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MLS notebook

Huge weekend for American youth in MLS, Bale & Insigne shine, Seattle returns, & More

There was something for everyone this weekend in MLS. Those who like to see USMNT players do well, they got it. Those who like to see USYNT players do well, they got it. Those who want to see big name Euro-imports do well, they got it. Those who want to see big teams like Seattle and LAFC perform well, well.. that happened too. ASN's Brian Sciaretta writes about it all. 
BY Brian Sciaretta Posted
July 25, 2022
9:05 AM

THE MLS SEASON ROLLS on and August is quickly approaching, in what is a season that will end earlier due to the World Cup. It was a fun weekend as the recently arriving stars in Lorenzo Insigne, Gareth Bale, and Federico Bernardeschi all played well. MVP candidates like Sebastian Druissi had a great game while other big names players like Nicolas Lodeiro and Xherdan Shaqiri found the back of the net.

But above and beyond that, it was a great weekend for American players – both young, prime-age, and players who are older but more in positions of leadership. It was good across the board. Players from the U.S. U-20 team, the upcoming U-23 team, and in the national team pool all had good weekends.

 

Great weekend for Americans in MLS

 

In terms of top American themes in MLS this season, the No. 9 striker position has been impressive with Americans near the top of the scoring charts in impressive numbers. Jesus Ferreira scored again and is at 12 goals, one off the lead. Brandon Vazquez also scored and is now at 11 on the season, which is also equal with fellow American Jeremy Ebobisse, who did not score over the weekend.

The big story of this bunch is Vazquez, as he has never been capped by either the United States or Mexico while Ferreira has a strong shot of going to Qatar.

Vazquez, 23, has been instrumental to Cincinnati’s turnaround this season and his goal on Saturday helped earn a point in a 1-1 draw with Nashville. Vazquez is a different type of No. 9 in he is physically strong (namely Haji Wright, Jordan Pefok, or Daryl Dike) but he also moves very well.

 

His success this year begs the question as to whether he could help either the United States or Mexico internationally. He grew up a Mexico fans but represented the United States on a U-17 World Cup team that included Christian Pulisic, Luca de la Torre, Tyler Adams, and Haji Wright. If he continues to play well in the coming weeks, a September call-up is not out of the question but that will largely depend on how other forwards in Europe (Pefok, Wright, Dike, or Sargent) perform.

As for Jesus Ferreira, he scored a winner for FC Dallas on Saturday night away at Real Salt Lake for a 1-0 victory. That result will be a big help to Dallas in the playoff push as the table is tightening. Paxton Pomykal also was effective in this one on both sides of the ball and he could get looks after the World Cup. He finally looks like the player beyond the wave of injuries that sidelined him for most of two years after the 2019 U-20 World Cup.

Per the league on Ferreira: "At 21 years old, Ferreira (30g, 21a) is only the second player in MLS history to reach 30 career goals and 20 career assists at the age of 21 or younger."

 

In terms of Americans who might be sleeper candidates for Qatar, Eryk Williamson has been instrumental for Portland since he has been able to start games following his ACL tear last August. Portland defeated San Jose 2-1 on Saturday and Portland has not lost since May – right around the time when Williamson returned. It’s easy to forget about Williamson given that he was actually cut from the U.S. U-23 team early in 2021 but he reversed his fortune, made the 2021 Gold Cup team and started in the final over Gianluca Busio. He would have been playing in World Cup qualifiers had he stayed healthy. It wouldn’t be surprising if Berhalter wants to give him one last look in September.

Kellyn Acosta and LAFC are the clear best team in MLS right now with Bale and Chiellini to go along with the previous staples all season. Acosta put forth a good shift on Saturday as LAFC won 2-0 in Kansas City and Acosta has now had a good string of games.

Both Jordan Morris and Cristian Roldan had a good weekend for Seattle which ended a three-game skid. It wasn’t easy with Colorado up 1-0 and Seattle having been reduced to 10 players. But Morris helped ignite the comeback with a key goal as Seattle looks to get back on track after a lull following the CONCACAF Champions League. Roldan played centrally, largely due to the injury problems with Joao Paulo and now Obed Vargas, and had a good performance.

When looking at American youth in MLS, the key starting point was the New York Red Bulls who started four teenagers in a difficult trip to Austin FC. The Red Bulls rotated the squad heavily given the priority of the U.S. Open Cup semifinal on Wednesday in Orlando. With the kickoff in Austin at 98 degrees, Gerhard Struber understood that starting players in this game and then in Florida on Wednesday is not wise. So, he rotated heavily.

But it worked.

U.S. U-20 co-captain Dan Edelman started along with U-20 teammate Caden Clark. Likely U.S. U-23 left back John Tolkin, 19, got the start as usual. The youngest starter was Serge Ngoma, who just turned 17 this month and scored the winner against Atlanta for his first MLS goal last month. Meanwhile, Owen Wolff (son of Austin head coach Josh Wolff) started for Austin at age 17.

The Red Bull kids all looked up to the task. Tolkin was his typical strong self but the best player on the field for the first 30 minutes was Ngoma. Ngoma was electric and scored the opening goal, via a goalkeeping error in Andrew Tarbell, but he was consistently dangerous, won duels, and dribbled effectively through Austin’s midfield.

 

The huge setback was when Ngoma was forced out of the game with a hamstring injury but he was replaced by Cam Harper, 20 and Olympic eligible, who also had an argument for MOTM with a goal an assist in the second half to help boost the Red Bulls to a 4-3 win.

 

It was a win that very much showed that the kids in the Red Bull system belong. Ngoma looks like a real prize in the system and the Red Bulls should hope he is back sooner than later. He also looks like a player U.S. U-20 head coach Mikey Varas should put on his radar despite playing up a cycle.

One other note for that game, Aaron Long was pulled at halftime as the Red Bulls were looking ahead to the Open Cup on Wednesday.

 The Philadelphia Union defeated Orlando 1-0 in Florida. Once again, Jim Curtin has been incorporating his kids from the talented U.S. U-20 team. Jack McGlynn put forth yet another strong outing after standing out last weekend in the win over New England. The left-footed central midfielder has made the strongest professional impact of any U.S. U-20 player since the team returned from Honduras earlier this month.

“"He does something that nobody else really can do,” Curtin said of McGlynn. “His strength is obviously on the ball. He can play through the lines, his composure in tight spaces is really good. With that left foot, he kind of sees things in the future and can play balls that can open up defense, which is something we’ve missed at certain moments, when teams especially sit a little lower against us as they have in the past.”

 

McGlynn has made the most of his opportunities after the CONCACAF title and he might force Curtin into difficult decisions as Jose Martinez, Leon Flach, and captain Alejandro Bedoya typically start in the middle. Bedoya was suspended for this game and that opened the door for McGlynn.

Flach, 21, has been a regular starter this season (like last season) and is a U.S. U-23 candidate in the midfield. Flach can be tenacious with his defense, but McGlynn is so efficient with the ball. It will be tough decisions for Curtin. Fellow U.S. U-20 players Paxten Aaronson and Quinn Sullivan both came off the bench in this game but didn’t have much of an impact.

Aidan Morris is a player that fell under the radar because of the cancelled U-20 cycle in 2021 and his ACL tear last year. But the Columbus No. 6 could be the front runner to start in the No. 6 position for the U.S. U-23 team at the Paris Olympics. He’s a good defensive midfield prospect and has been playing well for the Crew with his ACL injury now a distant memory. Morris played 70 strong minutes for Columbus in a hard-fought 0-0 draw with New England on Saturday.

The Chicago Fire have won three in a row after a 3-1 win in Vancouver. Gaga Slonina has been in goal for all of the wins despite interest from Chelsea continuing to circle. Brian Gutierrez, also potentially of the U.S. U-20 team, has also been playing well as of late. Chicago is making a surprise push for the playoffs after being a “wooden spoon” candidate earlier in the season.

 

Not much is going right for DC United, but U.S. U-20 attacking mid Jackson Hopkins assisted for United it its 2-1 loss to Montreal on Saturday.

Finally, on the flip side of youth, Michael Bradley turned back the clock with a two-goal performance for Toronto in a game where all eyes were on Insigne and Bernardeschi. Less responsibility and less pressure is on the former U.S. national team captain, and it perhaps will give him more room to flourish in the later years of his career.

Here are some other thoughts on the games from the weekend.

 

Seattle back in it

 

Seattle notched an important 2-1 win over Colorado, and it did not come easy. Seattle was down an man and down a goal but rallied for the win at home. The adverse situation the team was in really reflects that the reasons for the team’s funk has been mental.



The CONCACAF Champions League was such a mentally exhausting campaign and winning the tournament took awhile to reset. The team still has elite talent in the league, but motivation after that is tough. Plus, other teams are very motivated to face Seattle. Perhaps with their back against the wall, it ignited a spark inside the Sounders.

 

Toronto is reloaded

 

With Insigne and Bernardeschi now in the lineup, Toronto has a lot of firepower. The 4-0 win over Charlotte on Saturday showed what they’re capable of. The regular season will come down to the strength of the team’s core to supplement the high-priced headliners. Toronto has spent almost as much time and effort unloading players the past year as it has bringing in designated players.

Bradley’s challenge is to build a cohesive unit and tougher challenges await than facing an expansion team at home. It’s a good bet Bradley figures it out and Toronto’s long-term future is strong.

But what about the short term? That is a big question. Toronto can’t afford any injuries. They are in 13th place in the 14-team Eastern Conference but are only six points out of the playoffs. The problem for Toronto is that there are some good teams in-between who are also improved. Columbus has Cucho, New England is getting better, Chicago is vastly improving.

Here is a look at Bernardeschi's goal.



 

The thing is that if Toronto can sneak into the postseason, no one will want to play them. That is the time when expensive DP’s determine the outcome of games. If Toronto can take four or more points from their next two MLS games against New England and Nashville, both on the road, it would give the sense of a team with momentum to making a serious push.

What is also revealing is that Toronto will visit Vancouver (which is coming off a terrible performance in a 3-1 loss to Chicago at home) in the Canadian Championship final on Tuesday night. Toronto in the CONCACAF Champions League again could be interesting with the direction they are heading.

 

Bale opens LAFC account

 

Not unexpectedly, LAFC strolled into Children’s Mercy Park to take on last-place Sporting Kansas City and walked away with a 2-0 win. Gareth Bale opened his MLS scoring account when he bagged the team’s second goal of the game in the closing minutes.

Steve Cherundolo has a big task to get all this talent on the field and playing as a cohesive unit, but the early signs are promising. It’s looking like next weekend will be Bale’s first start for LAFC when the team returns home for the first time since adding Bale and Chiellini. That game against Seattle is going to be telling for so many reasons and if Seattle is fully over their CCL malaise, it is going to be about as big of a marquee game as you can get midseason in MLS.

LAFC is a counterattacking team and now, with a better defense, is able to make that work better than since they traded Walker Zimmerman. Seattle is also a counterattacking team, so Friday’s game could be wide open with two talented teams looking to run.

 

Galaxy downs Atlanta 2-0

 

The LA Galaxy and Atlanta United are two popular teams who are both considered to be among the bigger MLS teams. But both team have had rough seasons where they’ve both fallen behind the pack of top teams.

The LA Galaxy defeated Atlanta United 2-0 in LA during the weekend’s final game. It’s tough to put too much stock in this game other than something had to give. With the Galaxy now having to play the next two on the road, it will be more telling.

As for Atlanta, it is simply disappointing. There are so many expensive players on the team but there is no backbone of the roster. Nothing looks like it fits. The team looks more like an all-star team as opposed to a real team. It’s one thing to blame Gonzalo Pineda but it seems more like front office decision making that isn’t getting things right.

Anything can happen in MLS, but I don’t see any kind of a late push for Atlanta. They’re not playing well and their schedule over the next five games is hard. This organization is going to need to do some serious soul-searching.

 

Other thoughts

 

NYCFC defeated Inter Miami in what was likely the team’s final game with Taty Castellanos, who will exit as the leading scorer in the league. It’s never a sure thing to replace a forward like that, despite how much money you throw at it. NYCFC will still be good, but this is a huge blow.

The West is ripe for change. The Galaxy, Dallas, Real Salt Lake and Nashville both occupy the last four Western spots above the playoff line. Portland and Seattle are the last two below the line. It seems far more likely that Portland and Seattle finish above the line. If so, who is going to fall below? My guess is that RSL and the Galaxy fall short.

Despite all the improvements they’ve made, Houston is still far away from being a playoff team. The 2-1 loss at home to an understrength Minnesota team is telling. But Minnesota, meanwhile, is on a great run and the fact that they can win without Emmanuel Reynoso is a huge statement because that was always the knock on them.

DC United’s decision to hire Wayne Rooney was a correct one. He adds some grit and stability to go along with a strong start to his coaching career with Derby. But DC United is almost as close to needing a complete rebuild as you’d see. Cincinnati shows that this this can be done quickly, but DC United needs to be very smart this offseason. Their roster is the weakest in the league and tough questions need to be asked.

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