Malik_tillman_-_asn_top_-_psv_vs._psg_-_10-22-24
Morning update

Atlanta rises, Portland embarrasses, Pulisic stands out, Morris & Aaronson impress, & more

ASN's Brian Sciaretta writes about all of the midweek games, from the USA, to Canada, to Europe
BY Brian Sciaretta Posted
October 24, 2024
9:05 AM

AFTER TAKING an off day on Wednesday, there is a lot more ground to cover here at ASN with the start of the MLS playoffs and a load of Americans in the Champions League and the Championship, including Christian Pulisic continuing his amazing season, Aidan Morris with a big outing for Boro.

But let’s start with me.

On X, I predicted Montreal (3-1) and Portland (2-0) advancing in the MLS Wild Card games. Those were spectacularly bad predictions. Atlanta advanced in penalties after a 2-2 draw and Portland was thoroughly embarrassed 5-0 at home by Vancouver.

For better or for worse, MLS remains the most unpredictable league. If you get into the prediction game, might as well own the bad picks and wear them with a badge of honor. No one gets this stuff right.

But I’ll keep trying this year.

Let’s get into it.

 

Atlanta prevails over Montreal

 

CF Montreal came into Tuesday’s Wild Card game against Atlanta United with everything going for it. A big supportive crowd, a red-hot striker, a great last month of the season, and a win over Atlanta in the most recent matchup of the two teams.

Atlanta also had some momentum after a huge upset away win over Orlando on Decision Day, but Montreal had more consistency over the last four weeks.

But Atlanta came out and proved that their win over Orlando wasn’t not a blip or a one-off good performance. There was more substance behind their brief upward trend.

Away wins in elimination games between evenly matched teams often see the away team try to bunker and hit on counterattacks. Atlanta flipped the script entirely and opened the scoring in the 27th minute when Brooks Lennon finished off a sequence that featured 45 straight passes.

Montreal was on the front foot before this, and then they took their foot off the gas pedal and allowed Atlanta to have a long possession that ended with a goal.



Montreal did not have defensive urgency in the first half and that is why they lost. They did not win possession back after losing it. Then on the second goal, Atlanta simply out-willed Montreal on a free kick that was finished by Stian Gregersen.

Both goals were entirely preventable.



Montreal managed a comeback with two goals from Josef Martinez, who along with Caden Clark and Bryce Duke, has carried this team over the past two months. But in the shootout, Atlanta United was flawless and Brad Guzan had to make one save.

This game was a reminder that postseason games are very different from regular season games. Designated players matter more because these top players tend have another gear and another level. Martinez almost pulled it off for Montreal. But Guzan was able to find a fountain of youth for the night and remind everyone why he played for years in the Premier League. Atlanta benefitted from experience, both in raising their level and not being rattled playing on the road.

With all that said, Atlanta United will be the heavy underdogs against Inter Miami.

 

Vancouver’s stunning blowout of Portland

 

It’s always been a rule of thumb to never bet on MLS, unless you want to take total guesses without research. The Vancouver – Portland game was a notable example of why. Entering this game, J. Sam Jones said it best over at the league’s site.

“Portland host Vancouver tonight despite Vancouver being the higher seed. That’s just kind of the way things are going for the Whitecaps over the last month. The Whitecaps haven’t won an MLS game since Sept. 14. Only six teams have had a worse points-per-game record since Leagues Cup than the ‘Caps. It is…not good.”

Vancouver didn’t get to host this game because of a scheduling conflict at their home stadium. Then they lose four in a row to end the regular season. Portland hasn’t been great, but they’ve been much better than the Caps during that span. Plus, Portland has/had firepower led by MVP candidate Evander. On top of that, they naturally boast a solid home field advantage.

When you think about it, maybe betting on MLS is a good thing. Anything can happen, and if there is a big payout for an upset, it seems like this league might give you a better chance of a payout. Vancouver probably would have offered a big payout.

Even those who like unpredictability, no one would have seen a 5-0 win coming for the Caps. An upset win? Sure. But this? No way.

Ryan Gauld got a hat trick, Brian White scored (and as everyone chases big-money forward who score, no one is more dependable then him), and Stuart Armstrong also got on the board with a goal and two assists. The big players all showed up for Vancouver.

But after the game, plenty of attention was put on comments made by Evander on X following the loss.

"I want to say that we, the players and the entire staff, did everything we could to take Portland as far as possible. However, sometimes we have no control over what happens, and what happens off the field reflects on the field,” Evander said after the game on social media.

"Portland fans do not deserve the people who have power over this club. People who say they are men but do not keep their word. People who are only there when the team wins. Unfortunately, these are things we have no control over."

Evander would not be the first player to ever rip front office or ownership after a bad loss. Sometimes these complaints have merit. But that doesn’t seem to excuse the fact the team on the field had all the ability to win this game at home. Ownership didn’t play, the players did.

Phil Neville, to his credit, said it best: “Tonight was an embarrassment. I take responsibility. That’s my team… What I saw out there was not a reflection of what I’ve seen all season.”

But Evander’s comments will make for a heated start to the offseason. We will see where that leads.

 

Champions League

 

Pulisic’s stunning Olimpico

 

 

Christian Pulisic’s season for the ages continued on Tuesday when he opened the scoring for AC Milan in a 3-1 win over Club Brugge. Milan struggled at the start but it was Pulisic which opened the game in the 34th minute with an Olimpico goal straight from a corner against the run of play. But Brugge crumbled after being reduced to 10 men in the 40th minute.

As for Pulisic, it was another complete performance. He just knows how to play in any situation – against elite teams, against lower teams looking to pull off an upset, against teams reduced to 10 men early, and when Milan is down to 10 men and can only attack in limited situations.

Now he shows how he can score and assist in a variety of different ways.



He’s one of the best players in Serie A right now, and his performances have translated to the Champions League extremely well.



What he’s doing right now is unprecedented for an American player. Just enjoy it.

Yunus Musah came on in the 75th minute to help see the game out. It’s tough to evaluate him in detail. His job was made easier with Brugge down to ten men. Still, he played a fortunate hand well and helped to control possession until the end.

 

McKennie & Weah feature in ugly loss

 

The news was not as good for Weston McKenne, who returned to the starting XI for Juventus and played 55 minutes in a 1-0 loss at home to Stuttgart. Tim Weah, entered the game when McKennie left.

Stuttgart found a late winner and it was a completely deserved victory. The German club completely outplayed Juve in Turin. Neither McKennie, Weah, or anyone on Juventus played well.

The best Juventus could do is simply to forget this game even happened.

 

PSV draws PSG in Paris

 

PSV drawing PSG in France is an incredibly good showing. Malik Tillman is known for his offense, but his best moment came on the defensive side of the ball late when he made a goal-line clearance to preserve the draw.

Offensively, Tillman wasn’t on the ball much but was at the heart of the team’s possessions and his passing was generally on point.

It was good to see Richard Ledezma get into the game late with the score very close. He only had three touches, but it was a great stage for him to be involved. PSV needs to find a win at home, soon.

 

Trusty impresses in Celtic draw

 

It was a great result for Auston Trusty and Celtic, as they travelled to Italy and came away with a 0-0 draw against Atalanta. Trusty has been inconsistent in recent years, but this was a needed performance on the heels of bad outings against Borussia Dortmund and then Aberdeen (the last two games against good teams).

Trusty completed 36/39 passes and didn’t gift Atalanta any chances. He also made 14 clearances to help keep the Italian club off the board.

For Trusty, it’s now about consistency. Unfortunately for him, most of the Premiership games do not offer him a chance to be tested defensively.

 

Great week for Championship Yanks

 

The midweek slate of games featured a long run of great performances for Americans in England’s second tier.

 

Morris helps in big Boro win
 

In a matchup between two teams expected to contend for promotion, Middlesbrough defeated Sheffield United 1-0 on Wednesday. Aidan Morris put in a big performance in the midfield.

Even when Boro does not win, Morris is still very dependable to him. It’s not just his quality, it is his consistency which is very impressive right now. His move from Columbus to Middlesbrough has been very smooth and seamless.

 

 

Aaronson scores in Leeds win
 

Leeds United remained in third place in the Championship after a 2-1 win over Watford on Tuesday.  Brenden Aaronson opened the scoring when he volleyed home a rebound in the first half.

His performance was so good that Leeds United made a detailed highlight package of the New Jersey attacker’s best moments, including the goal.



Aaronson is slowly getting more consistent with Leeds and it is building off what was quietly a good end of the Bundesliga season in March and April on loan with Union Berlin.

 

Holmes & Sargent play well in draw
 

Preston North End and Norwich City played to a 2-2 draw on Tuesday. PNE was at home and jumped out a 2-0 lead with a very nice goal from Duane Holmes. It was just his second start of the year and his first goal since March.



Josh Sargent did not score in this game, but he added a lot of quality to the attack with a very nice assist on the equalizing goal.



Sargent has four goals on the season but is still very important to the attack and is a huge asset even when he doesn’t score. But Norwich needs to start winning games to remain in a good place in the promotional hunt. They fell to seventh with the draw.

 

Wight scores in bad draw
 

Coventry City and Queens Park Rangers played to a 1-1 draw on Tuesday in what was a very ugly game between teams in the bottom three of the Championship. Coventry had much higher hopes this season, but the results have not been there.

Haji Wright opened the scoring in the fifth minute with a goal that featured comically bad defending from QPR. They had at least five ways to prevent this goal but couldn’t manage to do it. Wright has had some nice moments this season, but has generally been pulled down by the lack of quality of his team. The quality between the top of the Championship and the bottom of the Championship is drastic. 

 

 

USMNT staff this weekend

 

The USMNT staff will be at work this weekend scouting the player pool.

Here is where they will be this weekend:



Cowell & Zendejas score in Mexico

 

Liga MX was in action this midweek. Cade Cowell has his injury in the rearview mirror and he scored this goal in a 3-2 win over Necaxa.



It will be interesting to see where Cowell stands in the USMNT player pool under Pochettino. Pochettino does want to go younger and he needs wing options after Pulisic.

Then on Wednesday, Alex Zendejas scored the opening goal for Club America in a 2-2 draw with Tijuana (Joe Corona played the last 28 minutes for Tijuana).



Both Cowell and Zendejas are on the edge of the USMNT player pool. They’re a coin-flip as to whether they’re involved in November but goals always help.

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