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Morning update

Cincy hangs on, Seattle squeaks by, Balogun recovering, Pulisic vs. Napoli, & more

To kick off your Tuesday, ASN's Brian Sciaretta writes about the Monday's playoffs games, and looks at the news from Americans abroad. 
BY Brian Sciaretta Posted
October 29, 2024
9:10 AM

HAPPY TUESDAY TO EVERYONE, and we’re ready for another morning update that includes MLS playoff thoughts, a look ahead to today’s games abroad, and some other various news items in the world of American soccer.

As a bit of housekeeping, ASN has a few youth national team items in the future – centered around the U.S. U-20 team (projected World Cup roster, player interviews, etc).

But let’s get into the news.

 

FC Cincinnati squeaks by NYCFC

 

In the opening game of their first-round playoff series, Cincinnati snuck past NYCFC 1-0 thanks to an Argentine connection of Luciano Acosta to Yamil Asad.



The game should not have been this close as Cincy was in control with a 22-6 advantage in shots (-2 on target) but squandered several very good chances. Yuya Kubo particularly struggled in this area as he should have found the back of the net at least once.

Pat Noonan was pleased with his team’s effort, and there is some merit to that. But when looking at the tape, he has good attacking options on the bench. Kevin Kelsy didn’t play, Nicholas Gioacchini only played the final few minutes to see out the win.

It is interesting that Gioacchini and Kelsy are only at Cincy on loan. Kelsy has a very expensive option to purchase (reportedly $7 million) and if the club isn’t using him in important playoff games, that seems to suggest that the club will pass or attempt to renegotiate a lower price after the season.

Cincinnati’s defense also deserves some praise for limiting NYCFC’s chances with possession hovering at 50-50.

As for NYCFC, they fought hard, and Matt Freese was really good in goal. But this wasn’t a good performance. Too many good players, especially Santiago Rodriguez, didn’t play well. NYCFC will be better at home (which is at Citi Field this series) in Game 2, but the likelihood is that Cincy will also be better.

 

Seattle squeaks by Houston

The Seattle Sounders won their opening game over Houston in a shootout (5-4) after a 0-0 draw. Seattle converted all five of its attempts in the shootout while Erik Sviatchenko missed for Houston.

Like Cincinnati, Seattle got the result it needed but lacked a lot in terms of execution. Playing at home, Seattle had a man advantage for 24 minutes after Houston’s Adalberto Carrasquilla was sent off, but still was not able to find the back of the net.

Seattle’s is going to have to ride its defense throughout this playoffs. Jordan Morris has been dealing with hamstring issues and left the game early in the second half. Raul Ruidiaz, now 34, is not the player he once was.

This series, more than any of the other first round series we’ve seen through the first legs, is not over. Seattle isn’t playing well and they are struggling to score. Houston will be tough to play at home. If they win, Seattle might not find it easy to keep another clean sheet.

 

Tuesday’s Playoff Games

 

The Red Bulls travel to face Columbus, and while anything can happen in MLS, nobody is picking RBNY in this one. They limped into the playoffs after playing terribly since the summer. They’ve shown nothing to suggest that they can beat a good team, let alone on the road. They have sold players without any idea of how to replace them. They also are one of the most inefficient teams at finishing.

Meanwhile, Columbus is one of the most talented and best coached teams in the league. They also have a great home field advantage. They have special players who do not need many chances to score. Finally, they’re very used to playing big games and are comfortable in playoff and knockout settings.

Predicting MLS is impossible, but I really don’t think this will be close.

Real Salt Lake and Minnesota United, on the other hand, should be good. Both teams are playing well and won their last two games leading into the playoffs. Minnesota has been a completely different team since Kelvin Yeboah joined midseason and things have been clicking. RSL should be favored at home, but this series should be very competitive.

 

Tuesday’s Notable Americans abroad games

 

AC Milan host Napoli in a huge game for Christian Pulisic, who is having the best start to any season of his career. Pulisic has scored in games against Inter Milan and Liverpool but will now take on the Serie A leaders in what should be a great game at the San Siro.

The German Cup is also underway and of note will be Wolfsburg hosting Borussia Dortmund. Kevin Paredes continues to miss time for Wolfsburg but the interesting story is that Cole Campbell might feature more for BVB after making his Bundesliga debut over the weekend. He is one of the top teenage prospects in American soccer.

 

More News

 

The news on Folarin Balogun’s recovery from a separated shoulder is somewhat positive. He’s doing basic drills with Monaco and could be back sooner than expected. It was initially projected to sideline him two weeks. It does sound like the November international window will come too soon for him to be ready.

 

The news not as positive for Daryl Dike, who suffered a hamstring injury in training as he recovering from his second Achilles tear.

In the quarterfinal of the Copa Uruguay on Tuesday, former U.S. U-23 winger Agustin Anello scored for Boston River in a 2-0 win over Albion, Uruguay’s oldest club that is now in the second division. The Copa Uruguay started in 2022 and is not registering well with the public. The attendance for this game was 61.

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