MLS week 20: NYCFC’s big week, RSL’s faulty printers
After an eventful MLS week 20, we look at NYCFC’s important week, the interesting situation with Real Salt Lake and much, much more.
MLS week 20 included everything that makes MLS everything it is. A crowded schedule during an international tournament that stole many important players, a ton of surprising results, some red cards and, of course, controversial refereeing decisions.
Oh, and a coach brought props to a press conference. It was a week.
We’re going through it all today, from crucial games at the top of the table to devastating results for potential playoff teams to a sweater-clad manager’s rants about a printer.
NYCFC survive a massive week
The race for the top of the Eastern Conference, and, at the same time, the Supporters’ Shield competition hit a pivotal midseason point this week, and it revolved around New York City FC’s slate of two massive home games on Wednesday and Saturday.
Going into the midweek games, Toronto FC and the Chicago Fire sat at the top of the conference on 38 points. NYC were five points back in third. The Light Blues first had the opportunity to host shorthanded TFC on Wednesday; then they faced Chicago at Yankee Stadium on Saturday afternoon, a golden opportunity to put themselves back in the heart of the race and steal important points from their primary rivals.
TFC, playing without most of their starters and best players, salvaged a Victor Vazquez penalty equalizer in second half stoppage time to pull a win away from NYC, who started something close to a first-choice XI. It was a blow to the hosts, but it wasn’t close to what they experienced in the 12th minute of the Chicago game three days later: Yangel Herrera received a second yellow card in a 0-0 game, giving the Fire a big advantage.
But, playing for 80 minutes down a man against one of the league’s best teams, Patrick Vieira bolted down the hatches. NYCFC sat deep and compact in the center of the park to limit Bastian Schweinsteiger and Nemanja Nikolic and played through a hard-working front three of David Villa, Jonathan Lewis and Jack Harrison in search of a goal or two.
They were defensively stout and managed two goals early in the second half, surviving a David Accam golazo en route to a hugely important 2-1 victory. NYC remain in third in the conference (and Shield standings), but are now just a point back of Chicago and three back of Toronto, where they will travel next week.
Make no mistake: there’s a good argument the Light Blues are one of MLS’s best two teams, along with Toronto FC. The backline has filled out, with Alexander Callens and Maxime Chanot cutting down on mental lapses and now consistently scoring on set pieces, Alexander Ring playing like a top-tier MLS defensive midfielder, and Harrison and Villa forming one of the best attacking partnerships in the league.
Part of what makes them so good is their ability to adjust during games, which is why Vieira should be considered one of MLS’s best managers. The Chicago match was just the latest example.
Real Salt Lake are deceivingly good (at post-game rants)
The primary story from Real Salt Lake’s two games this week was Mike Petke’s post-game rant about the officials on Saturday. It was brutally honest from Petke, known for his candor.
It was also pretty entertaining:
“Camaras ready? You have your radio recording devices on? Get ‘em on … Here’s why I got ejected tonight.”
Petke had been sent off from RSL’s 1-1 draw with Sporting KC for arguing with officials that night. In this press conference, he proceeded to take out printed pictures, making his case for the bad MLS officiating that he states has gone against his team. He directed someone named Trey to hand them out to the watching media, and then ripped into the referees and the MLS Disciplinary Committee.
The best part is when he finished his spiel about the second picture and lamented, “I have two more but the freaking printer didn’t work.” Enjoy it now, because you won’t often see this kind of honesty from coaches in any sport.
Maybe he has a case there, maybe he doesn’t. But we do know that the officiating he rips above didn’t have too much effect on RSL’s two solid results this week: a dominating 4-1 road win in Portland and the 1-1 home draw against SKC.
They’re still eighth in the West, three points off the red line having played a game more than the rest of their competitors. As many have said throughout the season, they are a year or two off from postseason contention. The spot next to Justen Glad is uncertain (it was Marcelo Silva’s mistake that allowed Sporting to score the equalizer), they are among multiple MLS clubs who need a long-term answer in defensive midfield, they will need to figure out the Yura Movsisyan situation and they’ll be sorting out their large cast of young attackers throughout the second half of the season.
The playoffs are very unlikely this season. But the academy is growing, they have their coach and they have a young foundation that’s already winning games for them. Their next task is getting a better printer.
Next: The best under-20 player on every MLS team
Weekly awards
The best team in the league: Toronto FC. They grabbed an impressive point in the Bronx but then somehow dropped points at home to Colorado on the weekend.
Remember that Jozy Altidore, Michael Bradley, Justin Morrow, Raheem Edwards, Steven Beitashour and Nick Hagglund have all missed time recently. As they approach a favorable home-heavy schedule and start to get starters back, expect a run from TFC that could pull them away from the Supporters’ Shield pack. May winning streak-style, even.
The worst team in the league: D.C. United. What a week it was for D.C. United. On Wednesday, they went into Seattle and went up 3-0 in the first half before suffering one of the worst in-game collapses in MLS history, giving up four goals to the Sounders and losing 4-3.
On Saturday, they returned home against the Dynamo, who had accumulated all of two road points this season. D.C. gave up three goals in an 11-minute span and went on to lose 3-1, officially dropping them to the bottom of the league standings.
Random result of the week: Colorado draw TFC in Toronto 1-1. The Rapids, who went into a road match at BMO Field pointless on the road, hacked and fouled their way to a how-the-heck-did-this-happen draw with Toronto on Saturday night. They’re still second-to-last in the west.
Also competing for this: RSL 4-1 in Portland, Seattle 4-3 over D.C., Red Bulls 5-1 over San Jose. Like I said, it was a week.
Predictable result of the week: Red Bulls cream Minnesota 3-0. This felt like a trap game for the streaking NYRB going in, but it turned out to be just the opposite, as the Red Bulls had no trouble clobbering the Loons in Minnesota.
Biggest result of the week: Vancouver beat LA 1-0 at StubHub Center. This award is given to the game I’ve decided was most important for standings reasons or for individual fates of teams. The Galaxy losing at home on Wednesday to the Whitecaps, who are now five points ahead of LA in the standings, counts as the biggest this week.
LA traveled to New England on the weekend and lost 4-3 in a wild game. Jermaine Jones returned to the starting lineup, and it should be no question why the Galaxy suddenly scored three and gave up four when he came back from injury.
Attacker of the week: Alex (three assists for the Dynamo). It’s not easy to get three assists in a game. I wrote about the Brazilian more here.
Others I thought about: David Villa, whose work rate was even more important than usual against Chicago; Cristian Colman, who broke through with his first two MLS goals in FC Dallas’s 2-1 win in Montreal; somebody who scored for New England, Seattle or RSL; and Daniel Royer, who scored a golazo in Minnesota and had two in NYRB’s onslaught over San Jose.
Goalkeeper howler(s) of the week: Brian Rowe against Vancouver and New England. Rowe returned to the lineup and had a rough couple of games. He could have done a lot better on the Caps’ winner:
And you’ll just have to watch the Revs pile four on the Galaxy. Not every goal was his fault, and he didn’t have an obvious howler, but he should be doing better. Goalkeeper struggles continue in LA.
The true howler of the week was Nick Rimando’s late on in Portland, when he got lazy and gave up a garbage-time goal to Jack Barmby. Watch here.
It’s worth noting that Travis Worra continues to have a tough time as D.C.’s Bill Hamid backup, and Brad Knighton had his share of struggles with the Revs.
Final thoughts
— Atlanta had trouble with Orlando City SC for 87 minutes, but in the first edition of what looks likely to become MLS’s newest big rivalry, Hector Villalba scored a beautiful golazo with minutes remaining and Atlanta walked out of Orlando with three points.
A good result for the visitors, who continue to make a very good case for the best MLS expansion club of all time. We have to remember, though, that the Purple Lions were the better team for long stretches by shutting down the middle of the park and making the field smaller, forcing Atlanta to win with close-range passing and crosses.
Like Chicago, this could end up being a season-defining weakness if teams play their cards right over the next few weeks. The playbook is public for how to stifle Atlanta.
— Colman had spent the first half of the season stuck behind Maxi Urruti in Dallas. Urruti has had a career year and continues to make a case to be MLS’s most underrated player, while Colman, acquired in the offseason as FCD’s possible long-term answer at center forward, missed sitters consistently and generally didn’t play like an MLS-quality striker.
Finally, though, he found his breakthrough on Saturday against the Impact. Colman, who hadn’t yet scored in 2017, put the ball in the net twice to help Dallas pick up a road win in Montreal. It doesn’t quite take the “next Nelson Valdez” title away from the Paraguayan, but it should give FCD fans that their offseason acquisitions are just now starting to perform.
Roland Lamah has picked it up of late as well. Dallas may not win the Supporters’ Shield, but they will be right there with the crowd in the race for MLS Cup.
— Cristian Roldan scored twice in the second half and the Sounders rolled past San Jose at home despite the absences of their four best players.
San Jose lost twice this week by a combined 8-1, both on the road almost 3,000 miles apart. Interim coach Chris Leitch has implemented a 3-5-2 that’s looked good in the time it’s been on the field, but red cards and defensive mistakes have been their undoing. Recent DP acquisition Vako Qazaishvili made his debut as a substitute in Seattle, which should make a difference.