Round One Best-of-3 series continues tonight
Houston Dynamo FC (4) welcome Real Salt Lake (5) at 6 pm ET. FC Cincinnati (1) host New York Red Bulls (8) at 8 pm ET. St. Louis CITY SC (1) and Sporting Kansas City (8) face off at 10 pm ET. All games are free on Season Pass on Apple TV.
Gil leaves match early
The New England Revolution suffered a double blow Saturday night in their Audi 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs debut, falling 3-1 to the Philadelphia Union and losing captain Carles Gil to an apparent leg injury. Gil, the 2021 Landon Donovan MLS MVP who had 11g/15a this season, is now a question mark for the Revs' must-win Game 2 at home on Nov. 8. He exited their Round One series opener in the 20th minute before Bobby Wood replaced him.
Philadelphia defender Glesnes to undergo sports hernia surgery
The Philadelphia Union will be without one of their top players for most, if not all, of the Audi 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs. Head coach Jim Curtin, speaking after Saturday’s 3-1 home win over the New England Revolution, disclosed that center back Jakob Glesnes will soon undergo sports hernia surgery. Glesnes, 29, is a two-time All-Star and was named MLS Defender of the Year in 2022.
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What happened?: Dániel Gazdag buried an early penalty, Carles Gil left the field with an injury moments after and that was that. The Union piled on a couple more goals from Mikael Uhre and Nathan Harriel for good measure and rolled to an opening game win to take a 1-0 advantage in the Best-of-3 series.
So, did we learn anything?: If you come into Chester needing a huge performance from the team as a whole, but especially your former MVP, it’s probably not ideal if you give up a handful of early goals and lose your former MVP to injury.
I dunno, y’all. I think that’s all I’ve got here. The Union have lost at home seven times since the start of the 2020 season. You have to be something close to perfect to get a result and the Revs were far from it.
What’s next?: The Union need one more win to advance. New England have to win two straight. Game Two is set for Wednesday, Nov. 8 at 7 pm ET in Foxborough.
What happened?: LAFC scored four times from set pieces as they rolled over the Whitecaps in Game One. Ryan Hollingshead and Dénis Bouanga both grabbed a brace.
So, did we learn anything?: Of all the possible timelines yesterday, I didn’t think we’d end up in the one that featured “LAFC mollywhopping via set piece.” Yet here we are. The Whitecaps weren’t completely outclassed in open play, but were totally overwhelmed on just about every dead ball near their box. That’s a terrible formula for advancing in the playoffs. They either correct that by Game Two or they’ve got zero chance to pull off the upset.
What’s next?: Game Two is Sunday, Nov. 5 at 7:30 pm ET in Vancouver. LAFC advance with a win.
We’ve got three Round One openers to close out the weekend. Here’s one key to keep an eye on for each game.
Houston Dynamo FC vs. Real Salt Lake: Is Chicho going to go?
Real Salt Lake’s star striker, Cristian Arango, has been dealing with a hamstring injury the last few weeks. RSL could get a massive boost at just the right time if he’s able to go in this one. He might be good to at least make an impact as a sub. He’s listed as questionable on the team’s injury report.
However, if he can start, this is a totally different ballgame. He’s obviously a game-changing piece of RSL’s attack and might be the equalizer RSL must have to go up against an excellent Dynamo side in Houston. Otherwise, Houston seem to have the edge at a few key spots. Midfield in particular.
FC Cincinnati vs. New York Red Bulls: Did the Red Bulls figure out how to finish?
I’m not trying to start an “Is finishing real?” debate here. I’m trying to see if the supernatural forces that dictate soccer games have decided to bless New York with the ability to find the net at a high-rate in the playoffs after keeping them from scoring all season. Like, as a joke.
Either way, the Red Bulls are entering this one with a ton of momentum. They blasted Charlotte in the Wild Card round last week. They may not have figured out how to finish, but they’re definitely more confident than ever. That could be enough to put a genuine scare into Cincy. At least for a few moments. It’s hard to imagine this Cincy team ever being rattled enough for some confidence and pressing to really bother them. But maybe we’ll learn something new today.
St. Louis CITY SC vs. Sporting Kansas City: Can St. Louis avoid penalties?
It’s worth repeating that Sporting KC have an oddly-specific anime villain in goal. Tim Melia’s lone superpower is winning penalty shootouts. He does not lose. And when you have a player like that, you’re going to feel confident about your chances if the game happens to end in a tie.
I don’t think it’s crazy to think SKC would be comfortable seeing this one equal after 90 minutes. To the point where there might be tactics and decisions in key situations that suggest they’re trying to get to the finish line rather than earn a late winner.
Then again, St. Louis could come out and do that thing where they win by like five goals on a 0.5 xG differential and none of that would matter. The regular season has taught us it’s all on the table here.
- Charles Boehm wrote about how tattoos and family inspire Real Salt Lake's "Moon Boy," Diego Luna.
- FC Cincinnati said they’re fully prepared to begin a playoff run.
- St. Louis CITY are taking a record-setting season and attempting to translate it into playoff success.
- The good folks at Extratime interviewed Orlando City rookie striker Duncan McGuire.
- The Union sent a message in their win over New England.
- LAFC found the secret ingredient versus Vancouver.
Good luck out there. Get creative with your celebrations.
