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MLS notebook

Atlanta & DCU in turmoil, Texas Derby heats up plus Americans in MLS notebook

As he does every Monday, ASN's Brian Sciaretta writes up his observations from the weekend in MLS - including an Americans in MLS notebook to look at USMNT and U.S. youth players. 
BY Brian Sciaretta Posted
July 11, 2022
11:55 AM

THE WEEKEND IN MLS WAS pretty wild and it certainly forced a lot of people to do double takes when looking at the scores. For many of the weekend’s losers, it was ugly and embarrassing. For the winners, it was yet another step in a turnaround.

Before the season, did anyone predict that Austin, Charlotte, Dallas, Miami would range from decent to very good? But that is the world we live in the 2022 MLS season. The expected doormats are no longer doormats. Meanwhile, traditional powers like Atlanta United and Sporting Kansas City are struggling.

It’s a transitional year in MLS and that leads us to this weekend where the unexpected play out.

 

Americans in MLS notebook

 

Before we get into the games, let’s start by looking at how some noteworthy Americans played throughout the league.

In the Red Bulls 1-1 draw with Cincinnati, Aaron Long played pretty well but a lot of attention belongs on Frankie Amaya and John Tolkin, two Americans who have put the Red Bulls into a good position this year. Amaya and Cristian Casseras have a great central midfield pairing but for Amaya, I really like his two-way ability in the midfield. He has been a real asset to the Red Bulls and should get a January USMNT call-up. Tolkin, meanwhile, should enter the upcoming cycle as the U.S. U-23 starting left back as that team has already qualified for Paris.

On the flip side. Brandon Vazquez scored his ninth goal of the season and has been one of the best No. 9 forwards in the game. If Jordan Pefok and Haji Wright are not sharp to start the season and if Vazquez keeps it up, maybe Gregg Berhalter gives Vazquez a look in September as a late inclusion.

At FC Dallas, Jesus Ferreira scored again – his 11th of the season which ties the league-lead. Ferreira also missed another big chance minutes later. But he is still having a great season and his mobility is a huge asset to FC Dallas.

From an Olympic standpoint, Ben Bender was sharp off the bench for Charlotte and had two assists (one is generous to call an assist) and continues to be a difference maker as he has all season.

Nashville conceded four goals to Charlotte but Walker Zimmerman wasn’t directly at fault for any of the goals. Partially, he might have shared the blame on one of the goals as Nashville pushed forward, but defensively, that was on the team more than him.

Eryk Williamson continues to play well for Portland. His ACL tear couldn’t have come at a worse time for his international prospects. His last start for the U.S. team was in the Gold Cup final. It is easy to forget that he was in a very good situation with the U.S. team. With players like Gianluca Busio now fading a bit, Williamson is not entirely out of the picture right now.

As for Seattle’s Cristian Roldan and Jordan Morris, it was tough because Seattle lost the midfield battle and then when they had to play a man down, nothing opened up. But these two are going to be critical for Seattle to get back on track in the coming games.

Kellyn Acosta had a corner kick assist for LAFC in a 3-2 win over rival LA Galaxy. While the attacking starts tend to get the most attention with LAFC, Acosta had a nice game in this one and there will be a lot of pressure on him to help with the spine of the midfield as the team is now the favorite for both MLS Cup and the Supporters Shield.

 

Portland upends Seattle

 

This was supposed to be an emotional day for Seattle, but all it did was give their rivals more motivation to pull off a stunning result. On Saturday, the Seattle Sounders unveiled their CCL banner from their historic win in May to become the first ever MLS team to win the modern-era of the continental championship.

But Portland used that as motivation and channeled it well to walk away with a 3-0 win in front of nearly 48,000 disappointed fans.

To be fair, Seattle had to play the second half down a man after Jackson Ragen was sent off. But Portland was up 1-0 after the first half and was in control of the game. The result was completely fair and it was impossible to dismiss on the red card.

Portland is playing very well right now with three wins and a draw inside of their last four. Pretty, much ever since Eryk Williamson has been able to start on a regular basis (after tearing his ACL last August). The American midfielder has been excellent since his return and if he continues to play the way he has, he could be a dark horse contender to make the U.S. national team.

Seattle and Portland are both now even on 26 points, although Seattle has played two fewer games. Seattle will be fine, but clearly there is a big of a hangover from winning the title. There is also a bit of an age issue too in some areas. Even with injuries to players like Joao Paulo and now Obed Vargas, there is enough talent to make it work.

It’ll be a big test for Schemetzer. If things don’t turn quickly, Seattle could be in a race just to make the playoffs.

 

Atlanta is in a terrible spot

 

Atlanta United lost at home to Austin FC. Atlanta United looked terrible and this team has never found its footing since Tata left after that memorable 2018 season.

In Saturday’s 3-0 loss at home to Austin FC, you could see that the team was tuned out. Its defense was abysmal and its offense lacked cohesion. To give you an idea of how bad things are in Atlanta, look at these numbers.



After the game, a lot was revealed. None of it was good. Josef Martinez unloaded to the media, saying that the effort isn’t there in training and that the players aren’t fighting. He also said that some of the players who have come in have come for business reasons, not for the shirt.

Say what you want about Martinez and his form since returning from his ACL tear, but Martinez cares deeply about Atlanta United. Moreso, he has seen this organization at its best, and now its worst. Martinez is saying these things because he wants Atlanta United to be better. He’s not going to say these things for any other reasons.



Afterward, Atlanta United head coach Gonzalo Pineda promised “more passion.”



Typically, promises of “more passion” come from managers who have lost control. When you can’t do the basics right, you’re a long way off.

Pineda has to wear some of the blame, but it also comes from upstairs too. The players and managers they are bringing in lack any kind of sense.

The idea that Frank de Boer was going to be a decent replacement for Martino was dubious. Gabriel Heinze didn’t last very long and that was on the front office.

Then in terms of players, it is true that the Miles Robinson and Brad Guzan injuries have hurt, but offense is falling flat as much as the defense. Atlanta United has unloaded some players who were great and brought in players who are underperforming. Brandon Vazquez is one of the best forwards in the league, Darlington Nagbe won an MLS Cup after leaving, Tito Villalba won a Paraguayan title, Leandro Gonzalez Pirez is starting at River Plate.

Atlanta United has gone out and gradually replaced the best MLS team ever with something that isn’t a team but rather an all-star team – with big money, big names, and no real thought to it all. Tata Martino was an intense coach who paid close attention to details. On the surface, it looked like a free-flowing South American brand of soccer, but Martino often had his teams train late (sometimes getting complaints from the players union), and there was also accountability for poor form. It took awhile for Ezequiel Barco to get on the field. Martino had no time for Andrew Carleton.

Pineda, who was part of a great organization in Seattle, seems like he could be a good coach in a good organization. But these problems run deep. Martinez has had a front row seat to the team’s downfall, and it is good he said something. It makes more people watch and realize what is going on.

On a flip note, the fact that the mess in Atlanta rose to the surface after a loss to Austin FC was telling. Austin FC is a second year team that is fun to watch, fights hard, is well coached, and has an impressive import from South America who should be the league MVP. It’s like Atlanta United in 2018.

This Austin FC team wins games it should and shouldn’t. Sebastian Driussi didn’t even start this game. But like Martino in 2018, Wolff is getting a lot of mileage out of veterans who are both good and hungry (Ethan Finlay, Nick Lima, Felipe, Diego Fagundez) in addition to the DP’s. Then you have his 17 year old son who looks like he might play his way onto the United States U-20 team before all is said and done.

 

Charlotte pounces Nashville

 

Another one of the surprising results of the weekend came in North Carolina when Charlotte ripped Nashville apart 4-1 in front of a big crowd at Bank of America Stadium.

A month after its controversial coaching change, Charlotte is punching above its weight and should be in the mix for a playoff hunt. But things are generally working well Karol Swiderski ended an 11-game scoreless drought in this game, and the team continued to be in good form as he worked through it.

But more of the concern was on Nashville’s poor defense – which is typically the best in the league. Brian Anunga committed a needless penalty in the first half. Swiderski out-jumped Dave Romney on a cross for the second. The final two goals were when Nashville was pressing and was caught up field, Ben Bender came off the bench and had two assists.

"The goals were sloppy," Zimmerman said. “It's not fun to try and dig ourselves out of a hole because you're obviously pushing forward for more goals to get in the game and then you give up more counterattacks and moments in transition. All of this comes down to communication and the quickness to respond to what is being said or not being said and that's probably more mental than it is physical."

Nashville fought hard to start the season on a long road trip. But after getting through that, they haven’t been able to take advantage with most of their games coming at home. Now when playing on the road, the struggles have continued.

Like Seattle and Atlanta, Nashville is another team struggling that many predicted would succeed.

 

Texas derby heats up

 

The most fun game of the weekend was in Houston, and typically we don’t get to say that too often as the Dynamo have been unsuccessfully rebuilding for years. But there was a ton to unpack from the 2-2 draw with Dallas.

This game featured the Houston debut of Hector Herrera, 14 minutes of stoppage time, crowd insanity, two goals in that stoppage time, controversial officiating, and a red card to boot.

For one, Hector Herrera looked sharp after coming on in the 56th minute. He also looked like a veteran leader in this game as it was become more insane.

Basically, when the game was 1-1 late, it appeared as if the Dynamo had taken a lead. But a long VAR review called Fafa Picault for offside. Minutes later, Jesus Ferreira scored in the second minute of stoppage time to go up 2-1. At the time, it was against the run of play.

The crowd went ballistic with projectiles thrown onto the field. Ferreira continued to taunt the crowd throughout. It brought about the best and worst of soccer in that the passions were great, but getting to the point where stuff is thrown is not where we want the direction of the sport to head.

That wasn’t the end of the game, however, as Teenage Hadebe scored in the 11th minute of stoppage time to give the crowd a reason to leave happy. The last play of the game was a red card to Brandon Servania as the FC Dallas midfielder was reckless with his tackle in the middle of the field.

It’s a tough game to break down. Houston should be much better when Herrera gets going. Dallas, meanwhile, was fighting against the run of play – and nearly pulled it off. The FC Dallas front three is very good (Ferreira, Velasco, and Arriola) but there is only so much possession they can conceded without chasing the game too much.

Ferreira was lethal on his one goal and his swagger was fun. But he should have put the game out of reach minutes later but missed a great chance.

Overall, it would not be surprising if by next year we are talking about two playoff teams. For now, both teams are looking as if they’re missing a few pieces – and Velasco needs to mature a bit. But the intensity of the rivalry is a good thing.

 

Union smash DC United

 

The Philadelphia Union routed DC United 7-0 in a game that could have even been much worse. After the game interim DC United manager Chad Ashton apologized to fans and the front office. Sometimes interim managers make a case for the fulltime gig, but right now DC United is just begging for a change. From all indications, it looks like it will be Wayne Rooney.

DC United’s tactics aren’t the problem, it is just an organization in disarray – even worse than Atlanta United. There just isn’t a lot of talent. Defensively, the team is a total mess and offensively, it comes down to whatever Taxi Fountas or Ola Kamara can muster individually.

If it is Wayne Rooney, he has a big task ahead of him. He’ll probably get the effort out of the team, but the front office needs to make massive changes to the team. This season is a lost cause. There just isn’t a core there that can be supplemented by a few quality players.

As for Philadelphia, the first half was about as close to perfect soccer as you can get. Alejandro Bedoya, Julian Carranza, and Mikael Uhre each had two goals.

It was a great move from Jim Curtin to get all four of his U.S. U-20 players into the game. This included a MLS debut from Brandan Craig. There is pressure on him to play them because that is the Union model of development – and bringing it full circle into first-team minutes is the most important part. But it is also good that the players on the first team are making it harder. For example, Daniel Gazdag is not an easy player to replace right now.

Paxten Aaronson looked sharp off the bench and was dangerous – forcing one difficult save.

These are first-world problems for Jim Curtin in how to get these young players onto the field at a time when the veterans are playing well. Leon Flach, who isn’t old at 21, looked more offensively lively than ever in this game. Carranza and Uhre also don’t look like they want to be taken off the field.

Maybe the young players are lighting a fire under the veterans. But eventually, Curtin is going to have to figure out how to make it all work while also having Philadelphia play its best soccer.

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