Arguably the most talked about news from Week 33 unfolded before a ball was ever kicked on the penultimate matchday of the MLS regular season.
As the Montreal Impact jogged into position for the opening whistle Sunday in their pivotal rivalry match against Toronto FC, there was a notable big-bodied forward missing – one of the 10 most important things to know from a wild Week 33.
1. Where was Didier Drogba?
Drogba, the man who’d done so much to drag the Impact into the postseason in 2015, was nowhere to be found. The club initially reported Drogba had a “stiff back” on Twitter, but that quickly gave way to reports that Drogba removed himself. Upon being told he was sitting on the bench in favor of Matteo Mancosu, Drogba told Montreal coach Mauro Biello he wouldn’t play.
Quite the conundrum with the postseason starting them in the face.
"The club is going to take care of the situation,” Biello told reporters after the match. “Why hasn't he been in the starting 11? If you see the performance by Matteo [Mancosu], I decided to give a different look to the team, to add a little bit of an edge up front, the ability to transition more quickly. For me, this is the decision. He puts a little more pressure on the back line. To bring Didier off the bench is an excellent tool to have."
To watch the Impact play, you’d hardly know they’d been roiled by a controversy. Ignacio Piatti scored twice, and it took a late TFC equalizer in the 86th minute to set the final 2-2 scoreline. What’s more, it was enough to qualify Montreal for the postseason thanks to New England’s loss in Chicago. The bigger question is how this affects Montreal with the playoffs just over the horizon.
2. Agents of Shield
For a time it looked like the Supporters' Shield race would remain basically unchanged at the top. Colorado trailed Portland 1-0 and FC Dallas lagged behind Seattle 1-0 at home headed into the 79th minute. If both lost, everything would simply roll over to the final weekend more or less the same as it was.
And then the hinges flew off.
Nothing changed in Portland. The Rapids did lose by that 1-0 scoreline. But FC Dallas flew into a frenzy late, scoring twice – including a ridiculous over-the-shoulder poke from Carlos Ruiz (that Carlos Ruiz) – to finish off Seattle in a 2-1 result.
That not only ended the Red Bulls’ Supporter’s Shield hopes, but it gave FC Dallas the chance to win it with just a draw in its final match against the LA Galaxy.
3. New England lets one slip away
The Philadelphia Union left the door to the postseason invitingly open for the New England Revolution on Sunday. And the Revs almost certainly closed it on themselves.
While teams clinched postseason berths left and right, the Revs just needed to hang onto a 1-1 scoreline late against last-place Chicago to give themselves a chance on the last matchday of the regular season. Orlando City gifted New England a 2-0 win over Philadelphia, meaning the Revs could’ve closed the gap on the last postseason spot in the East to at least two points with a simple draw.
Instead, Chicago scored late through David Accam to all but destroy New England’s playoff hopes. The Revs will now need another Philly loss on Decision Day and a win of their own by double digits to negotiate through the firewall of tiebreakers and make the postseason.
4. Golden Boot race tightens
The MLS Golden Boot race has been down to two for a couple weeks now. Bradley Wright-Phillips and David Villa entered Sunday’s penultimate regular season matchday level on top with 21 goals apiece. The race basically hinged on who could do more with their chances on Sunday.
In this case, Wright-Phillips moved his NYCFC counterpart into check.
Wright-Phillips bagged two in the New York Red Bulls’ 3-2 win over Columbus while David Villa could only net one against D.C. United. Whether Wright-Phillips can push him into checkmate waits for next weekend.
5. West trumps East for drama
The Eastern Conference won’t be all that wild for Decision Day. The top five all clinched – D.C. United and Montreal made it official Sunday – while New England needs to overcome a Mount Everest-sized hurdle to steal No. 6 out from under the Union. The question for next weekend is simply who gets which seed (although the Red Bulls have a virtual lock on No. 1).
The West, though, should be a party. At the top, there’s a Supporter’s Shield race to decide, while any of Nos. 4-7 could all find themselves in the playoffs or at home after Sunday. Real Salt Lake, Seattle, Sporting Kansas City and Portland are all within two points of one another. And there’s only three seats in this thorny game of musical chairs.
6. Injury woes pockmark weekend
It wasn’t a particularly great day for playoff teams looking to avoid losing major contributors for playoff runs.
FC Dallas lost creative impetus Mauro Diaz and keystone central midfielder Kellyn Acosta late against Seattle. Acosta finished on a crutch while Diaz was taken to the hospital after the match, according to reports. FC Dallas certainly hopes neither are long term.
Elsewhere, NYCFC impact fullback Ronald Matarrita came off with an ankle injury, and Portland No. 10 Diego Valeri exited with an injury in the 67th minute. The Sounders, meanwhile, hope Chad Marshall’s apparent injury forcing him off for Zach Scott isn’t serious.
7. Donovan starts, birthday boy scores
It’d been nearly two years since we’d seen Landon Donovan’s name on a starting lineup sheet. That changed Sunday, when the USMNT legend got the nod for the LA Galaxy five games after coming out of retirement.
Donovan had a relatively quiet afternoon in Houston, but teammate Alan Gordon did not. On his birthday, Gordon scored off a clanging deflection from a misplayed pass at the back. It was the game’s only goal and Gordon’s third tally in his last five games. Ugly but effective. In the process, Gordon guaranteed the Galaxy the No. 3 seed in the West.
8. Lodeiro the MVP?
Voters have a tough time doling out MVPs to players who didn’t put in a full season or something close to it. But perhaps Seattle’s Nicolas Lodeiro, who joined the team in late July, should be an exception.
Lodeiro’s been the primary difference in Seattle’s march from the bottom of the Western Conference to competing for a playoff spot on Decision Day. He scored again on Sunday in Seattle’s deflating 2-1 loss to FC Dallas, making for four goals and eight assists in just 12 games. His sheer numbers may not compete, but in terms of outsize impact? Give Lodeiro’s influence a ponder.
9. Mullins flourishing in D.C.
NYCFC made the decision to trade Patrick Mullins in July for allocation money. Mullins punished them for it on Sunday.
Mullins scored the opener and assisted on the third in D.C. United’s rapacious 3-1 win over NYCFC to clinch a playoff berth. It was Mullins’ eighth goal and second assist since arriving in D.C. at midseason, and he got a bit of a 53rd minute love tap from former teammate Andrea Pirlo for his troubles. The Italian cleared out Mullins at midfield in the second half and earned a yellow. Mullins bagged the last laugh.
10. Timbers, again, win the tifo battle
Whenever the Timbers open it up for one of their massive tifos, it isn’t just the rest of MLS that takes notice. The rest of the world does, too.
So don’t be surprised to see Portland’s latest doozy make the media rounds early this week. It read “always keep your goals in focus and beautiful things will develop,” while an homage to the Polaroid played out in Timbers theme in the home stand. When it comes to the tifo game, Portland continues to one-up itself.
