With 11 games from coast to coast, Week 13 was hectic. Here's a few talking points to consider.
Gordo does Florida
What more can be said about Alan Gordon? The man turns 37 later this year and like some MLS version of Matthew McConaughey's "Dazed and Confused" David Wooderson, keeps the party going with dramatic supersub scoring exploits. His latest victim: Orlando City SC, who watched Gordon, a target forward known for mixing it up deep in the penalty area, unleash a heatseeker into the top corner from 20 or so yards out to win it for the Chicago Fire:
Bofo gets all of it
Now to the other end of the spectrum! He’s only 21, but Sebastian "Bofo" Saucedo seems to have been a richly-hyped, but slow-to-launch, prospect for ages now. Arguably the most dazzling talent among Real Salt Lake’s bright waves of academy products, “Bofo” is already in his fifth season as a pro and showed signs of a breakthrough with a quicksilver matchwinner in Seattle on Saturday, his first MLS goal. Sure, RSL caught the Sounders at a low ebb – that should take nothing away from this timely flash of inspiration and execution:
Jesse’s back
Friday brought a happy 23rd birthday for Jesse Gonzalez, who led FC Dallas to a skin-of-the-teeth, smash-and-grab 1-0 road win over suddenly-goalshy Toronto FC. Making his 2018 league debut, Gonzalez produced nine saves, including a penalty-kick denial of Sebastian Giovinco, allowing Maxi Urruti’s poaching instincts to win all three points and toss gasoline on the smoldering fears around TFC.
Meanwhile, FCD center back Reto Ziegler boldly proclaimed his one of the best defenses in MLS, a title Columbus Crew SC – who have not conceded a goal in five-plus matches, dating back a month – might have something to say about.
H-town turn up the heat
Some parts of North America are entering the most enjoyable weather period of the year. For Houston and other Sunbelt locales, however, summer can mean oppressive heat and/or humidity, as teams visiting the increasingly menacing Dynamo at BBVA Compass Stadium will experience over the next few months.
Opposing players routinely name the place one of the toughest road venues in MLS, and New York City FC were soundly beaten there on Friday, as Alberth Elis and the rest of La Naranja’s attack thrived both in possession and in transition:
And the left-handed compliment award goes to…
They can be a bruising, reactionary bunch in tactical terms. But the Vancouver Whitecaps have become an entertaining product for neutral observers over the past few weeks, a string of high-scoring draws that packed drama while doing little to held the ‘Caps improve their position in the standings.
This weekend’s 3-3 draw with New England was riveting at times, featured a pretty clinical hat trick from Cristian “The Bug” Techera, earns my endorsement for this week's must-see condensed match on the MLS app ... and yet both sides still walked away feeling hella ambivalent.
D.C. dig Cali
Speaking of California … it was a happy home for D.C. United over the past week, as the Black-and-Red set up camp in Los Angeles between weekend tangles at San Jose and LAFC. After a win over the Quakes and a 1-1 draw in SoCal, they fly home with four points in their bags, which is nearly as many as D.C. picked up over the season’s first two-plus months before this. In truth, United barely kept pace with the expansion side even with LAFC reduced to 10 men for most of the game, yet they still conjured up a resourceful Darren Mattocks equalizer:
Superhero buddy flick
With a year in MLS under their belt and a gorgeous new stadium under construction for 2019, Minnesota United are stepping into a new era in their history. That said, it must be reassuring for the Loons that game-breaking plays are still being made by club icons Christian “Superman” Ramirez and Miguel “Batman” Ibarra, as was the case in a 2-0 defeat of haggard-looking Montreal. Ibarra’s goal, struck with his nominally weaker left foot, is one of the week’s best:
Yuletide cheer for Timbers
No team in the league is hotter than the Portland Timbers, roaring along on a six-game winning streak after a confident 3-2 road win over the flatlining Colorado Rapids (who conversely have lost six straight). It’s Memorial Day Weekend, but coach Giovanni Savarese has the Timbers in the yuletide spirit with a rarely-seen 4-3-2-1 “Christmas tree” formation, protecting the back line with three tough, rangy holding midfielders and often attacking with only three true attackers. It can be tough to push numbers forward in this system, though when you have the likes of Samuel Armenteros undressing defenders like this, it hardly matters:
Romain Alessandrini: still quite good
The arrival of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the highs and lows of the dos Santos brothers and the general messiness of the 2018 LA Galaxy have obscured the value and quality of the guy who might just be the most useful player on their roster. The aforementioned Frenchman was a revelation last season and after a rough, injury-hampered start to this year, Alessandrini grabbed the spotlight Friday night, conjuring up a moment of magic to bag Cali Classico bragging rights for the Galaxy:
