MLS matchday 26: Three big things

Columbus dominate MLS Cup rematch in LA

Saturday’s late matchup between LAFC and the Columbus Crew was supposed to be the case of an immovable object vs. an unstoppable force—two league heavyweights in incredible form clashing to casuals’ delight. Instead, it was a one-sided beatdown—one of the 5-1 variety. 

From minute one, the Crew had complete control of the game. They played in LAFC’s half and hardly ever lost the ball. And when they did, Columbus’ counterpress won it right back. By the time the Crew scored their first (in the 38th minute), you already knew it was coming.

The goal was classic Wilfried Nancy ball. Cucho Hernandez, Max Arfsten, and Diego Rossi overloaded their left wing and combined beautifully to put Arfsten in behind. The wing back then put a dime of a ball into Christian Ramirez in the middle, who headed it home before LAFC even knew what hit them. The home side were lucky to go into half only down by a single goal. But that luck ran out quickly. 

The Crew’s first goal was a representation of the brilliance of the man on the touchline. Their second was a representation of the brilliance of the men on the field—namely Cucho. His goal—a curler from the top of the box—is so incredibly difficult to pull off. His hips are facing the corner flag and he takes two steps from a standstill to come onto the ball. The fact that he’s able to get that sort of power and direction on the ball is a mystery to me. It was a mystery to Hugo Lloris too—the World Cup winner could only stand and watch the ball drift into the corner of his net.

“[Cucho] is one of the best modern football attacking players,” Nancy said on Apple TV postgame. 

That’s high praise from one of the brightest coaching talents in the world. 

The goal ended up being the blow that broke the proverbial dam. Columbus piled it on late, which they thoroughly deserved. And then LA’s frustration started to show. First it was Sergi Palencia getting his second yellow in the 82nd minute and then it was Jesus Murillo who got a straight red for violent conduct. Columbus’ relentlessness will do that to you—they rank fourth in MLS in yellow cards drawn. 

• MLS’s best team: This statement stamps what many theorized during the Crew’s Champions Cup run—that Columbus are the best team in the league. There is not a doubt in my mind. They have been close to flawless since the final in Pachuca and have looked better than they’ve ever looked in the past month. 

Charlotte find their scoring form in Cincinnati 

FC Cincinnati had themselves a party last weekend. They poured on goals from anywhere and everywhere and looked inspired in the fluidity in which they played. This weekend was their hangover. 

Cincy looked sloppy and slow in their 3-1 loss on Saturday, allowing Charlotte far too much space in midfield to pick their backline apart. But let me not take away from Charlotte—they looked great. They defended well the entire game, which we’ve come to expect, and they made the most of their chances, which we’ve not come to expect. 

The bulk of Charlotte’s chances, and their goals, came early in the first half. Iuri Tavares, subbing in for the suspended Patrick Agyemang, scored the first from a brilliant ball from Ashley Westwood. The second goal came from Liel Abada—a screamer from the top of the box. Those were Charlotte’s only clear-cut chances of the game (they were Charlotte’s only shots that registered over 0.20 expected goals), but they scored them, and that’s the only thing that matters.

This is how Charlotte’s coach Dean Smith wants to play. He wants to defend deep and steal goals off set pieces and counterattacks. His team just hasn’t been able to do the second part consistently. But this performance is encouraging. Outside of the win itself, Smith will be glad that all three goals came from three different players and that his best creative outlet, Westwood, got himself three assists. 

Speaking of… he really made me look dumb this week. Over a week ago I said something to the effect that Charlotte shouldn’t rely on the 34-year-old to be their primary playmaker. That take aged like milk on summer Astroturf—that is to say, badly. But, you know what? I still stick by it. 

• Some good signs: Charlotte still need a creative playmaker and a goalscorer to make sure this team produces chances consistently. Emphasis on that last word. But they showed some good signs on Saturday. 

Riqui Puig is not a striker

There’s no doubt that Riqui Puig is one of the league’s best players. He’s all-league at almost everything in possession—he can break lines with his dribbling, find line-breaking passes, and finish from range with pin-point accuracy. But out of possession, he’s one of the league’s worst. Among midfielders in MLS, he’s in the 5th percentile or worse in tackles, interceptions, blocks, clearances, and aerial duels won according to FBref. It’s the reason he never really made it at Barcelona.

After LA Galaxy’s loss to their cross-town rivals on Independence Day (and Puig’s lack of defensive presence in that game), questions started to be asked about Puig’s role on the team. After all, the Galaxy won four out of four in June when Puig was out due to injury and Diego Fagundez occupied the 10 role. 

Galaxy coach Greg Vanney tried to find a solution to his Puig conundrum on Saturday with Dejan Joveljic out due to injury. Vanney brought his team out in its usual 4-3-3, but with Fagundez and Puig both playing centrally. Without possession, Puig went up top while Fagundez tucked into midfield. With possession, the pair switched positions. In theory, this gives the Galaxy a better defensive presence in midfield while still letting Puig run the show from attacking areas. 

In practice, however, the lack of a pure number nine hamstrung the Galaxy in offensive transitions, which is when they’re at their best. Throughout the 90 minutes, LA registered 0.4 xG, which is their worst mark in the league this season. This system could work in a winning game state—when the opposition’s backline is stretched out and high up the field. But FC Dallas scored first on Saturday ironically enough because LA’s midfield didn’t track back. Dallas would go on to win 2-0. 

“We knew LA Galaxy are very good with the ball, but in the end, I didn’t think that so much in the last third for them,” FC Dallas coach Peter Luccin said postgame. “They had maybe two shots from outside the box, maybe another opportunity, but I thought we controlled well.”

To Vanney’s credit, he made the necessary changes at half-time—bringing out Miguel Berry to play as the number nine. But it was too little too late. With the lead, FC Dallas could sit back more than the Galaxy would want, and the Texans could break out against a questionable Galaxy backline in transition, which is how they got their second goal. 

• Still a top 5 team: But, hey, there’s no shame in trying something different! The Galaxy are still a top-five team in the league even with all of Puig’s defensive frailties. But to raise their ceiling, they might just need to get Puig to run a little more. They’re also gonna need Joveljic to come back as quickly as possible.