW66YtPLm
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 2, 2015
In truth when Diaz and Castillo are on form, few teams in the leagues would be able to hold pace with Oscar Pareja’s youthfully exuberant side. Boasting a core of homegrown youngsters the envy of MLS (indeed 17 year old Alejandro Zendejas became the 11th such talent to debut in MLS with the club in Friday’s game) combined to their electrifying South American imports, FC Dallas could well be the ‘sleeper pick’ this season. Although much of this (if not all) will depend on their ability to keep the infamously erratic pairing of Diaz and Castillo fit and firing.
As a result Dallas convincingly take the first leg of the Texas Derby, and perhaps even place one hand on the El Capitan trophy. One of the most peculiarly colourful trophies among MLS’ intraleague rivalries.
The Civil War-era Howitzer canon, awarded to the overall winner of the Texas Derby’s, looks this season to be headed towards Dallas. Though Houston still have another two opportunities to both take back some pride, and some bizarre silverware at the same time.
New England & DC stake their claim to the East
Saturday night saw the sides in first and second in the Eastern division face off against their immediate challengers in third and fourth.
Both the New England Revolution and DC United made their home advantage count, as they claimed impressive victories over the New York Red Bulls (who had begun the season undefeated through their previous seven games) and the Columbus Crew.
The game at the Gillete Stadium proved to be a tense affair. The Rev’s took a commanding lead through forwards Charlie Davies and Teal Bunbury, but Sacha Kljestan’s fine strike ensured a nervy finish. So much so that the post-match fracas between both sides was probably an indication of how big a three points this was for such an early season contest.
Over in Washington, the contest was relatively quite a sedate affair in comparison. DC United inspired by their veteran Argentine forward Fabian Espindola made light work of Greg Berhalter’s Columbus Crew for a 2-0 victory.
Ominously, DC have sneaked to joint-top of the Eastern Conference, despite having the likes of Espindola, Birmbaum or Silva out for much of the early season. Ben Olsen’s unfashionable side may well prove one to watch as the campaign unfolds.
Also over in the East, Toronto FC finished a 7 game road swing with a 1-0 victory over the Philadelphia Union.
Sebastian Giovinco’s fantastic free-kick proved the difference between two sides, both demonstrating the wastefulness in front of goal that has seen them struggle early on. Toronto perhaps the more surprising within the equation given their considerable resources, though in fairness they now seem to be turning the corner in this respect.
The return of “El Diego” not enough to lead Portland to Cascadia glory
The undoubted highlight of Saturday nights 0-0 Cascadia Cup clash between the Portland Timbers and the Vancouver Whitecaps came in the 52nd minute. When after a six-month injury layoff, the Timber’s Argentine maestro Diego Valeri returned to the fore.
In truth, Valeri’s impact on the contest proved minimal. However such has been his excellence in MLS since his arrival, its not just the fans in Portland that will be welcoming “El Diego” back on the field with a hearty cheer.
Also over in the West, MLS Cup champions the LA Galaxy continue to struggle in the early going, only salvaging a draw against the Colorado Rapids.
Journeyman forward Alan Gordon’s late strike would cancel out Gabriel Torres’ opener for Colarado (who earlier in the week had also managed to hold the New York Red Bulls to a 1-1 draw). But in truth the Galaxy have looked a far less imposing side so far this term.
To the neutral at least there is little doubt they are hugely missing the retired talisman Landon Donovan, as well as injured Captain and Republic of Ireland international striker Robbie Keane. The reigning MLS MVP missing much of the early going to date through injury.
Over in Kansas, however, home side Sporting Kansas City managed to break a three-match winless streak, narrowly topping the inform Chicago Fire 1-0. A closely contested encounter, Sporting were indebted to veteran Brazilian midfielder Paulo Nagumara who grabbed the late winner.
The home side then managed to hold on for their fourth clean sheet in nine fixtures. This underlining the theory that if they can get their All-Star forward Dom Dwyer firing again, they may well pose a serious threat to the likes of the Whitecaps, Sounders and the Galaxy as the dominant team in the West .
Yankee Stadium plays host to the “Deuce & Oba’ Show”
The final game of the round saw New York City play host to the Supporters Shield Champions the Seattle Sounders at the iconic Yankee Stadium.
Unfortunately for the 25,000 strong crowd they would be watching just another episode in the “Deuce & Oba Show”. As Obafemi Martins and Clint Dempsey, perhaps the leagues best forward pairing, easily put their opponents to the sword on route to a comfortable 3-1 victory.
New York City, a side decimated by injury as of a late, are continuing to show a worrying lack of quality, and looked considerably out of their depth, in particular given the early season expectations around one of MLS’ two new expansion sides.
Indeed head-coach Jason Kreis himself admitted post-game that the job is proving a far greater challenge than anticipated, meaning the club may well have to delve in to either/both the transfer and trade market prior to the anticipated arrival of England midfield legend Frank Lampard.
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