MLS Round-up: Toronto & Giovinco find success in simplicity as FC Dallas burn past Houston Dynamo.

New York Red Bulls maintain their course for the Supporters Shield.
In the same week that former Red Bulls coach Mike Petke admitted he was finally over the pain of his dismissal from the club, his replacement Jesse Marsch moved them one step closer to earning the Supporters’ Shield.

The first major trophy in the club’s history it was delivered by Petke and holds a special relevance to the supporters. Providing a dash of success to the Thierry Henry era, the change to a more team driven ethic is proving just as successful in a much shorter time span.

One of the reasons the Red Bulls sit in this position is because of their ability to never say die. In previous seasons there was arguably a mental fragility of the group. ‘That’s so Metro’ – a reference to the previous name of Metrostars was used as a jibe by opposing fans and alluded to the club’s ability to self-inflict damage.

That has changed this season though. Of the seven games they’ve been losing at half-time only three have finished as defeats. Of the games they have entered half time winning, only two have turned into defeats (credit: @jasonhpoon) . Hinting at that mental strength Marsch has given them, pessimistic Red Bull fans will remind you; it is the play-offs where their biggest falls have occurred (which they qualified for with this result).

Before they have to traverse that difficult path they may already have a piece of silverware in their hands which would be perfect reward for this new chapter in the club’s history.

Houston Dynamo see red as FC Dallas take the Texas derby.
It was a whiz, a blur, a flash of red, that’s what it felt like watching FC Dallas on Sunday night. The Texan outfit are a blend of pace and youthful exuberance that at times look impossible to stop.

Overcoming Houston Dynamo 4-1 in the Texas derby, Mauro Diaz was the difference and took just six seconds to carve open Houston. The former River Plate man is a talented number ten that elevates the level of the side and like so many great players brings an order to the chaos that is Fabian Castillo and Michael Barrios .

Diaz like many play-makers “sees a motorway where others only see a path” as the Serbian coach Vujadin Boškov once said. A strong blend of talents that compliment each other well, FC Dallas were always on top as the two sides struggled to maintain parity. The final score of 4-1 was a fair reflection of the home team’s dominance.

Prior to that Ricardo Clarke had scored a brilliant long range effort to level the scores before David Texeira went one better with a drive the crashed in off the underside of the bar. The Uruguayan netted two impressive strikers on Sunday and is hitting form at the right time of the season.

Confirming Dallas’ place in the play-offs, it is easy to tag them as a dark horse. The names may not be world renowned but what they lack in global appeal they more than make up for in exciting talent ready to show it is the best the league has to offer.

This could also be the last season of Fabian Castillo in Dallas. The winger was called up again by Colombia’s senior national team and European interest/offers will likely not be fair behind.

Meanwhile for Houston, their play-off march took something of a hit. Speaking to Yahoo Sport UK this week (full interview on Thursday) Giles Barnes said the team are still fighting to make it into the post-season. However even the former Derby man will admit this was not a moment in which their self-belief was topped up. Overall this has been a difficult season for the Dynamo. A new manager and a Designated Player in Cubo Torres that was missing for a good portion of the campaign, a quiet off-season of reorganisation and time spent at the drawing board will help this team a lot.

Silly Seattle mistake leaves a dent in their play-off hopes.
There was a moment in the 82nd minute when Marco Pappa instigated a beautiful passing triangle on the right hand side of Seattle’s defence to leave a clutch of LA Galaxy players bamboozled. It was incredibly slick and a direct contrast to the first half in which an errant pass across the box by Zach Scott fell into the path of Robbie Keane.

Unsurprisingly the Irish forward had no problem in dispatching the ball into the net. It’s what he does. A frightened silence fell around Centruy Link Field. As we’ve mentioned in previous weeks the club from the state of Washington have made the post-season every year since they joined the league and that record is in danger of being broken.

Finding a late equaliser through Chad Barrett, the former Galaxy man did not indulge in a muted celebration. Avoiding a repeat of the hamstring pull he suffered while celebrating against the Galaxy earlier this season, he managed to salvage what could prove an important point for the Sounders. If Schmid fails this season it’s hard to see him returning for the 2016 campaign. Such a basic mistake will concern the man who was inducted into US Soccer’s Hall of Fame this weekend, but as he will also know it’s not about how you get to the post-season just that you make it (congratulations to LA for doing just that).

Toronto find success in simplicity as the Union end a tough week.
One of the many fun games of the season in MLS has been trying to predict how Toronto FC will line-up. Their star talents are obvious when you look at the squad sheet but how Greg Vanney chooses to line them up is consistently a mystery. The popular choice for teams at present is 4-2-3-1.

Arguably made famous by the German national team at the 2010 World Cup, there was a much more traditional feel about TFC on Saturday as they opted for 4-4-2. The classic formation has obvious benefits. Defensively strong, flexible in attack, it is not without its drawbacks particularly when facing a 4-2-3-1.

Outnumbered in the middle of the park, Vanney could either ask one of his strikers to drop back to make a midfield five without possession, or he can keep his midfield four narrow to match up. Of the forward line, Altidore seems a better fit to do that job than Sebastian Giovinco. The Italian is only ever truly useful with the ball at his feet. Unsurprisingly the US international has done a lot of dirty work in recent games with a good portion of his passing and work just inside the opposition half.

Jonathan Osorio has also moved inwards to form a narrow three. The duo’s concentration and rigid nature has allowed Giovinco to be the very definition of a number ten. That may seem a lot of pressure to put on one man but he is handling it expertly. Netting the opener against Philadelphia Union, the worry for Vanney is if teams manage to shut down the former Juventus man.

As for Philly, it has been a tough but important week . Losing the US Open Cup to Sporting KC on penalties it saw CEO Nick Sakiewicz dismissed the next day. Speaking after the midweek loss Jim Curtin said: “All I can say is sorry for not delivering.”

Perhaps a shade tough on himself, the hope is that with Sakiewicz gone the club can begin to move forward. The bizarre signing of Rais M'Bolhi (with two talented young keepers on the books) made little sense and for many typified the mismanagement of the franchise. An arduous seven days for all connected to the club, the hope is now they can be the union in more than just name.

Real Salt Lake take the three points as Colorado take the cup.
Ask a Real Salt Lake fan which they’d have preferred; a win or the Rocky Mountain Cup and they’d have said the former.

The Utah based outfit are on the brink of missing the play-offs. Defeat to the Colorado Rapids would have confirmed that on Sunday night and thinks took a worrying turn when Kevin Doyle opened the scoring for the hosts. However a quick fire turnaround via a delightful Joao Plata free-kick and a Luke Mulholland drive gave RSL a narrow advantage.

Holding onto that lead for the win, they kept up the chase on the San Jose Earthquakes, the Portland Timbers and the Houston Dynamo who sit above them in the standings.

With four teams and only one spot available it’s going to be a tight race to that final position. You wouldn’t tip RSL as favourites and that’s ok. The team are in a transitional phase and as we touched on with Houston, they still need some time at the drawing board. The change from the traditional 4-4-2 diamond to a 4-3-3 hasn’t been perfect.

On Sunday they shifted that to a 4-2-3-1 and it seemed to give more balance to the team. Kyle Beckerman was allowed to sit deep and shield the defence while Mulholland ventured forward to apply pressure in the opposition half. A positive sign moving forward, there is still a chance that RSL make the post-season if they win their midweek clash against the Portland Timbers.

If they don’t then there is enough of a core to believe that with a few roster changes the team can be back celebrating post-season participation next year.

Week 31 results

Friday

D.C. United 2-1 New York City FC

Saturday

Toronto FC 3-1 Philadelphia Union

New York Red Bulls 2-1 Columbus Crew SC

Orlando City SC 2-1 Montreal Impact

Chicago Fire 3-1 New England Revolution

San Jose Earthquakes 1-1 Vancouver Whitecaps

Portland Timbers 0-1 Sporting Kansas City

Sunday

FC Dallas 4-1 Houston Dynamo

Colorado Rapids 1-2 Real Salt Lake

Seattle Sounders 1-1 LA Galaxy