MLS Focus, Tata Martino picks Atlanta while DC United wins big

Article by Matt Lichtenstadter   This slate of MLS midweek games in both the league and CCL could prove to be decisive in deciding playoff fates as well as the destination of the Supporters Shield. Big performances came in from some teams that needed them, while others fell flat. All the while, one of next year’s expansion teams made their first head coaching hire, and it was a splash. Though this little piece will be shorter than my usual entries, there’s no shortage of important news to get to.     Tata Martino is Atlanta United’s First Coach: One could argue Martino is the biggest name to become a manager in MLS yet. Bigger than both Ruud Gullit or Patrick Vieira, Martino has taken a leap of faith after less than stellar stops at Barcelona and with Argentina to come to an expansion team in a new league with complicated rules. Until Vieira, very few foreign head coaches have been able to succeed in MLS unless they are quite familiar with the league, such as Oscar Pareja. Martino will have plenty of resources behind him, as ATL has already signed some impressive players such as Hector Villalba as a DP as well as Kenwye Jones. There were already some big expectations on Atlanta after their initial signings, but with this manager in the dugout the expectations are no doubt going to increase. Will Martino be able to meet them? MLS is a tough league to crack, especially if the coach has a lack of familiarity with it, so he’ll rely on his assistants and Technical Director Carlos Bocanegra to help guide him through the red tape and complicated rules of the league to get his new club off to a good start.   DC and Montreal Consolidate: DC United played Columbus at RFK Stadium, Orlando was in Toronto and Montreal hosted San Jose in a trio of massive games in the Eastern Conference playoff race. DC and Montreal ended up the big winners of the night not only on the pitch, but in the standings as well. DC thumped Columbus with a three goal onslaught late to blow the Crew away, with fantastic performances by Lloyd Sam and Lamar Neagle notable. The Crew’s glimmer of playoff hope lasted for only a few days. Montreal’s recent form has been abhorrent, and they needed a win against a Western Conference ringer in San Jose in order to keep their playoff place intact, and thanks to a big Evan Bush penalty save on Chris Wondolowski late, they were able to grab that win. Montreal is now five points up on seventh place New England and DC is four up with three games to play for each team, meaning the gap is now almost untenably large. Columbus does have an extra game at hand, but their loss probably doomed them to miss the playoffs after a MLS Cup run last season. Orlando City’s draw with Toronto FC also did them no favors, as they sit five off the pace.   Seattle Above the Red Line for the First Time this Season: Seattle’s story of going to the brink and back this season, firing their coach and bringing in a critical DP on the same day is one that really could only be written in MLS, and now that story continues to evolve with the Sounders above the red line and in a playoff spot for the first time all season. They’ve done so at the expense of their great rivals from Portland, whose recent form has been quite poor. The Sounders weren’t amazing last night against Chicago, but they did enough to get the win they desperately needed. They too have a game at hand on both Portland and SKC, which means they have a chance to further consolidate their position at the expense of one of their rivals too. Portland will have a say down the stretch, but as we’ll get into, they have other commitments to worry about as well. Clint Dempsey’s loss might have been the death knell for the Sounders, but not this season, and not with this team.   CCL Update: Portland grabbed a stoppage time winner in El Salvador in order to keep their hopes of advancing alive, but they have a massive game against Saprissa in the middle of October right before the final week of MLS games that they must win in order to advance. They’ve been playing strong lineups in every CCL game, and one can wonder if it will end up hurting their MLS playoff chances. The Red Bulls draw in their game means that they win their group, though they will likely face a tough opponent in the knockout stage thanks to their small point haul. Vancouver finished a sweep of their group meaning that they’ll be a high seed in February, though this form came at the expense of a MLS Playoff place. FC Dallas was held to a frustrating draw at home meaning that their final game of the group stage will determine whether they advance or not, which must be frustrating for Oscar Pareja and company, though he rotated heavily.   What to watch for this weekend: The biggest games are most certainly Vancouver/Seattle on Sunday and Colorado/Portland Saturday out West, and Orlando/Montreal, New England/SKC and Toronto FC/DC United out East. Really the entire weekend is critical for deciding how the playoff places will shake out, but those are the games to keep a close eye on.