The end of the 1% derby?

Sunday was an interesting day for a couple of rivalries that have dominated the designated player era. It was rounded out by one of the more nondescript Cascadia clashes of recent times as Seattle and Portland cancelled each other out until a frenetic final 15 minutes, but prior to that New York Red Bulls and LA Galaxy played their only game of the regular season in a manner that was remarkable in the context of recent history.

It wasn’t that the game itself was particularly extraordinary, but what was noteworthy was the pattern of the game, which was something of an inversion of recent iterations of this rivalry.

For one thing this was not a game that was decided by the relative star power of the two teams. No Beckham/Keane/Donovan v Henry/Marquez/Cahill style clashes on Sunday night. All but one of those players has left the league or retired. Keane is still at the Galaxy, of course, and soon to be joined by Steven Gerrard, but the Irishman was injured on Sunday night, while on the opposite side, the Red Bulls have become a studied model of collectivism. For a game sometimes nicknamed the ‘1% derby’ that in itself was a significant shift.

And then there was the general tenor of the game. The Galaxy have been the dominant team of the designated player era, and while the Red Bulls have got results against them in that time, it has generally been through winning by the odd goal against the run of play, with an apparent ambition of hanging in in hope of that outcome. No disgrace in that, but whether consciously or not, it’s often seemed to affirm the Galaxy’s ascendancy by setting up to try and match LA’s proactive approach.

But on Sunday, the Red Bulls went at the Galaxy, forcing the champions onto the back foot for long stretches of the game, and showing the kind of physical and technical dominance in midfield that’s generally been the sole preserve of LA in recent clashes between the two. The trio of Martins, McCarty and Kljestan enjoyed their best game yet as a burgeoning midfield core, and having come back from a goal down, the Red Bulls remain the only unbeaten team in the league after their six games, and having played better overall than in winning against San Jose last time out.

For their part the Galaxy can be perfectly happy with the outcome of a point on the road, having set up to counter the Red Bulls pressing game with some directness of their own. They got off to a perfect start when Bradford Jamieson IV turned Red Bulls full back Chris Duvall inside out before shooting across Luis Robles to become the second youngest MLS goal-scorer ever. And while there was no injustice in the Red Bulls drawing level after sustained pressure (though there was a definite element of luck in the ball ricocheting in off Felipe’s face), the Galaxy showed enough early-season solidarity and sense of maturity from their emerging players that you suspect the usual Bruce Arena pacing of a season is going on.

And speaking after the game Red Bulls goalkeeper Luis Robles was in no doubt about the qualities of the champions – speaking admiringly of how cool they were under pressure and suggesting that the Galaxy’s “swagger” was something his side aimed to have. But he and other Red Bulls players were also able to reflect on a disappointment that their collective efforts had not been good enough for three points, regardless of the opposition, and in a series that has often seen the Red Bulls benchmark their progress against a dominant Galaxy team, that subtle but significant shift in ambitions may mark something of a new era. GP

Saturday steals the show

The regular TV time slots for MLS have been steadily doing what they were designed to do, if modestly, in building audiences for destination viewing. The combination of Univision Fridays and the ESPN and Fox double bills on Sunday evenings will take time to establish itself as part of the cultural rhythm of US sporting life, but it’s a very necessary development for the growth of the league.

Inevitably there will be teething problems – the designation of the ball as “the white bullet” on the English language commentary on Univision has already achieved cult status on social media – and perhaps just as importantly, all the smart scheduling in the world can’t legislate for the fact that on some weeks, the best action happens elsewhere.

Granted, the sight of a Jozy Altidore brace to welcome Toronto back to winning ways was a definite storyline for the cameras on Sunday night, though the game itself, played in difficult conditions in Orlando temperatures that were 87F at kick off, was no great advert for the league. But the Red Bulls v Galaxy game was engrossing rather than wildly exciting and the Sounders v Portland game was settled on a scrappy goal.

The non-national TV schedule on Saturday night meanwhile, had it all. DC came from behind to defeat early Shield frontrunners Vancouver and assert their own renewed credentials in the East, while New England blew away RSL 4-0 in a game that not only displayed attacking potency but also saw a steadily improving defense maintain a shutout.

Columbus couldn’t quite match that, but in battering a demoralized-looking Philadelphia 4-1 they completed an unbeaten April with a second successive win by three clear goals.

And of course there were the wild events in Houston, where the Dynamo and Sporting KC split eight goals between them. In all there were 20 goals scored across four games on Saturday night while the five nationally televised games in this weekend’s bumper crop of double and triple bills collectively managed only eight.

In the greater scheme of things it’s not hugely important that that’s the way things worked out – if anything what’s more significant that this particular window on the league is there at all and at largely knowable time slots.

When the new TV deal was announced last year, the focus was largely on the money aspects and what that might do to the then forthcoming collective bargaining agreement negotiations. In that conversation the new regular TV scheduling was noted as a positive, but it’s only now that it’s got underway that its impact and value is truly being felt. This weekend the cameras were perhaps pointed in the wrong direction, but the fixed time slots are a definite step in the right direction for the profile of the league. GP

Kevin Stott’s terrible performance resulted in the best game of the season so far

Having shared eight goals, a red card and a penalty kick between them, competing coaches Owen Coyle and Peter Vermes ordinarily might have shrugged and shook hands at full-time, putting the result down as a mere unaccountable quirk. Instead both men made a beeline for referee Kevin Stott and his assistants upon hearing the final whistle at BBVA Compass Stadium Saturday night.

This was yet another instalment in what has become an enthralling, if slightly unorthodox, rivalry between the Houston Dynamo and Sporting KC, but Stott’s woeful and dreadfully inconsistent performance undermined what should have been remembered as a decidedly fun encounter. This match had everything, including a subsequent sense of simmering injustice for the hosts – who were dealt a number of questionable refereeing calls.

And yet for those watching from a position of neutrality, such furore only contributed to what was the best game of the fledgling MLS season so far. Sporting KC took a third-minute lead as Kirstztian Nemeth struck home from 20 yards out, only for a failed clearance by Servando Carrasco to result in a Giles Barnes leveller less than 10 minutes later. This chaotic sequence set a lasting tone for the entire match, as the lead switched back and forth three times before Sporting KC’s stoppage time equaliser.

But Stott was the primary source of disarray, blowing his whistle on a number of contentious incidents throughout. The defining call of the game came with the score at 3-2 – with Jermaine Taylor penalised and shown red for a handball in the box, allowing Benny Feilhaber to convert from 12 yards. Replays showed that Taylor had in fact used his chest - actively tucking his arm behind his back to avoid contact - to block Nemeth’s shot on goal.

Then there was the addition of six minutes stoppage time at the conclusion of the contest, which came as a result of Stott’s drawn out decision to send off Taylor. So not only did Stott cripple the Dynamo by incorrectly reducing the hosts to 10 men, but by also clocking up enough stoppage time for Sporting KC to snatch a point - with Feilhaber’s strike coming in the 96th minute.

But while Coyle might have struggled to see much of a bright side at the time, rushing the referee at full-time along with Vermes - who felt aggrieved at calls against his own team too - the Houston boss will in time reflect on the continued attacking development of his side.

He might have eroded the spine of the Dynamo team left for him by Dominic Kinnear, but on the basis of Houston’s last three outings the former Bolton and Burnley boss has finally found a way to unleash his frontline - something the Texans found difficult last season as they scored just 39 goals from 34 regular-season fixtures. Giles Barnes in particular appears to have been reenergised by the club’s new coach - with the English forward boasting four goals from seven games this term. Coyle has often strained to find positives from a number of lethargic and disjointed displays this season. This time there actually were some, even if Stott’s performance made it tough to see so. GR

DC United are stronger championship candidates with Fabian Espindola back in the team

Of course, it’s still too early in the season to declare any fixture as title-deciding, but when two conference leaders clash it’s difficult not to take the outcome as something of a statement on both sides’ championship candidacies. And so it was DC United that took the upper hand in the East with an impressive comeback win over the Western Conference’s high-flying Vancouver Whitecaps.

The Caps’ progression under Carl Robinson in 2015, following an off-season of such upheaval, has provided arguably the most compelling plotline in MLS this season, with their attacking roster among the most dynamic and inherently exciting in the division. But while there hasn’t been the same bombastic momentum to DC United’s campaign, Ben Olsen’s side has developed at their own steady rate over the past two seasons.

Having lifted the regular season Eastern Conference title last year, DC United looked in good shape to be a force once again in 2015 - barring a 2013-style slump. But with injuries dealt to key attacking figures, and Fabian Espindola suspended for the season’s opening six matches, Olsen’s team could have been forgiven had they endured a sluggish start to the campaign. In fact, the capital club named just five players to their bench on Saturday, such has been their injury troubles. Thus, their record so far - four wins, two draws and just one defeat from seven games - makes for mightily impressive reading.

The return of Espindola proved to be a key factor in DC’s victory at BC Place, with the forward a wily disruptor against a shaky - and ultimately short-handed, following the dismissal of protective midfielder Matias Laba just before the interval - Vancouver defensive line. The Argentinean’s work rate often outweighs his pure goal threat, yet that could give DC United some welcome fluidity in the final third. Olsen’s side are a more balanced and complete team with Espindola involved.

Robinson put his side’s defeat down to the conservative, counter-attacking style approach adopted by DC United, complaining, “teams come here and play differently. We do that on the road when we go away and I think teams do that [here].” But perhaps the former Welsh international should look at a fault of his own instead.

For all the credit Robinson must take for Vancouver’s start to the season, his continued selection of Pa Modou Kah in central defence alongside Kendall Watson must be scrutinised. The Norwegian already boasts quite the collection of gaffes and mistakes as a Caps player, and was at fault for both DC United goals Saturday. His physicality gives Vancouver undeniable presence at the back, but his botched clearance ultimately resulted in Laba’s dismissal, with the centre-back also playing a part in the Caps’ failure to stump the counter-attack that produced DC’s winner. Most coaches would bench Kah after such a performance, but Robinson’s track-record suggests he will somehow keep his place against Portland next week. GR

Are Chicago finally getting their designated player choices right again?

Cuauhtémoc Blanco retired this week, at the age of 42 – going out in a typical flourish with a 20-minute cameo for Puebla in their Copa MX final win.

Blanco of course, is still remembered fondly in Chicago, where his three seasons at the start of the AD (After David) designated-player era set a bar for such marquee acquisitions that was impressive, but should not have been impossible for subsequent Fire stars to clear, given that Blanco was already well into his twilight years during his time in Chicago.

Yet up to this season subsequent Fire designated players have been a disappointing bunch, with the likes of Freddie Ljungberg and Sherjill Macdonald either not there long enough to make a true impact, or too patchy, and the trio of Nery Castillo, Federico Puppo and Alvaro Fernandez chiefly remarkable for each departing on loan shortly after arriving.

Given that recent track record of under-performance it’s early days to make definitive statements about the Fire’s latest batch of designated players, but going on the evidence of Friday night’s performance against New York City, and what it confirms about a trend the Fire have begun to set as one of the more exciting attacking sides in the league, the Fire may finally be getting value for money from their significant personnel.

Shaun Maloney is proving a creative and dangerous force up front and once he starts linking up consistently with the latest populist shout for a national team look, Harry Shipp, the goals should start coming from that axis.

But it’s David Accam who looks the real deal right now, and while the Ghanaian forward’s winning goal came from an unfortunate howler by New York City keeper Ryan Meara, it could have come from any number of shots, driving runs and general tormenting movement that threatened to tear NYC apart at times.

NYC had no answer for Accam – who’d already hit a post after a slaloming run through a forest of defenders, when he gave the Fire the lead, and who having scored that goal would moments later reduce the Fire’s opponents to 10 men when another surging run forced Andrew Jacobson to haul him down for a straight red card.

And while we’re still waiting to see if Kennedy Igboananike can round out the potential of the 2015 DP class, if Accam keeps up his early form he could singlehandedly change the underwhelming impression of Chicago’s signings in the designated player era.

There are important caveats to this of course. One is the small sample size I’m basing this praise on (Macdonald may never have made quite such an early impression, for example, but put up solid numbers in his first season before tailing off – though already Accam looks in a different class). But the other is a more general issue for Chicago continuing to allow teams to stay in games. Eighteen draws last season tell their own story, and despite the changes, including Accam, and despite their sometimes exhilarating approach play, the Fire, as they showed on Friday, are still struggling to kill off games, even against a depleted and dejected 10-man NYC team.

And until the eye-catching performers start racking up eye-catching points totals, their personal highlight reels won’t trouble Blanco’s reputation. But something’s stirring again in Chicago. GP