After 42 minutes at CenturyLink, neither undefeated Real Salt Lake nor Seattle had mustered a shot on target. That changed shortly after, as RSL defender Aaron Maund's forearm sent Lamar Neagle crashing to the turf. When Gonzalo Pineda converted from the spot, the floodgates were open … though it would be 10 minutes into the second half before the scoreboard took notice.
A bender from Marco Pappa, an ill-struck chip from Chad Barrett and a piece of insurance from Obafemi Martins and Seattle had taken a tossup of a game and blown it open. Come the final whistle, RSL looked less like a team that hadn't been beaten over 90 minutes since 3 November (16 games) then a group primed for this type of result. With a 4-0 win over their closest conference rivals, the Sounders delivered Jeff Cassar's first Major League Soccer loss.
Broadly, the issue was depth; more specifically, how it performed. For two teams hampered by World Cup absences and injuries, the squad players in rave green out-produced the understudies in claret and cobalt. While Seattle got a combined two goals and two assists from Barrett, Kenny Cooper, Lamar Neagle and Pappa, RSL saw Maund, in for Chris Schuler, contribute to three Seattle goals. RSL's Cole Grossman, Devon Sandoval and Olmes Garcia, backup pressed into service, failed to fill their first-choices' shoes. The Western Conference champs were left five points behind Seattle.
But just as you could boil down the result to a comparison of spare parts, a contrast in stars also proved parallels. For a Real Salt Lake team missing leading scorer João Plata and No9 Álvaro Saborío (who broke his foot this week with Costa Rica), attacking midfielder Javier Morales was always going to be important. Yet the form that has made the Argentinian veteran one of MLS's most valuable players deserted him. In contrast, Martins had a part in his team's last two goals, showing his surge to the top of MLS's assists charts isn't purely a function of Clint Dempsey.
When a team wins by four goals, any line you draw through the result provides a stark contrast. On Saturday, those contrasts highlighted the issues that will define the league's next month. Hamstrung by World Cup call ups, Seattle's role players responded. RSL's contributed to the team's first loss. RF
Higuaín's absence not the problem for Columbus
If there is one team that should look at Dallas's post-Díaz plight and fear for it's own universe it's Columbus, another team with a potentially unhealthy dependence on an Argentinian playmaker. And if this weekend's trial run without the suspended Federico Higuaín was any indication, the Crew's attack isn't the main issue in a Pipa-free world. On Saturday at BMO Field, three preventable goals saw Columbus fall to Toronto FC for the second time this season, stymieing any momentum Gregg Berhalter's team gained after last week's slump-busting win over Chicago.
Giving up goals to Justin Meram and Agustin Viana, Toronto went down on two occasions, something that would normally seal the fate of Ryan Nelsen's goal-shy team. With Jermain Defoe, however, those fates are changing. In the first half, three minutes after Columbus took their first lead, Defoe drew a penalty from Giancarlo Gonzalez understudy Tyson Wahl, finishing in the left of Steve Clark's net to make it 1-1 after 21 minutes. An hour later, with what has become a quintessential Defoe MLS goal, the former Tottenham striker took advantage of a mistake by Michael Parkhurst to beat Clark from 19 yards, pulling Toronto even nine minutes from time.
The Reds' final goal, a failure of planning as much as execution, allowed Doneil Henry to redeem himself for his part in Columbus's goals. After a misstep into midfield on the first goal and being beaten in the air on the second, the young Canadian international made the most of a five-inch height advantage on Bernardo Añor. Finishing just inside Clark's right post, Henry's 92nd-minute header provided both drama and justice after his opponents' suspect defensive performance.
These types of defensive mistakes were predictable when it looked like Columbus would lose three defensive starters to the World Cup, but with Parkhurst cut from Jürgen Klinsmann's plans, the Crew's defense should have gotten a relative boost. Instead, the team conceded three times to a Michael Bradley-less Toronto – a team that had been averaging only 1.22 goals per game.
Had Berhalter known his team would score twice without Higuaín, he would have surely liked his chances in Toronto. Combine Jermain Defoe with some poor defending, though, and the Reds scoring problems go out the window. RF
Signs of life in Montréal
New England should be taking advantage of this part of the calendar. Before Saturday's trip to Montréal, they were. Seven games unbeaten, the Revolution had raced to the top of the East, putting valuable points between themselves and the conference's favorites, Sporting Kansas City. With Peter Vermes' depleted team six points back, New England could focus on building a gap between themselves and the defending champions, a gap that should have been bolstered by Sunday's trip to Stade Saputo.
Three minutes after kick-off, however, is was difficult to tell the contending from the floundering. Darting into the right channel in the third minute, Montréal's Andrés Romero could have easily been Diego Fagúndez taking a pass from Lee Nguyen. Instead, the Argentinian winger was running on to a through ball from Marco Di Vaio, one that was eventually shot under the oncoming Bobby Shuttleworth. The worst team in the league had a third-minute lead over one of the best.
As the first half played out, New England never assumed the favorite's mantle. A team that has been so effective in transition sat passively in its own end, apparently unwilling to create the chances that helped produce lopsided results against Seattle and Philadelphia. Though it is often too easy to describe a favorite's poor performance against an underdog as playing down to its opposition, the Revolution seemed intent on validating the cliché. Whatever team produced 16 goals in the last five games failed to make the trip north.
Montréal, on the other hand, played their best game of the season, a performance that was destined to be rewarded after Jack McInerney doubled his new team's lead just before half-time. Out-shooting New England, creating more chances and keeping one of the league's best attacks off the scoresheet, Montréal finally played to their talent level. With the 2-0 win, the Impact claimed a second win of the season.
For all the progress Montréal showed, however, the real story was New England's. Showing a side not revealed since an opening weekend 4-0 loss at Houston, the Revolution gave fans reason to doubt their contenders' credentials. Though SKC, universally agreed to be a contender at full strength, have an equally embarrassing loss this season (at home to Philadelphia), they also have years of success to validate their place.
While the Revolution's Saturday may prove a hiccup, it may also be the first sign that the team is returning to Earth. RF
San Jose alive on the road
For the second time this month, San Jose walked away with a 2-1 win against FC Dallas. In their first meeting, in week nine at San Jose, the Quakes played with 10 men after Shea Salinas saw red in the 45th minute. This week, it was Adam Moffat of FC Dallas who was ejected from the match in the 37th, following a second yellow card. As Dallas extended their winless streak to eight matches, San Jose earned a first road win of the season.
Blas Pérez scored the first goal of the drama-filled first half in the 16th, putting Dallas ahead for 11 minutes before former Dallas player Atiba Harris responded for San Jose. After Moffat’s ejection, Jean-Baptiste Pierazzi found space 35 yards from goal and shot a powerful strike into the top right corner in the 45th. A minute later, Jordan Stewart collided with Fabian Castillo in the box, giving up a penalty. Keeper Jon Busch expertly saved Castillo’s penalty kick, securing the Quakes’ lead into half-time.
After several lineup iterations, San Jose kept their midfield starters who in the previous week helped earn a 3-0 win over Houston. This midfield, centered on Pierazzi and Khari Stephenson, has been evolving over several weeks, with the closest version last seen in week eight in a draw against Colorado. San Jose may think they have found the right midfield combination, but 10-man Dallas proved to be a challenge against it in the second half.
With their top scorer Michel still out with a hamstring injury and Mauro Diaz weeks away from recovery, coach Óscar Pareja has not found an adequate replacement to lead his attack. FC Dallas are among the teams in the league with the highest incidence of injury and, although they had not earned a red card in the previous five matches, adding a sixth red card to their season tally does not bode well. Further complicating Pareja’s options with two matches remaining before the World Cup break, Castillo – who leads the team with shots on goal – will be suspended upon earning his next yellow card.
Through all this, FC Dallas have managed to not lose by more than one goal in all but one match this season. At the very least they are consistent, but as teams in the western conference begin to find their form, much like San Jose have done, this sort of consistency will not carry Dallas into the playoffs.
Up next for San Jose is another road challenge, against Toronto FC; FC Dallas will face Colorado at home. MB
Not even illness keeps Espíndola from scoring
DC United beat Sporting Kansas City 1-0 at home this weekend, for the first time in four years. A 28th-minute Fabián Espíndola goal was all it took to extend KC’s winless streak to five matches. Espíndola, who overcame illness through the week to play, has now scored in three consecutive appearances.
Espíndola appeared to be crossing the ball to Eddie Johnson, who had moved towards goal, but ended up chipping the ball over Eric Kronberg’s head, punishing the KC keeper for coming far off his line with the expectation that Johnson would receive the pass from the in-form Argentinian forward.
Post-match, coach Ben Olson shared that Espíndola had been out of training most of the week but came back on Friday ready to play – Olson called him a warrior.
Meanwhile, Johnson appears to be growing increasingly frustrated. In a span of seven minutes – between the 46th and the 53rd – he conceded two fouls and two offside calls. With only one goal in 11 starts with DC, he pressed against KC with no luck and was replaced in the 68th minute by midfielder Lewis Neal in a defensively minded substitution.
Benny Feilhaber continued to shine for KC despite moonlighting as a talkshow host. In a season where KC have fielded a different starting lineup in each of their 14 matches, Feilhaber has been the constant, playing all but one minute.
KC were more active in the second half but struggled to create opportunities, even as they commanded possession. Defender Aurélien Collin was an early loss in the match, substituted in the 9th minute following a now recurring hamstring injury, by 17 year-old Erik Palmer-Brown. This was the second appearance for Palmer-Brown, and after Jimmy Medranda entered the match in the 66th for Alex Martinez, KC had five players under the age of 20 on the pitch. The only familiar face remaining in the KC backline is that of Seth Sinovic. The left-back and Dom Dwyer paired up for a couple of unrealized opportunities in the first half, but ultimately came up short.
Tension mounted in the final 30 minutes, during which KC earned two yellow cards and DC earned three – including one for Espíndola, for pushing Feilhaber to the ground – and Alex Caskey saw red after a late challenge against Kevin Ellis in the final minute of stoppage time.
Each team has one match left before the World Cup break. DC will face Columbus Crew at FedEx Field following a “Road to Brazil” friendly between Spain and El Salvador, where perhaps they will see a bump in attendance compared to typical home attendances at RFK Stadium. KC will face rivals Houston Dynamo away.
Comments (…)
Sign in or create your Guardian account to join the discussion