MLS Weekly - Meltdown central
Miami blew it. Columbus blew it. Chicago blew it. A typical matchday when every team is playing twice weekly.
GOAL OF THE WEEK
Lawrence Ennali (Houston Dynamo) vs. Colorado Rapids, 72’
The young German winger has been fairly inconsistent since arriving in Houston less than two years ago, but he has also shown flashes of brilliance in that span that keep the hope alive for Dynamo fans.
Ennali’s second-half winner from 25 yards out was his third goal of this young season. He scored just once all last year.
WORST OF THE WEEK
Inter Miami vs. Orlando City, 39’, 68’, 78’, 90+3’
It was impossible to pick just one moment from this game, but this horrific collapse had to be represented as such.
Every time these two rivals face off, it feels like I’ve time traveled to 2018 to watch Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s LA Galaxy play Carlos Vela’s LAFC. It’s tense, yet free-flowing, which is a recipe for absolute chaos. And, of course, there’s plenty of star power present.
This was Miami’s fourth game at their new stadium Nu Stadium. None have resulted in wins for last year’s MLS Cup winners.
Orlando’s comeback win was just the third time in league history a team has won after trailing 3-0.
STAT OF THE WEEK
Lack of discipline, the motivating type.
For the third time this season, FC Cincinnati came from behind to earn points in a game where they played with 10 men.
Despite the slow start to the season, Evander’s hat trick means he now has five goals on the year, matching exactly with his current expected goals total (5.0).
Last year, his 18 goals easily outpaced his expected count of 7.8, which was unquestionably the largest difference between actual and expected in the league.
COMMENTARY
This is only the start of the turnaround for Austin FC
2022 was the fairy tale season that fell short in Austin, Texas. Sebastian Driussi and Diego Fagundez unleashed the full might of Josh Wolff’s tactics after the yearlong learning curve in the team’s inaugural season. When they lost in the playoffs after finishing second in the West, the team felt it could only go up from there.
However, their lesson was quickly delivered and sustained. They finished 12th and 10th in the conference in the two seasons that followed. None of the three names I mentioned remain with the team. The only constants: the fans continue to show up every week and goalkeeper Brad Stuver continues to be one of the best shot-stoppers in the league.
Eleven days ago, things were looking very bleak. Seven MLS games without a win, the most recent being a 5-1 collapse against San Jose after leading in the second half. They got knocked out of Open Cup by a USL Championship team.
But after stringing together consecutive 2-0 wins and getting stars Owen Wolff and Brandon Vazquez on the field for the first time this season after injuries suffered last year, the hope is firmly back. If midfielder Dani Pereira is ready to play big minutes again, the roster makeup looks a lot more complete.
There are plenty of “ifs” involved in deciding Austin will be a good team this season, but so many of these players are proven in this league, some with other teams. If you give Facundo Torres other talented attackers to play with, he can be a 15-goal scorer. That much, they have done; Jayden Nelson can take players on out wide, Brandon Vazquez can not only score but hold the ball up and combine in the attack, and Owen Wolff can be a workhorse with excellent technical ability at multiple positions. The only condition I don’t feel confident proclaiming will happen: If Myrto Uzuni finds his finishing feet (I don’t know that they exist), this attack turns from threatening to scary.
It’s worth noting these past two wins were neither pretty nor against good teams. But stacking up a few like results in the four games before the World Cup break will set them up for real success when they return. I don’t see this team challenging for the top of the Western Conference, especially given the hole they’ve dug themselves, but a 5th-7th place regular season finish is perfectly reasonable given their talent and experience.
TO KEEP AN EYE ON
San Jose Earthquakes vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC, Saturday at 7:30 p.m. PST
There may end up being a more exciting game on the weekend, but this one is clearly the best matchup on paper. The two top teams in the league right now are facing off for the second time this season. The Quakes, despite being outplayed in the game, gave Vancouver their only loss this season back in March.
San Jose could be without both Timo Werner and Niko Tsakiris due to injury, depleting what is already a shallow (however talented) depth chart in attack. Vancouver has shown over the past year that depth is a strength of theirs, replacing every injury and outgoing transfer without a blip in the level of play.
In the first ten games this season, Vancouver’s expected goal differential (20.9) has somehow been just as impressive as their actual goal differential (20). San Jose has trailed in four straight games, but none ended in losses.
PayPal Park is sure to be rocking for this one, as I’ve seen firsthand multiple times this season after years of dormancy.
THE BEAUTIFUL GAME - TRIVIA
The answer to the question is linked here. Bye!