This week in MLS, we look at the New York Derby and how the Red Bulls are setting their latest trend and some recent progress in New England.
It’s All-Star weekend in MLS. Everyone gathered in Chicago for a couple of late summer weekdays before the players went back to their teams, ready to continue playing important league games.
The biggest match of the week is the newest NYCFC-New York Red Bulls derby, a match that will not only act as another chapter in the budding rivalry, but also have enough Eastern Conference playoff implications that it would be considered an important matchup regardless of the proximity of the teams.
This week’s preview will focus primarily on that, followed by a close look at the New England Revolution and a journey through a couple of the week’s most interesting contests.
The trend-setters are back
The Red Bulls are the hottest team in MLS right now, entering this match having won their previous three by a combined score of 12-1, and their previous four league games by a combined 15-3. Whatever stake you put into the fact that none of the teams they played during that stretch are above the red line, there’s no denying that Jesse Marsch has found the solution to what had the team down earlier in the season.
They now sit fourth in the Eastern Conference, two points behind NYC with a game in hand and a golden opportunity to jump their rivals this weekend. This follows stretches of inconsistent scoring production and lackluster defense without starting backline contributors Aurelien Collin and Kemar Lawrence. The reason for this sudden improvement starts with Marsch’s new and improved tactical system, a three-at-the-back that relies less on relentless ball-pressing and more on individual freedom and tactical liberty.
It’s hard to come up with a correct designation for this formation. We know, though, that Felipe and Tyler Adams act as tireless ball-movers and space-eaters in midfield behind an attacking trio of Daniel Royer, Bradley Wright-Phillips and Sacha Kljestan, who are given the opportunity to move as they desire high up the field. In addition, Alex Muyl is in his element as an endline-to-endline wing-back, and their back-three (which has been without Colin and Lawrence recently) has been better with more numbers centrally and the resulting ability to be more mobile.
This new-found organization and unique identity has been something the Red Bulls have severely lacked over the past few months, as they had languished in their already-proven 4-2-3-1 gegenpress system. That previously revered trophy-winning set-up had been figured out, and it was against New England on July 5 — their first league game following a 2-0 loss to NYC — that Marsch made his breakthrough.
More than just a newer, more unpredictable shape (NYRB want to be a trend-setter, and it was time to move on from their last trend), this new look appears to have rejuvenated a number of players many thought were part of the problem, or at least weren’t helping. Felipe is playing well for the first time without Dax McCarty, Muyl has more running to do and more defense to play, a number of defenders (think Connor Lade, Aaron Long) have played much better with the three-at-the-back and, of course, winger Daniel Royer has absolutely caught fire, to the tune of six goals in four matches.
Part of this is feeling more comfortable in the system, part of it is the pressure was on to win spots and players have stepped it up accordingly.
NYCFC, meanwhile, lost another tactical battle to Toronto, getting decimated at BMO Field 4-0. With Yangel Herrera in the starting lineup, they will play much better.
The game’s on Sunday at 6 p.m. ET on FS1.
Three previews
Chicago Fire vs. New England Revolution (Saturday, 8:30 p.m. ET)
The Revolution have been one of MLS’s most tactically interesting teams for a couple of years now. They’ve been trying to solve the puzzle of having a jillion mismatched attackers and an incompetent back-end since they made a run to the MLS Cup Final in 2014, and while Lee Nguyen and Juan Agudelo were good enough to push them into the 2015 playoffs, 2016 was less kind, seeing them finish seventh in a mediocre Eastern Conference despite allowing a respectable 54 goals.
2017, at certain low points, has been rock bottom for Jay Heaps’s side. They’re currently trudging along in eighth, eight points off the red line, dropping bad points left and right due to their mistake-prone and often disorganized defense. Their plus-2 goal differential is much better than the two clubs ahead of them, but bad results at bad times have doomed them to the deep depths of a suddenly-crowded conference.
Kei Kamara remains a bad fit, as does poor Kelyn Rowe, who has barely been played at his best position (attacking midfielder) in his six MLS seasons. Injuries in central midfield — particularly oft-injured DP Xavier Kouassi, who can’t seem to catch a break — and weaknesses at center back and left back have proven costly.
Recently, though, they’ve picked up a couple of solid home results. First, it was a 4-3 barnburner over LA in Curt Onalfo’s last stand, then, in a game that should inspire slightly more hope among Revs fans, they beat Philly 3-0. Not only have they scored seven in two games, they also managed a clean sheet in the second. Small victory, but definitely a victory.
The success has come with playing striker Teal Bunbury more often up top. He’s been stuck behind the revolving cast of Kamara, Nguyen, Rowe and Agudelo, but Bunbury (who scored a brace against LA) added channel-running pace to a striking pair that more often had included either two non-compatible center forwards or a No. 9 and a No. 10 (usually Nguyen) trying to play like a second forward, backed up by another No. 10.
A speedster like Bunbury willing to get in behind defenses and open space for creators and hold-up guys has helped immensely. He has added a much needed element of channel-running and attacking diversity, taking pressure off of the center forwards (Kamara and Agudelo) and creators (Nguyen and occasionally Rowe). Add in skillful winger Diego Fagundez, a talent who has gone unmentioned, and you have a much more capable and variety-filled goal-scoring threat.
Defending is a whole different story for Heaps. They brought in Frenchman Claude Dielna to play center-back next to relative success Antonio Delamea, but it’s unclear how much of an immediate help he will be, and even whether he plays on Saturday. This is not to mention they have no left-back.
So for Chicago, returning home from a three game road trip that did not treat them well — a loss to 10-man conference competitor NYCFC the biggest blow — a defense-challenged New England walking into Toyota Park is a welcome sight.
Sporting KC vs. Atlanta United (Sunday, 8 p.m. ET, FS1)
Another week, another matchup of top-tier league contenders. The stretch run is getting good fast.
This one, between Western Conference leaders Sporting KC and expansion renegades Atlanta, is an especially intriguing one. These two clubs are both famous for their risky, quick-press styles of play focusing on energetic pressure, unusually high defensive lines and as much attacking freedom for the full-backs as possible. Atlanta, also an aggressive possession team under Tata Martino, have taken what Peter Vermes has done in SKC’s 4-3-3 for years to the extreme.
Put simply, every player on the field at Children’s Mercy Park will run a lot on Sunday. Expect costly defensive turnovers, plenty of individual sprinting and a healthy portion of rapid counter-attacks. It will be a good test for Atlanta against a proven MLS foe, while Sporting will be interested in three more home points against a high-level out-of-conference opponent after beating Chicago last week.
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San Jose Earthquakes vs. Columbus Crew SC (Saturday, 10:30 p.m. ET)
A late-night inter-conference matchup of fringe playoff contenders in a week that features three national TV games may not jump off the page as a must-watch, but for those interested in desperate teams, fun tactical experimentation and plenty of hype trains, this match is for you.
In one corner, we’ve got the visiting Crew, a team scuffling along directly on the red line. They are well-known for their impressive haul of top attacking players and noticeably less impressive basket of defenders, as well as, in the last year and a half, underwhelming results. Gregg Berhalter has recently gone to something of a 3-4-3 or maybe 3-6-1 to try and get his squad firmly over that all-important line.
Continuing in the (very welcome) trend of three-at-the-backs, recently-appointed San Jose coach Chris Leitch has his team in a 3-5-2, utilizing their multitude of versatile attacking options to the best of their abilities. He’s found the obvious way to put star goal-scorer Chris Wondolowski in his best position while also playing his young creators, Tommy Thompson and Jackson Yueill. Those latter two didn’t have much a role in stubborn Dom Kinnear’s 4-4-2, but with the former academy director Leitch in charge, they’re both starters.
Two American playmakers on one team is deserving of two hype trains, so congrats to San Jose on that very important accomplishment. In the short-term, they’ll have to start playing as a unit more on both sides of the ball in order to challenge Vancouver for that last playoff spot.
They also have to take full advantage of their remaining home games. Like this one.