Here are some numbers, from the best goalscorers in MLS, over their last 34 club games (regular season & playoffs included):
- Bradley Wright-Phillips: 26 goals, 5 assists
- David Villa: 24 goals, 7 assists
- Ola Kamara: 21 goals, 2 assists
- Jozy Altidore: 20 goals, 10 assists
- Ignacio Piatti: 20 goals, 7 assists
- Sebastian Giovinco: 18 goals, 18 assists
- Diego Valeri: 17 goals, 8 assists
- Fanendo Adi: 16 goals, 4 assists
- Cyle Larin: 16 goals, 2 assists
- Dom Dwyer: 15 goals, 3 assists
I chose 34 games because that's a full season. I omitted Clint Dempsey (15g/5a) since we've got to go all the way back to 2015 to get a full sample for him, and the same for Juan Agudelo (14g/5a). Guys like Nico Lodeiro, Matteo Mancosu, Christian Ramirez and all those dudes with Atlanta United obviously haven't come close to 34 games just yet.
The one missing man from last year's top scorers is the Galaxy's Giovani Dos Santos, who has scored just once in 2017. Over his last 34 games he's put up 11g/11a, which isn't a bad return. But it's not happening at an elite level for the Galaxy's star attacker right now, and that much was apparent in Saturday's scoreless home draw against still-winless Philadelphia.
LA now have eight goals and seven points in eight games. They've dropped 11 home points (three losses in addition to Saturday's draw), and their -5 goal differential is 18th best in the league despite their home-heavy schedule. Last time things were this ugly in Carson was in early 2008, just before Bruce Arena took over.
The upside is that they're still just two points out of a playoff spot in the West. Early struggles are often papered over by mid- or late-season hot streaks, and it looks like that's the blueprint LA will have to follow.
Let's look at the rest of the weekend:
Between Me and You
The Vancouver Whitecaps are one of those teams sitting just in front of the Galaxy, on 10 points and officially above the red line following Saturday's come-from-behind 2-1 win at Montreal. Vancouver have been better than what I expected coming into the season, doubly so because they've had to deal with the added miles and stress of CONCACAF Champions League play.
So it's made for some uneven performances, and a little bit of a disjointed midfield and backline. That was very much on display in Week 8's 2-1 loss at Portland. Volume up if you want the analysis
The main issue with that sequence was that nobody was sitting deep to protect the 'Caps backline. Matias Laba has been used more often as a destroyer or a hunter of the ball than a pure shield in his MLS tenure, and he's had a stop-start initiation into Vancouver's new 4-1-4-1 formation.
But then, at Stade Saputo, Laba had himself a day:
Notice how deep he is relative to the more advanced central midfielders, Andrew Jacbson and Tony Tchani? That's where he was stationed for the vast majority of the game and in doing so he was a constant thorn in the side of the Impact's attempts at building through midfield. At the same time, he allowed Jacobson and Tchani (later, Alphonso Davies) to push forward and overwhelm Impact d-mid Marco Donadel, as seen on the game-winner:
That whole sequence began when Laba won the ball in front of the Vancouver central defenders (sorry the clip doesn't start there, but what can you do?). By playing quickly from that deep-lying spot into the areas around Donadel, the 'Caps were able to get Jacobson on the ball with enough time and space to tee Cristian Techera up.
The Whitecaps are still a very direct team, and as Donadel's opener shows there can still be some issues between the backline and midfield. They're not exactly "possession oriented," but they're also not as married to the long-ball and straight-line speed as they used to be. It begins with the switch away from the 4-2-3-1 to the 4-1-4-1, and was – this weekend, anyway – elevated by Laba's ability to do the simple work and unshackle the attackers ahead of him.
What we're seeing here may yet be a mirage, by the way. Montreal have been out-of-sorts all year, and it's not like teams won't scout Vancouver's new look. They will, and they'll try to overwhelm Laba in the exact way that Vancouver overwhelmed Donadel. When that happens the 'Caps will have to have the right adjustments in their bag, because more and more, MLS games are becoming tactical chess matches.
Clap Back
Will it upset any narratives if I point out that D.C. United played better chess than Atlanta United on Sunday? Sure, D.C. had just a touch over 25 percent of possession, but they created chances just about any time Atlanta gave them a running lane, won 3-1 because of it, and head coach Ben Olsen was frank in how and why that happened.
"They force you into tough decisions, whether it's the wide guy pinching in or the aggressive overlap [from the fullbacks], and they were doing it at the same time which most teams don't do," Olsen said afterward. "The counter to that is when you do when the ball, you've gotta get ahold of it."
So what's the practical application of that?
"If you turn it over [and] you're composed? Two passes and you're usually off to the races if they're going to be that aggressive."
That's the third goal, which iced the game.
Beyond that, though, the other key was Olsen's tinkering in central midfield – which was the opposite of what Carl Robinson did with Vancouver. United (D.C. version) were getting ripped up by Yamil Asad coming in off the wing and overloading in that central zone, thus overwhelming defensive midfielder Jared Jeffrey. So Olsen had his side swap out of the 4-1-4-1 and into more of a 4-2-3-1 with Ian Harkes positioned deeper and Lucho Acosta as more of a lone No. 10.
Jeffrey was once again better than expected (he's had three nice games in a row as a No. 6) while Harkes was a step slow with his decision-making and movement. He's alternated between looking like a confident, potential-laden field general and an overawed rookie, and it was his turn to be the latter on Sunday. But simply by virtue of having another body in that area of the field D.C. gained a little bit of steel in the spot where they needed it most, and Tata Martino was never able to solve it despite his side snagging 74 percent of possession and out-shooting D.C. 26-9.
D.C.'s big move came at the 10 minute mark, after going down 1-0, and the advanced numbers tell the story of how effective it was: In the first 10 minutes, Atlanta generated about one expected goal. In the subsequent 80 minutes, Atlanta generated... about one expected goal. That's a pretty good RoI for one tactical change, especially since in the process Atlanta were repeatedly coaxed into blind alleys and repeatedly turned the ball over in spots where D.C. could run into all that open space left by the high backline.
Atlanta's not going to stop being who they are, nor should they. "High risk, high reward" has proven to be a good way to win games in this league. They once again took an early lead, and once again dictated the pace of the game, and once again set the tone. This is all good, and stuff that they should keep doing.
They have to be ready to make better adjustments, or at least adjust better to what their opponent is doing. In this one they weren't and didn't, and D.C. turned their aggression – all the stuff that led to them setting the tone in the first place – against them to the turn of three points.
A few more things to ponder:
8. I warned you on Friday that Toronto FC would be dangerous up the left side behind Raheem Edwards. And they were exactly that in their 2-0 win over visiting Houston.
Edwards, who's playing as a left wingback in TFC's 3-5-2, has a lot of polish for a kid who's still learning the spot.
7. Kaká came back from an injury suffered waaaaay back in the opening minutes of Week 1, and helped turn a pretty listless encounter between Orlando City and Colorado into a fairly convincing 2-0 rout for the home side. The Purple Lions are 6-1-0, and their bandwagon is officially accepting applications to join.
6. Folks are hopping off the Crew SC bandwagon despite this Pass of the Week from Federico Higuain:
Patrick Vieira was very clever in pushing Yangel Herrera higher up the pitch as an advanced destroyer, while dropping Alex Ring to the back point as a true No. 6. Herrera's not going to wow anyone with his vision or creativity, but he covers a ton of ground and forces a ton of turnovers in the attacking half. That led to the decider in NYCFC's 3-2 win over the hosts, who are once again too readily victimized trying to play out of the backline and softer through central midfield than they should be.
5. I wrote about Dax McCarty's return to Red Bull Arena in a 2-1 Fire loss to New York.
RBNY have changed a little bit in recent weeks. They're a little more interested in playing out of the back – which led to the opening goal – and slightly less hellbent for leather when it comes to getting into the box.
Judging by the results the attitude alteration has done this group some good.
4. FC Dallas and Portland braved the elements to produce a more open and entertaining 2-2 draw than I'd expected going into the game. Both teams are so devastating when they push their fullbacks forward, which is what this one featured for the duration.
3. Sporting KC's 3-0 win over visiting RSL was also defined at least in part by the elements, but moreso by the hosts' refusal to allow their guests any sort of room in the final third. Sporting's defense is very good:
.@SportingKC has allowed three goals through eight games.
Only @MLS teams to allow fewer through eight games: 2010 LA, 2011 RSL (two each).
They are, however, less dominant as a possession team than they were in recent years. Like just about everyone else they appear more interested in dominating transition opportunities than in dominating the ball.
2. San Jose ended their three-game road trip with a much-needed three points courtesy of a 1-0 win at Minnesota United. They used a hybridized 4-2-1-3 with Chris Wondolowski and Jahmir Hyka taking turns swapping between attacking central midfield and the right wing.
That may seem kind of shocking, but remember that Wondo won his first Golden Boot, way back in 2010, primarily as a right "winger" (really a raumdeuter) in a 4-5-1.
1. And finally, our Face of the Week goes to Will Bruin. He got a goal, helped get his team a point, and got a yellow card in style:
Seattle's 3-3 home draw against the Revs had to be alternately exhilarating and dispiriting for both sides. It was a very, very MLS adventure.
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