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Evening kickaround

SKC ends Indy's USOC dream, Brooks returns home, Tessmann to Lyon, & Celtic after Trusty

After a day off the grid, ASN is back with thoughts on MLS at midweek, The Open Cup win for SKC, Tessmann's move to Lyon, Celtic after Trusty, and John Brooks returning home. 
BY Brian Sciaretta Posted
August 28, 2024
6:00 PM

AFTER TAKING THE DAY off on Tuesday, there is twice as much to cover in a daily rundown as before, which can explain why we’re later in the day with this. But the news never stops in the transfer windows, Open Cup, MLS, and Americans abroad.

Let’s just get into it.

 

MLS at midweek

 

Miami is the favorite

Without a full recap of the domestic league this past week, the big story was Inter Miami thoroughly outplaying Cincinnati with a 2-0 win. Even without Lionel Messi, Inter Miami have been very good. And now, Messi has returned to training.

What this means, Miami is now running away with the race for the Supporters Shield. The only chance of someone who can catch them are the LA teams. But once they get Messi back, it’s going to be very tough to stop this team.

Columbus has played three fewer games and might be able to catch them – on paper. But I think Columbus is focused on the playoffs right now and then getting the second seed.

The only thing you can say about Inter Miami is that there have been some absolutely dreadful games on their part. The 6-1 loss to Cincinnati, the 3-1 loss at home to Atlanta, the 4-0 loss to the Red Bulls. Yes, the team didn’t have Messi in these losses, but there are just times when the team shuts down.

But Inter Miami will likely be at home throughout the playoffs. They’re the favorite.

 

Columbus flexes muscle

 

Columbus won’t win the Supporters Shield, but the team has fought through Concacaf Champions Cup run haze better than other MLS teams. But now they have the fight through a run through winning the Leagues Cup on top of the CONCACAF run. They’re playing a lot of soccer this year.

Still, after watching the team win Leagues Cup, it is hard to not admire what Columbus has pulled off since the new ownership group took over. New stadium, two MLS Cups, CONCACAF finalists, Leagues Cup champions, and an entertaining and charismatic team and coach.

The 3-1 win over LAFC in the Leagues Cup final was a emphatic statement. And Cucho Hernandez should the be the front runner for MVP. He hasn’t scored the most goals, but his value is immense.

 

Reus and Giroud debut

The two LA teams are in great shape heading into the final stretch and Marco Reus is now with the Galaxy and Olivier Giroud is how on LAFC. One thing that is interesting is that we a revival in the effectiveness of players being brought into the league at the end of the their careers.

For a long time, these moves were not working: Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, Andrea Pirlo, Rafa Marquez – even going back to players like Denilson or Lothar Matthäus. But lately, these older players have been working better than they have in the past. It’s not just Messi, either. Luis Suarez,  Christian Benteke, Emil Forsberg, Federico Bernardeschi, and Lorenzo Insigne have all brought a lot of quality in the league.

Yes, some have not worked out (Shaqiri is a great example) but for the most part, it’s been a net positive.

Marco Reus and Olivier Giroud are similar imports and they will boost the quality of the LA teams – a lot. What is perfect for them, and with many of the players who have worked out so well, is that they’re being used as supplemental quality. They’re not being brought into the fold to carry teams. As we see in Toronto with Bernardeschi and Insigne or with Benteke at DC United, these players cannot carry team. Instead, they can only make a good team better. Toronto and DC United are still awful teams.

But with Reus and Giroud, it’s going to make the season finale more exciting and it’s hard to see LA not be represented in MLS Cup.

 

Bottom or the East

 

The best race in MLS right now is the bottom of the East for the final wild-card playoff position (ninth place). Right now, Atlanta holds ninth place, and they have 28 points. DC United sits last in 15th place, and they have 26 points.

The favorite right now, however, is Philadelphia because they’re playing better after a poor start, and have a good coach and good players. Philly also has a +3 goal difference on the season, and they’re the only team in after the top seven to have a positive GD. That’s probably more of an accurate reflection.

But keep an eye on New England. After their terrible start, they have turned things around and their recent 5-0 romp over Montreal is a good sign. But the Revs have also only played 24 games compared with the 26 most of the other teams in this race have played.

 

Open Cup

 

Indy Eleven were the last non MLS team remaining in the Open Cup, and their run ended in the semifinal after a 2-0 loss to Sporting KC after the game in KC was delayed by over two hours due to lightning. Many were pulling for Indy Eleven and their underdog story, but the gap between the teams was wide.

As for SKC, it has been a tough season, but this Open Cup run is a rare bit of good news.

 

They face the winner of Seattle and LAFC (and the winner of this game will be the favorite for the Open Cup final). In that game, we will see if Seattle can finally beat LAFC, which has dominated that rivalry in recent years.

It’s been rocky year for the Open Cup given the reluctance of MLS teams to initially participate. Hopefully in the years ahead, there will be ways to make the Open Cup and the Leagues Cup both coexist.

 

All MLS in Canadian Championship

 

Up north, the Canadian Championship (the Voyageurs Cup) will be decided in a final between the Vancouver Whitecaps and Toronto FC. Toronto got past Forge FC 1-0 and Vancouver Whitecaps defeated Pacific FC 1-0.

For all the bickering about the Open Cup, there has been far less over the Canadian Championships and Toronto FC has been going with a top lineup the entire time. Vancouver has won the last two Canadian titles, and will look for a third straight on September 25th.

 

Philadelphia host Columbus

 

We are getting a rare one-off midweek matchup tonight when the Philadelphia Union host the Columbus Crew. Philly needs this game as part of its tight race to make the playoffs. But Columbus is one of the best in the league. The question is whether the Crew will have any bit of a hangover from the Leagues Cup title. Plus, Columbus is looking to move into second in the East – which would keep it away from Miami until the Eastern final.

 

Tessmann moves to Lyon

 

Tanner Tessmann finally completed his summer transfer. While top Serie A teams were always mentioned, he will instead head to Lyon – which is one of the biggest teams in France and finished sixth last season to qualify for Europe.

Overall, it’s a healthy step up and unlike the Inter Milan interest, it would not put him on a path that would require a loan. He’s landing in a place where he can play.

After captaining the U.S. Olympic team, Tessmann is in a good position also to compete for a spot on the U.S. national team under a new coaching staff. There is a huge need in those central midfield positions.

 

Brooks returns to Hertha

 

John Brooks, 31, has been without a club since his Hoffenheim contract expired in June but the former USMNT defender looks to be downshifting and returning home with his next club as he has agreed to join Hertha BSC. Brooks is a native of Berlin and he developed at Hertha BSC where he eventually made his first team debut and led the club to promotion into the Bundesliga.

But things aren’t great with Hertha BSC. The club is now back in the second tier and is dealing with the fallout of the 777 Partners ownership debacle. It might take some time before the club is in line to push for promotion.

But Brooks will likely have great affinity for the club and will be emotionally invested to help build a new foundation at Hertha.

 

Celtic after Trusty

 

ASN has heard that the reports of Celtic going after Auston Trusty are legit. The club is interested in the left-footed American central defender.

It would be yet another step up for Trusty to keep him in a top flight and it comes after he and Sheffield United were relegated out of the Premier League after conceding over 100 goals. Thus far in the early goings of 2024/25, Trusty has only made one appearance for Sheffield United.

If it happens, it could possibly see Trusty paired with Cameron Carter-Vickers, the USMNT central defender.



For Trusty, it would put him into a completely different situation from last year, where his team was overmatched. A Celtic, his team would dominate most teams in league play. Celtic needs to add depth with the expanded Champions League format which would give it more games.

Is the role for Trusty to be the top defender who helps them in the Champions League and Old Firm games, or would he be there to give others key players a day off against teams like St. Mirren and Kilmarnock?

Trusty needs to play and be on a strong defensive unit. He’s still on the edge of the USMNT player pool. The only way to get into a better spot is to play on a good defensive team.

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