Article by Matt Lichtenstadter
A good chunk of MLS teams have now played 17 games, or half of their schedule, which gives the chance to look over the first half or so of the season and look ahead to what might be coming next. Even though MLS is a league notorious for slow starts being overcome and then some, there are teams currently in playoff spots that aren’t clicking yet and teams outside the postseason that are arguably still contenders in their conferences. So where does the league stand at the halfway point? Look below:
Surprises in Second: Look at who is in second place in both the East and West and your preseason predictions are in for a bit of a shock. Two recent doormats, Chicago and Houston, both sit in second place in their conferences. That would not have been amazing five or so years ago, but in 2017 it has brought about some whiplash. The rapid rise of the Fire isn’t too surprising, considering how they have invested so heavily in their midfield and transformed it from a group of largely nobodies to Dax McCarty and Bastian Schweinsteiger, and the results have come with it (they’re 9-2-3 with a +16 goal differential since Schweini came to town). They still have holes for sure, but with Nemanja Nikolic as the league’s leading goal scorer, David Accam finding form and a midfield that is on par with the league’s best, they are here to stay. Houston meanwhile has found life under Wilmer Cabrera, despite expectations to the contrary. Wilmer is the Cubo whisperer of course, and transformed Cubo Torres from bust into a good goal scorer again, and he’s gotten support from players like Alberth Elis, Mauro Manotas and others too. But, they are a bit too reliant on home form to succeed, which is a concern they need to address going forward. If they can right those wrongs, then watch out.
The Beasts are in the East: In recent years, the Western conference has always been deeper and more competitive than the East, and it hasn’t been close. In 2017 however, the paradigm has shifted dramatically. The three best teams in the league are atop the East, and the league’s runaway freight train, Toronto FC, has been dominating everyone and everything in its path. Even the East’s seventh placed team, the Red Bulls, are probably a better side than the bottom of the playoff rung in the West. That isn’t to say that teams 4-6 in the East don’t have problems, because they all do, but they somehow have fewer questions than perennials like Portland, LA and even FC Dallas, who this writer maintains is the best team in the league when they’re at their best. While nothing is certain in MLS, it somehow seems certain that the Supporter’s Shield winner will come from the East and it seems increasingly likely that the MLS Cup winner will come from the East too.
Déjà vu in Seattle: Last year, the Seattle Sounders had a preposterously slow start, but rebounded late in the season to crack the playoffs and eventually win MLS Cup. While the scenarios from last year aren’t analogous to today, they still have started much slower than anyone expected. Their supposedly fearsome foursome up front of Lodeirdo, Morris, Dempsey and either Bruin or Shipp hasn’t clicked at all yet, which is terrifying for the league because nothing is impossible if and when that occurs. There are rumors that the Sounders are bringing in another attacker, which both simplifies and complicates their picture going forward. If this new attacker brings a Nico Lodeiro type impact, then good luck everyone else. But, it also makes the puzzle of getting their three big attackers plus someone new to work in sync even harder. Brian Schmetzer has his work cut out for him. But after stealing an unexpected point in Portland, maybe they’ve found the spark that ignites their fire down the stretch.
Consistently Inconsistent: Aside from Toronto FC, the Chicago Fire and Sporting KC, there hasn’t been almost anyone in MLS that has found consistent form. One good stretch can often carry a team to the postseason, but other than those three, no one has seemingly found the magic touch for a long enough stretch this season to broach the rarified air that the league’s three pace setters have. In the East, most teams behind the top three have either been red hot or ice cold depending on the week. That can certainly be said for Orlando, Columbus and Atlanta, who have all at times looked unbeatable but also quite poor, and in the West, the same can be said for LA, Portland, FC Dallas who at points have all looked like they turned the corner, but then the results from this past weekend popped up. All it takes in MLS is one very good stretch and consistency is often not that important, but in order to catch the league’s four best teams, consistency is going to be necessary, and fast.
Is Toronto FC the best MLS team ever assembled? “The best team in MLS” is often such a subjective title because of the salary cap, parity and the playoffs which makes it hard to often determine what team is really “the best”. But this year, Toronto FC is so head and shoulders better than everyone else that some have started asking whether they’re the best ever assembled in the history of MLS. After 17 games, which is certainly their best start ever, and one of the best in terms of points per game (2.06) in over a decade. What’s been most impressive about their season is how even with Sebastian Giovinco not at his best, and having lost Michael Bradley and Jozy Altidore for chunks of time due to injury and national team duty, they have just kept on keeping on. Their depth is remarkable, and Greg Vanney’s assertion that they’re the deepest team in MLS history is probably accurate. They can win the Canadian Championship this week, book a spot in the CONCACAF Champions League next February and continue to cruise in ways that most MLS clubs just don’t do. And what’s truly terrifying: Sebastian Giovinco hasn’t played anywhere near his MVP best yet.
The transfer window opens in early July as MLS clubs take some time off for the Gold Cup and the fixture list gets packed with summer friendlies, so teams will be tested in new ways down the stretch. But there are more storylines than ever right now, so buckle up for what’s sure to be an exciting, yet weird and wacky second half.
