Minnesota United, FC Dallas play to 0-0 draw
In the final game of the weekend, neither team was able to find the net.
Sign up for The Daily Kickoff in your inbox! The Daily Kickoff is more than an article ā it can be delivered to your email account as well.
Weāre nearly a third of the way through the season and we can truly start to say your record says a lot about who you are and your underlying numbers can tell us a lot about who you might be soon. Weāre crossing the threshold from āI dunno, those results seem kind of fakeā to āWell, at this point, this might just be what it is.ā
That being said, Iām not exactly sure how much we truly learned from Matchday 10, but we can at least talk through a few things. Here are some assorted thoughts from the weekend that was (and the season thatās been).
Something is stressing me out. Thereās not a whole lot to actually say on it all considered, but I have to at least make sure everyone is aware that something odd is happening.
The New York Red Bulls ā they of like 40 straight playoff appearances ā are now in last place in the East. Yes, the vibes have been bad. Yes, the results have been mediocre. But it wouldnāt be The Daily Kickoff if we didnāt let everyone know, per American Soccer Analysis, their expected goals numbers suggest they should be far closer to first place in the East than last.
And by that I mean, they have the single best expected goal differential in the East. Theyāre creating higher-quality chances than their opponents on a consistent basis. But there they are. In last.
It doesnāt feel like theyāll be there for long. No team in the league has kept their opponent from creating quality chances like the Red Bulls. Theyāve essentially been the best defensive team in the league. However, they donāt create chances for themselves at a high level and thatās allowed some bad luck and variance to creep in and shift results away from what the expected goals numbers suggest they should be. No team in the East has been quite so unlucky.
Is that enough to overcome bad vibes, Lewis Morganās injury and everything else thatās made 2023 a pretty miserable year in Harrison so far? I honestly donāt know. Iāll just say donāt be surprised if they start dragging themselves out of last place and into a playoff spot, like always, sometime soon.
Two performances this weekend confirmed āTier Twoā status for me.. By that I mean, weāre looking at teams that are certainly playoff teams, but, as of now, arenāt contenders to win anything meaningful.
Atlanta United went up to Nashville and laid an egg while their midfield looked totally overwhelmed. Full credit to Nashville, who took off the restrictor plates and mollywhopped the Five Stripes, but I think when weāre looking at Atlanta, weāre looking at a team thatās going to struggle against the best teams in the conference until they get things sorted out in the middle of the pitch. Itās just too easy for teams to play through them and too easy to disrupt buildup. Especially when Santiago Sosa and Matheus Rossetto are out there together.
Meanwhile, the Crew were at home against Inter Miami and, somehow, Inter Miamiās six-game losing streak came to an end. Itās not like Columbus played terribly. And things just happen in MLS sometimes. However, thatās back-to-back losses to Eastern Conference teams that, frankly, seem set to miss the playoffs. Thereās just a certain level of quality from top-to-bottom in Columbusā roster thatās going to keep them from challenging for a trophy. At least right now.
Both of these teams are heading in the right direction this season. Everyone involved likely understands work is still needed though.
Three straight wins! Three! Iām unsure the last time D.C. United had three straight wins, however I doubt it came last season when they had seven wins total.Ā
The Black and Red are sitting seventh in the East after their fourth win of the year, even on points with the Crew and just one point behind Nashville and NYCFC. Does this stretch mean theyāre \Actually Good\? I donāt know. But at least theyāre putting together an entertaining product on the field.Ā
The attacking pieces are there, the underlying numbers are totally ok and things just kind of seem to be looking up in D.C. Iām not sure how many folks expected them to be fighting for a playoff spot, but it looks like thatās where theyāre heading. Even if they donāt get there in the end, at least it feels like you could turn on a D.C. United game and maybe even enjoy yourself. This is progress.
Weāve been talking about some of the most totally ok teams in the East; now letās talk about the bad news that hit one of the conferenceās best. Thereās no official word yet, but it seems like New England winger Dylan Borrero will be out a for an extended period after leaving this weekās match against FC Cincinnati on a stretcher.Ā
First and foremost, itās a total bummer to lose one of the most exciting players in the league like that and we hope heās back soon. Second, you have to wonder how high the Revsā ceiling is without him. They didnāt have an outsized chance at the Supportersā Shield this year, but it felt like the pieces were similar enough to the 2021 team to make it happen. Now, there may be questions about whether New England have the firepower and match winners going forward to tilt close games in their favor.
This is still one of the best teams in the league. Djordje Petrovic alone will earn them a ton of points this season. But losing Borrero might keep them from being a little more than just really good.
I feel compelled to point out Portland opted to not have the ball (shocking) and St. Louis struggled. Portlandās 2-1 road win featured 15 shots from the Timbers and a 1.6 to 0.8 xG advantage. Thatās not a beatdown or anything, but Portland were largely the better team. Iām not sure if thatās the Timbers (and Evander) starting to figure things out or the Timbers (and Evander!) going up against an opponent that still hasnāt quite figured out what to do when Plan A gets dismissed.
For now though, St. Louis are still near the top of the West. But there are signs they might be set to drop back towards the pack a bit as the year goes along.
Thatās three straight games where Chicago should have come away with more points than they did. If they held onto late leads against Philadelphia and New York and a late draw against Atlanta, theyād be sitting fourth in the East. I donāt really have anything to add to that except, I dunno, stop doing that? Itās time to be eggs and not potatoes, Chicago.
- The Vancouver Whitecaps-Colorado Rapids match featured three referees who are women for the first time in MLS history.Ā
- Sporting Kansas City have played 10 games without a win.
- New England Revolution and FC Cincinnati brought on a "playoff atmosphere" in Foxborough.
- Inter Miami ended a six-game losing streak thanks to Leo Campanaās brace.
- Ezra Hendrickson called the Chicago Fire's latest late collapse "just ridiculous."
- Gio Savarese believes Evander is "finding his way" in MLS.
- CJ Sapong shined in his Toronto FC debut after his deadline day trade.
- Christian Benteke's bicycle kick brought back memories for Wayne Rooney.
- Matt Doyleās Sunday Column is up and good.
Good luck out there. Donāt let anything get past you.