International concerns have pushed MLS to the back burner for most of the week, but there's always something to focus on. Here are the three things that will occupy my attention over the next 48 hours:
1. We'll take the Physical Challenge
One of my go-to lines about Sporting KC from the early part of this past decade was that in order to compete with them, your first job was matching Kei Kamara's physicality. He is the most dominant aerial attacking presence in this league since Brian McBride retired, and complements that particular gift with pace, underappreciated skill and an underrated soccer brain.
What Kamara's not is a finisher, which is (one of the reasons) why those Sporting teams used to use him on the wing. Crew SC head coach Gregg Berhalter, however, has taken a different tack, and has used Kamara as a pure No. 9 for all 180 minutes of his team's 2015 season thus far.
He's getting chances like THIS, where he outjumped Warren Creavalle but headed just high. And THIS, where he used his strength and first touch to absolutely ragdoll Steven Caldwell, forcing Joe Bendik into a point blank save. There's also THIS – the movement shows Kamara's brain as much as his athleticism – which demanded what is, to this point, the save of the season from Tyler Deric. And he's naturally the best target on set pieces, even if he misses wide HERE.
Crew SC cross the ball more than anyone in the league on a per 90 basis, but they also complete final third passes at a higher percentage than anyone else in MLS:
Team |
Possession |
Passing Accuracy, Final 1/3 |
Crosses Open |
Crosses Open, Successful |
Columbus Crew SC |
60.28 |
70.78 |
56 |
19 |
Seattle Sounders FC |
57.67 |
69.71 |
41 |
6 |
LA Galaxy |
57.01 |
66.45 |
71 |
14 |
Real Salt Lake |
56.88 |
70.08 |
28 |
8 |
Orlando City SC |
54.95 |
70.26 |
37 |
2 |
New York Red Bulls |
54.22 |
62.18 |
36 |
5 |
Chicago Fire |
54.04 |
65.5 |
40 |
8 |
Sporting Kansas City |
50.44 |
59.74 |
39 |
9 |
New York City FC |
50.38 |
66.08 |
14 |
1 |
D.C. United |
50.1 |
61.8 |
24 |
9 |
FC Dallas |
49.64 |
58.81 |
38 |
11 |
New England Revolution |
49.58 |
65.42 |
49 |
8 |
Philadelphia Union |
49.53 |
62.81 |
42 |
7 |
Montreal Impact |
47.44 |
63.68 |
24 |
4 |
Portland Timbers |
47.28 |
55.23 |
44 |
8 |
Vancouver Whitecaps FC |
43.59 |
54.81 |
41 |
8 |
Toronto FC |
43.46 |
66.33 |
16 |
6 |
Colorado Rapids |
43.23 |
62.14 |
21 |
4 |
Houston Dynamo |
42.12 |
56.81 |
22 |
1 |
San Jose Earthquakes |
41.94 |
54.14 |
34 |
5 |
Those numbers – especially cross completion percentage – are absurd. It won't shock you to see that Kamara's lone goal through two games, which you can see HERE, came off a cross.
Obviously sample size is at play here, and obviously there will be some regression. Beyond that, remember that soccer is not a game of discrete events, but rather a series of connected events – struggles in central midfield can lead to a lack of overlapping options, and thus fewer chances to hit a good cross. No battle on any field is won purely in a 1-v-1 setting.
But let's not understate the importance of Kamara, his ability to win 1-v-1 physical challenges off the ball, and how rugged the New York Red Bulls central defense is going to have to be from the whistle on Saturday (7:30 pm ET; MLS Live).
I'll also be watching...Lloyd Sam, who's been All-Star caliber through two games. His movement tied D.C. United's backline in knots last week, and one of the best ways to make sure you don't face a lot of dangerous crosses is to use your wingers to push back the opposing fullbacks.
2. All the Right Moves
A few days back I made the observation that Chicago Fire attacker Harry Shipp plays a lot like Cuauhtemoc Blanco. I'm not the only one who's noticed that:
Just as obviously, that's Chicago's only goal this year. Injuries and international absences have hurt, of course, and Maloney deserves more than three weeks to settle before people start calling for his head. But it'll be hard to justify dropping him back into the middle upon his return from Scotland if Shipp has a big game.
I'll also be watching... Backline giveaways from the Union. Specifically Fabinho, who was simply abused by FC Dallas last week. Teams know they can exploit him for speed and that he gets the yips if he's closed down aggressively with the ball on his foot.
3. The Shape of Things to Come
One of the more talked about adjustments of the young season has been RSL's switch from their diamond 4-4-2 to a 4-3-3. So far the struggle is real:
Sorry about the pun.
That is not a great team shape, and you can see the obvious problem right away: RSL were defending with three for a ton of the time, and Kyle Beckerman was asked to hold down the deep central midfield all by his lonesome.
Beckerman's the best in the league at that, but Toronto FC on Sunday (7 pm ET; FoxSports 1) will present a unique challenge thanks to the way they've been using Sebastian Giovinco. The
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Italian DP has played a bit as a No. 10 and a bit more as a false 9, floating between the backline and central midfield to cause some positional confusion when with the ball, and dropping off to harass the opposing No. 6 when without.
Giovinco's defensive effort hasn't been great, to be perfectly honest. But anything that disrupts Beckerman's ability to distribute in this one could end up disrupting everything RSL's trying to do with their new lineup.
I'll also be watching... The TFC back line, which is hit hard by injuries and suspensions at the moment. RSL's wingers haven't been influential so far this year. That could change in a hurry on Sunday.
