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After a month-long break caused by the League Cup, we’re back! Welcome to week 22 of our staff column gathering news, insights and highlights from around Major League Soccer.

The Columbus Crew is a legitimate contender in the Eastern Conference – get used to it and adjust expectations accordingly.

Columbus dispatched Hell is Real derby rivals (and Supporters’ Shield leaders) FC Cincinnati 3-0. Between these two sides, the Eastern Conference’s path to the MLS Cup could go through Ohio.

Cincy still has a comfortable eight-point lead atop the Shield race, but Sunday night was all about Columbus. It was a statement of intent and a dominant performance against the current top dogs in the league. Aidan Morris scored a goal and Cucho Hernandez a penalty to give Columbus a first-half lead before Jacen Russell-Rowe scored a third in second-half stoppage time.

“It was definitely a statement, especially 3-0,” Morris told MLS 360 after the game. “I think we know what color Ohio is now, don’t we?”

Columbus outshot Cincy 13-6, held 62 percent possession and dominated xG 2.01 to 0.34. Making his regular debut with the team, Julian Gressel dictated the team’s progress up the pitch in the space left open by Álvaro Barreal, who was withdrawn after 74 minutes.

Star summer signing Diego Rossi made his debut, coming off the bench in the second half with Columbus now in command and a comfortable two-goal lead. Rossi settled into the game straight away, heavily involved in the action both in attack and counter-pressing. Columbus looked more likely to add a third than Cincy to pull a third, but they had to wait until stoppage time to get it.

Columbus has been a very good, entertaining, attacking team with critical defensive flaws, but this result could be a turning point. It marked their first clean sheet in eight games.

The Crew is reminiscent of where Cincinnati was this time last year: A very good, fun offensive team that morphed into a serious contender over the summer. Cincy added Matt Miazga last summer; Columbus added two center backs (Rudy Camacho, Yevhen Cheberko) and a new starting fullback (Gressel) this year in addition to Rossi. Wilfried Nancy is in his first season with the club and continues to improve, similar to Pat Noonan’s debut season in Cincinnati last year.

Nancy and Noonan each breathed creative life into the teams they inherited, tweaking systems and tactics to get improved performances from those already in the team, plus some essential additions.

The Crew is now up to fifth place in the conference, just four points behind second place New England.

– Tom Bogert

Toronto finally scores! (…but loses again)

Things continue to get worse before they get better for Toronto FC as they lost 3-2 to rivals CF Montréal. Toronto are now winless in their last 12 games in all competitions.

But here’s the silver lining: At least they finally scored their first goals of the (interim) Terry Dunfield era!

Federico Bernardeschi’s curled effort in the 66th minute (Bernardeschi’s first since April 2) snapped a six-game goalless run dating back to June 24. Dunfield took over the next game. Bernardeschi hadn’t scored himself since a long time on April 2, so the golazo was long overdue. And apparently it felt so good that he added a second goal in stoppage time. It wasn’t enough to win, but hey – it’s progress.

And it just so happens that Bernardeschi did so in time to remind Serie A clubs that he can still be bought before the Italian transfer window closes at the end of the month.

– Bogert

Minnesota United: The best road warriors?

Once again, Minnesota United marked their home field advantage with a 2-0 victory at NYCFC.

In his second debut for the Loons after spending the last 18 months with San Jose and Nashville, Ján Greguš scored from 30 yards – a chance with an expected return of just 0.03. NYCFC battled hard in front of the Citi Field faithful, scoring 19 shots (five on goal) with a combined xG of 2.20. They appeared to finally have luck on their side when 19-year-old Julián Fernández appeared to pull away a penalty on his MLS debut. Instead, VAR overturned the on-field call and Talles Magno sent a header over the bar two minutes later.

Minnesota put the score on ice in the fifth minute of stoppage time when Mender Garcia capitalized on a two-man counterattack assisted by former NYCFC winger Ismael Tajouri-Shradi.

Earlier in the week, we looked at how the Loons’ ability to take advantage of the break hasn’t been as important at home as it is on the road. Minnesota has won just two of its first 10 regular-season games at Allianz Field, the second-fewest in MLS ahead of Colorado’s dismal one-of-12 record in Commerce City. And with the return of the regular season, Minnesota provided a good reminder of how they grab results on the road: let the hosts have the ball, force them to take less dangerous shots and be effective on the break.

Overall, they have miserably underperformed their expected results performance in Saint Paul. They shoot more often, but less accurately, as they try to create their own chances from a set stasis of the game. They have much more of the ball, are more dependent on positional attacks (the usual sequences of plays) than counterattacks, and press more actively to attempt forced transition moments. It doesn’t always work out, as evidenced by the fact that they have drawn six of their 10 home games.

There are ways they can adjust their construction to create more space. We’ve made it to the end of analyzing their attack without a single mention of their left-back, whose play has hardly required a nod here. If they can’t celebrate with the deflected defensive focus, simply keeping them wide would open up more of the central channel and left-centre half for Pukki and Reynoso. The full-backs may need to be a little less diligent, keeping up with Reynoso’s progress to provide wide outlets and allow the front three more space in the final third that to try to open the ground a little. I’m sure their legs wouldn’t mind a few less steps for 90.

Either way, it might not even be optimal for this specific iteration of the Loons to play for home-field advantage in the playoffs. This is a team that has enjoyed playing spoiler, from their offense to the rising trend of goalie Dayne St. Clair to perform penalty kick sequences. It would be counterintuitive not to want to play in front of the home faithful who continue to provide one of the best atmospheres in MLS, but a more ideal state of play to play on the break is compensation. The increased need for holiday parties could also boost the local economy, perhaps.

– Jeff Rueter

Festival of Goals in St

The vigorous beginning of the life of St. Louis as an MLS franchise has been characterized by good organization, lots of character and quality moments – and that’s just from the set pieces.

After Tim Parker’s header into the bottom corner from an Eduard Lowen free kick in a 6-3 demolition of Austin FC at home, St. ).

The battle continues on an individual level, with Lowen’s two straight free-throw goals bested only by Atlanta star Thiago Almada, who has found the back of the net from a set shot on three occasions this year. Whether you prefer Lowen’s in-form effort against Vancouver or Almada’s stunner against the Portland Timbers, it’s clear that their individual quality on set pieces is central to the team’s strategy of putting the ball in the net.

In many ways, performance from Bradley CarnellThe team summed up exactly why they are flying high atop the Western Conference. Their ability from set pieces sets them apart from almost every other team in the league, and the quality shown with Parker’s opener, but their pace and quality in transition allowed them to extend their lead. And a smart goal from Samuel Adeniran off the bench didn’t hurt.

Josh Wolff could have spent more time studying film from their early-season matchup, as St. Louis’ threat ended.

Austin put up an impressive fight in the second half (at least in attack), creating chances until Adeniran put an exclamation point on the score with the last kick of the game, but a lack of quality in both boxes meant St. far from worthy winners.

– Elias Burke

Houston knocks the Timbers out of committee

Even though Ben Olsen took over a team that finished 13th in the West last season, he started a job with the league’s best central midfielder. Héctor Herrera quickly enjoyed playing for his new manager, increasing his touch share as Olsen devised a system to give the ball to his best player more often. They haven’t been MLS’ sexiest watch or scoring machine, as their zero goal difference suggests. However, the “success by committee” approach sees Houston sit in sixth place in the West after securing a huge 5-0 win against a Portland team that is now six points behind them.

Corey Baird led the way, scoring a goal and adding an assist. The customer was the maddest, with goalkeeper Steve Clark sprinting past left-back Brad Smith before the former Bournemouth and Liverpool defender picked out a fine finish past Aljaz Ivacic.

Smith became the 13th member of the Dynamo to score in the first 24 games of the season, while Baird quickly climbed to the top of Houston’s scoring charts.

Olsen was able to partially shape this roster according to his ideology, but he has found plenty of players who can help shape a valuable roster for the postseason.

– Rueter

A strange thing

When you’re trying to intimidate your rival in a thing called the “Hell is Real” derby, it’s not good enough for your manager to start it off by gently pushing his way through a fake brick wall. Yes, Columbus went on to win by a comfortable margin, but they need to do better than that. Keni Wilfried Nancy (who was serving the remainder of a suspension for “irresponsible conduct”) kick down a steel door with a boot made of flame and bite his head off a live stick, letting blood drip down his chin as he rolls his eyes in the back of his head as The Undertaker. We need real shows!

(Feature photo: Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports)



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