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MLS breakdown

MLS: Youth Report, good weekend for USMNT players, Stam out, Revs cruise & more

ASN's Brian Sciaretta breaks down the weekend for Americans in MLS. A decent weekend for young players (including a goalkeeper!), a very good weekend for USMNT players, NY is Red, the Galaxy are blue, and the Revs are remarkable. 
BY Brian Sciaretta Posted
September 28, 2021
6:05 AM

THE 2021 MLS SEASON approaches October and we are starting to see some separation in the races for the post season. For example, we know New England will win the East and now we should feel good about Seattle winning the west. Both conferences, meanwhile, have about 4-5  teams fighting for the final 1-2 spots.

That’s all good and to be expected. This season has been pretty good. The youthful approach to the league has continued and it’s been great to have fans back in the stands. The fact that a team coached by Bruce Arena and a team coached by Brian Schmetzer are leading the two conferences probably points to a level or predictability most think doesn’t exist in this league.

What happens down the stretch and into the playoffs, however, is anybody’s guess.

 

Youth Report

 

The weekend wasn’t great for young players, but it was still pretty good. Here are some players or stories that I thought.

 

Gabriel Slonina remains one of the more important stories for MLS youth and seeing a young American goalkeeper breaking through is refreshing and important. Many hoped David Ochoa would be that prospect, but he bailed on the U.S. program to represent Mexico. At just 17, Slonina is getting valuable starts for Chicago and he has done well. On Sunday, he preserved a result in a 0-0 draw with Nashville.

Slonina has a big year ahead in 2022 as he will certainly be the starter for the U.S. U-20 team that will attempt to qualify for both the 2023 U-20 World Cup and the 2024 Olympics. It has been a long time since a young American goalkeeper has broken out. Slonina might be the next one.

Josh Atencio: Atencio, 19, is one of the players who missed out on the U-20 World Cup exposure, but he’s been very consistently strong in Seattle’s midfield this year. In a 2-1 win over Sporting Kansas City on Sunday, he was once again a rock in the No. 8 role.

John Tolkin: continues to consistently put in good outings for the Red Bulls. He was once again important to the Red Bulls in a 1-0 win over NYCFC.

Matko Miljevic: Looks promising in his first two performances for Montreal. It will still take him time to get back into the rhythm of a game but he is strong technically.

 

Philadelphia homegrowns: The Philadelphia – Atlanta game was billed as the best game of the weekend. Philadelphia ended up winning it and the young subs – Quinn Sullivan, Paxten Aaronson, and Jack McGlynn all did a good job.

On the flip side of the youth report, George Bello offered little for Atlanta in this game. Cole Bassett didn’t play. Kevin Paredes was decent but didn’t stand out for DC United in the win over Cincinnati. Caden Clark’s roll with the Red Bulls has diminished. Cade Cowell’s minutes have also declined for San Jose.

The FC Dallas kids looked lost in their first game after Luchi Gonzalez was fired. and the team, overall, played poorly in a 1-0 loss to Vancouver. Jesus Ferreira was probably the best of the bunch but the team had no real offense to speak of.

 

USMNT players in action

 

For the most part, it was a very strong weekend for players in the U.S. national team pool.

 

Paul Arriola: Played just the first half for DC United but left his club with a 3-0 lead after he scored two goals. It is true that Cincinnati’s defense was terrible, but this has been the best Arriola looked since before the Gold Cup.

Daryl Dike: The Orlando City forward looks closer to his best form than at any time since he returned from Barnsley. He scored a goal and played well for Orlando in a 2-1 loss to New England.

 

Gyasi Zardes: It seems like a very good chance he will be back with the U.S. team in October and his goal for Columbus (scored with his left foot) in a 2-1 win over Montreal was impressive.

 

Cristian Roldan: After scoring for Seattle in a Leagues Cup matchup vs. Leon, Roldan scored again for Seattle in a 2-1 away win over Sporting Kansas City.

Sebastian Lletget: The midfielder did not have his best game for the Galaxy in a 2-0 loss on the road to Austin FC. The entire Galaxy office struggled to create against a compact defense in Austin.

Matt Turner: The U.S. national team goalkeeper should have done better in the goal he allowed to Daryl Dike. It was hit hard but it was within reach of Turner. On the other hand, he saved a Nani penalty to preserve the win.

 

Miles Robinson: It was a tough day for everyone on Atlanta in a 1-0 loss to Philadelphia. It was debatable if he could have prevented Kacper Przyby?ko’s goal as the defense collapsed once Jose Martinez moved into the box off the wing. Other than that, it was an average performance – not great, not bad.

George Bello: Like Miles Robinson, everyone on Atlanta struggled. Bello is expected to push deeper into the attack and Atlanta’s offense was non-existent.

Ricardo Pepi: Pepi was uninvolved for FC Dallas on Sunday in a loss to Vancouver but that was mostly due to Dallas’ nonexistent midfield.

 

Stam fired

 

FC Cincinnati made the decision to fire Jaap Stam on Monday following a 4-2 loss to FC Cincinnati. The team has been poor under the legendary Dutch defender, but it debatable how much that was on Stam and how much that is on upper management. The club has never brought in the right players and the team has been a mess since it arrived in the league.

It's one thing to replace Stam, but the right questions need to be asked of those higher-up.

The fans deserve better.  

 

Galaxy problems

 

The LA Galaxy dropped a 2-0 decision away to Austin FC and the wheels are starting to come off for the Greg Vanney’s club. The team hasn’t won in seven games – with three draws and four losses in that span.

The offense just isn’t there. The Galaxy can’t breakdown a compact team and Chicharito is once again in a spot where he’s not getting service.



It’s an improvement from recent seasons but the Galaxy have a tricky schedule ahead. Their eight games ahead have opponents including LAFC, Portland, SKC, Settle, and Minnesota. If they don’t win on Thursday against a struggling Real Salt Lake, they’re could have serious problems. They needs some sort of positive momentum.

 

New England surges

 

Right now, New England is a powerful freight-train that just can’t be stopped. There are no weaknesses in this team – forward in Buska, a creative force in Gil, fullbacks/wingers who can attack out wide in Jones, Buchannan, and others, a defensive midfielder in Polster, solid defense, and perhaps the best goalkeeper in the league.

When you combine that with the fact that the team is almost all in their prime years, you have a team that is consistent and good. It a league known for its parity, the Revs are head and shoulders above everyone else.

 

In Saturday’s 2-1 win, New England defeated Orlando but Orlando didn’t play poorly either. Oscar Pereja’s team might have lost four in a row, but if they play like this – they should turn it around. That’s just a testament to a New England team that is having maybe the best regular season in league history.

 

Statement from Seattle

 

Seattle made the biggest statement in the league over the weekend heading into Sporting Kansas City and walking away with a 2-1 win. This was a matchup between the West’s two best teams and it was Seattle that walked away with all three points.

The West is clearly a step beyond where it was in years past. LAFC isn’t strong. Portland is getting its act together, but they haven’t had a great season. The three Texas teams aren’t good and Minnesota is only decent when Reynoso and Lod are healthy.

 

Things aren’t as rosy for Seattle. Nico Lodeiro is out with a knee surgery. Jordan Morris won’t play this season – and a bunch of players are aging. But Seattle has such a winning culture that someone always seems to step up. Lately, it’s been Cristian Roldan.

Brian Schmetzer probably won’t win a coach of the year, but he should be the Coach of the Decade.

 

Philadelphia’s win over Atlanta

 

The Philadelphia Union defeated Atlanta 1-0 in what was one of the weekend’s top matchups in the league. The score was surprising given how red hot Atlanta was coming into this game having won three in a row. Even without Josef Martinez, Atlanta United was expected to put up much more of a fight than it did.

What happened is that it appeared that Philadelphia had a chip on its shoulder and Atlanta was simply complacent that it could continue with its recent form just by showing up.

 Philadelphia started with a veteran lineup and it got the job done. For those wondering if the kids are still part of Curtin’s plans – they are. This group of Paxten Aaronson, Jack McGlynn, and Quinn Sullivan all came into the game in the second half and helped Philly not just defend its lead, but also to continue to apply the pressure.

It was one of the best outings of the season for Philadelphia and the worst for Atlanta since Gabriel Heinze was fired.

 

New York is Red

 

Can the New York Red Bulls make the playoffs? Probably not. But the team has had a good week – seven points from trio of games between Miami and a home/away with derby rivals NYCFC. They’re seven points out of the playoffs but have a game in hand – which they’ll obviously have to win.

The 1-0 win over NYCFC at Yankee Stadium was an important win that was a bit flattering given how well RBNY keeper Carlos Coronel played. But the Red Bulls were able to get seven points from their last three games.

Eventually, they’re going to have to something unexpected. If they manage a win over Philadelphia at home on Thursday, then perhaps you can believe. The following two games are Cincinnati and Miami. We will see.

There are some reasons to like the Red Bulls right now. Kyle Duncan and John Tolkin have been having great years. Omir Fernandez has had a very good month. But the team isn’t yet punching at its weight. A win over Philly, that’s everything right now.

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