The Supporters’ Shield race is over; the coach of the team in second place said so.
Or is it?
Patrick Vieira has consistently and nonchalantly defied MLS conventional wisdom since his arrival on these shores a little under two years ago. And on Sunday night he gave us all another savory nugget to chew on, subtly setting the table for what might become the most enthralling story of the 2017 MLS stretch run.
His New York City FC squad were losing 1-0 to New England at home as the match entered its final stages, on course for their first home loss since April and only their second such setback of the season. Playing for their playoff lives, the Revolution had muffled the vaunted City attack, not even granting them a shot on goal until the 73rd minute.
Then NYCFC, led as usual by David Villa, summoned 15 minutes or so of caged fury, striking back with two goals to pull out a 2-1 victory and keep pace with league leaders Toronto FC in the Shield race. City are now just four points back of TFC, and both teams have nine games left to play.
And that’s when Vieira conceded defeat, or appeared to.
“It was important to win because I believe it’s always good to get close to Toronto, but I believe Toronto [are] already the [Shield] champions,” NYCFC’s boss said post-game. “I think all the other teams are going to fight for the second spot and Toronto will win the league. I think you see it last night [vs. Chicago], they are quite really strong and I don’t think anybody will catch them.”
On the surface, Vieira is just being honest. TFC are a juggernaut and the projections currently back Vieira's statement (see below). Toronto have swept aside all before them this year, and have done so with real panache – including a 4-0 demolition of NYCFC at BMO Field a few weeks back, a humbling reminiscent of TFC’s grisly 7-0 aggregate mauling in last year’s MLS Cup Playoffs. These Reds might even be the best MLS team ever.
Toronto also have the easier run-in. TFC only hit the road four more times, and only face two playoff teams: a visit from the New York Red Bulls and three clashes with their cross-Canadian rivals from Montreal. Meanwhile five of NYCFC's final nine games are on the road, and seven of them are against teams currently in playoff positions.
Toronto have lost just three league games to date, and already hoisted the Canadian Championship trophy. Plenty of observers thought the Fire – who were undefeated at home up to that point – might ambush them at Toyota Park on Saturday night. But the Reds made a tasty meal of that seemingly tricky encounter with an assured 3-1 victory.
“We wanted to send out a message across the league that said the Supporters' Shield means a lot to us, and we're giving everything we have to win it,” said TFC captain Michael Bradley afterwards.
It’s odd, then, that Vieira would effectively roll over and show his belly to Toronto mere moments after his team had clawed their way back to within striking distance of the Reds, right?
Or perhaps there’s more to the Frenchman’s words than meets the eye.
Vieira came of age in the rough-and-tumble of the English Premier League at the turn of the century, leading Arsenal’s golden-era sides in battles for supremacy with Chelsea and Manchester United – an era marked by no shortage of mind games among big, bold personalities like Alex Ferguson and Jose Mourinho. Vieira later returned as a veteran presence and eventually a junior coach at Manchester City, and would’ve noticed when Mourinho uttered one of his classic subterfuges in 2014, insisting that his Chelsea side were not serious contenders with City for that year’s league trophy.
“I don't agree we are title contenders,” said Mourinho (pictured below) after a road win over City. “We are a team in evolution but this is the kind of performance that helps a team grow up a little tactically and mentally. It was fantastic.
“The title race is between two horses and a little horse that needs milk and needs to learn how to jump,” he added with self-deprecating flair. “Maybe next season we can race.”
Mourinho’s words helped flip expectations off his team’s back and onto Manchester City’s – and even though City did in fact win the 2014 trophy, he looked like a visionary when Chelsea knocked them off that perch the following season.
On this side of the Atlantic, of course, Vieira and NYCFC needn’t wait that long. Even if they fall short of the Shield, they’ll get another chance in the playoffs, where MLS champions are made.
Truth be told, City are within striking distance of TFC. But they need the Reds to stumble at least once in the season’s final weeks. And Vieira playing possum might just help the frontrunners think twice.
