Are NYCFC really this good, and other questions from MLS after Week 4

Looking at the five biggest questions after four weeks of MLS soccer, including a drastic difference between conferences.

We’re through four weeks in MLS. They’ve been a little bit weird, both because of the schedule (messed up by the odd number of teams and CONCACAF Champions League obligations) and traditional early-season MLS reasons: New players, crazy weather, high and low scoring games, all of the usual suspects.

Those four weeks present us with some definitives — NYCFC are good, the Colorado Rapids are not — and plenty of uncertainties, many of which are centered around things we think are definitives. Welcome to MLS, where simultaneous conviction and ambiguity are conspicuous features.

With that in mind, the five biggest questions after Week 4, from grand state of the league queries to bad team identity problems to the classic “are they legit?” concerns. But first, a player who just won’t stop:

Can Bradley Wright-Phillips keep doing this?

If I were smart, I would do away with the question mark and just say, yes, Bradley Wright-Phillips will keep doing this. He’s been answering the above question in the affirmative for years, establishing himself as arguably the most underrated player in league history and one of its very best goalscorers. That he’s been doing the stuff he did against Minnesota United last week for so long seems impossible, and it almost necessitates the question if only because his discreetly phenomenal success is so unprecedented.

Take a look at this finish, and marvel at its perfection:

BWP scored another two goals against the Loons, leading the Red Bulls to a clinical 3-0 win. NYRB have six points from three league games this season to go along with a shredding of Liga MX foe Tijuana in the CCL, and their place as one of the league’s best is again driven by their striker, who picked up two goals and three assists in the 5-1 aggregate drubbing of Xolos. That’s six goals and five assists in seven games in all competitions for BWP.

He’s dogged in his pursuit of goals and shots, pestering opposing backlines with constant movement and feeding on any possible lapses. His movement, and its speed and consistency, is rightfully revered, but it’s his recognition of where opportunities will come that truly sets him apart; he knows the general tendencies of defenders and where the ball will end up from any given situation, and then he inserts himself in that spot.

Marking him must be one heck of a endeavor in mental gymnastics. You have to match his anticipation and vision to keep up with his movement, something that can only be done by a select few. His ability to not only put himself in scoring positions but then to finish as many of those chances as he has makes him MLS’s premier goal-scorer.

So, yeah, he’ll keep it up.

Will Colorado ever de-Pablo?

With Anthony Hudson in as manager, ready to present fresh ideas, you’d think the Rapids would show a new identity, maybe move in a new direction from three years of Pablo Mastroeni and a couple months of Steve Cooke. It had become clear, after all, that their sit-deep-and-counter ethos had become outdated, and they were struggling to find the personnel to implement it.

Hudson even introduced the fashionable 3-5-2 formation as the new full-time tactical look, a small indication that the organization might be adapting to the times. If the first games of their season are any indication, though, the Rapids are the same as they ever were.

They put up a fight against Toronto FC in the CCL, but they went to New England and lost 2-1 in their season opener, and then picked up a 2-2 home draw against Sporting KC in Week 4 that epitomizes Colorado soccer. The Rapids jumped out to an early lead, scoring twice in the first 10 minutes, and then did nothing but smash long balls for the rest of the game, eventually frittering away the lead with lazy defending:

It’s the same old story for Colorado: They’re trying to win with tight defense and a compact, possession-averse shape in an attempt to make up for their persisting lack of attacking talent. As ever, they’re one-dimensional and incapable of creating chances (Dominique Badji is still their starting forward).

Maybe it worked in 2016, but it’s been proven that run was unsustainable, mostly by their struggles since. Hudson has to show he’s capable doing his job as a new manager and change the status quo for the better. That starts with figuring out how to keep the ball.

Are FC Dallas going to rise from the dead?

FC Dallas have kind of picked up where they left off last season. In three home games to start the season, they have two slow and ugly 1-1 draws and a 3-0 win over a 10-man Sounders team. They’ve been about the same in terms of producing good, quality soccer matches (one of their biggest problems in the second half of last season was their slow pace of play), but the okay results give them some hope. Right?

On one hand, Mauro Diaz has looked great, Roland Lamah already has three goals and they’re still waiting on the return of Kellyn Acosta. At the same time, FCD remain stale in too many areas (especially in defense) and they are going to have to start winning, not drawing, their home games. They’re an enigma.

Are NYCFC and Columbus Crew SC this good?

Games in hand curb this excitement just a bit, but NYCFC and the Columbus Crew are on the top of the Supporters’ Shield standings. Through four games, both teams have three wins and a draw, and both have scored eight goals and given up three, placing them in a tie atop the league standings.

Deservedly so. They have been the cream of the crop. NYC are passing out of the back to crazy extents:

And Columbus have become the kings of turning possession into opportunities in transition, using Wil Trapp to facilitate deep possession and Federico Higuain to distribute to runners in the channels. Gyasi Zardes is scoring again, looking comfortable in Gregg Berhalter’s system, and Cristian Martinez is returning the confidence Berhalter has put in him, adding a true, on-the-ball winger to a pass-heavy team. They seemed to have downgraded in the offseason, but they somehow have only improved. It’s impressive.

The Light Blues are just as clinical, and probably more talented, though they could learn from the Crew’s ability to toe the line between dedication to possession to directness in attack. The battle between these two, Toronto FC and possibly Atlanta United for the top spot in the Eastern Conference will be fascinating.

Next: The 10 best teams in MLS history

Will the Western Conference produce a contender that can compete with the East’s best?

One of last year’s biggest storylines was how much better the east was than the west. TFC, New York, Atlanta, Columbus and Chicago all had an argument for being a better team than any out west. The conference disparity, which leaned west for so long, seems to have stuck around for 2018. No team in the Western Conference can truly be called elite yet.

Seattle are 0-0-2 and have yet to score a goal in MLS play. Portland are 0-1-2 and are going through a period of adjustment to Giovanni Savarese. I don’t know how many people really trust the Vancouver Whitecaps to become a legit contender. LAFC have won their first two games, but they’re an expansion team, so we should reserve judgement there. RSL are still putting things together. The LA Galaxy have Zlatan, but they also have a pretty complex puzzle to solve. Houston have to start finishing their chances and defending better.

The race out west is wide open. Any number of clubs could jump to the top and play at an elite level, even Minnesota United, who haven’t looked too bad! The Sounders always are bad from the start, and San Jose have a fun core, and LAFC might just be very good, especially after signing a DP center mid. Someone will show up.

But the east has looked dramatically better than the west so far, to the point where five teams from the east are better than the best of the west. It will be interesting to see how long it stays that way.