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MLS Round-up: Vieira makes history without Lampard, as the champions face an uncertain future

MLS Round-up: Vieira makes history without Lampard, as the champions face an uncertain future

NYCFC make history with a big win on Friday night

When Patrick Vieira was hired by New York City FC, there was a degree of uncertainty over how the season would unfold. The history of European coaches in MLS is not a successful one, with the league’s unique set of mechanisms a stumbling block for most.

Vieira has proven a rare case. Not only has he helped engineer NYCFC towards the top of the Eastern Conference, but he has found a style that encompasses their three biggest stars: David Villa, Andrea Pirlo, and Frank Lampard.

Lampard was absent on Friday night due to injury, but that did not stop the hosts running out comfortable winners and securing a playoff spot in the process. Goals from Jefferson Mena, David Villa (2), and Steven Mendoza helped them towards a comfortable 4-1 win, with Khiry Shelton once again shining for Vieira’s side.

Shelton has not grabbed the headlines for NYCFC this year. When discussing promising wingers at Yankee Stadium, Jack Harrison, and Tommy McNamara have often taken the plaudits, although Shelton should not be overlooked. The 23-year-old has been the most productive winger on the team’s roster on a per-minute basis. Friday night’s game was his first start since May, with Shelton having a contrasting season in which he began the campaign in the team only to fall out of favour.

That looks to have been a shrewd move by Vieira when you consider he recorded three assists against the Fire. Taking his total to nine for the season, it remains the best return on average per 90 minutes in the league. In fact, at present it is the third best single-season assists/90 in MLS history, of players with a minimum of 1000 minutes.

The fact Vieira has been able to squeeze this kind of production from a back-up, (regardless of how sustainable it is) remains impressive. The former Arsenal favourite has shown a key eye for tactical detail, building a team that has some flexibility and variety to its play. Recovering well from Hudson River Derby humiliation in May, the Frenchman deserves nothing but credit for guiding the team into the post-season during his maiden campaign.

DC United find themselves on the right side of trade decisions

On Saturday night at RFK Stadium, Ben Olsen may have wondered what might have been. The D.C. United head coach attempted to sign Italian midfielder Antonio Nocerino in the off-season, only for Orlando to break league rules and eventually snap him up. A spotlight on the single entity nature of the league, the debacle left United frustrated (even though they were compensated for it).

Yet, in another world, had they signed Nocerino they may not have been able to facilitate deals for Lloyd Sam and Patrick Mullins. The duo were acquired from the New York Red Bulls and New York City FC respectively, and have added a shot in the arm to United’s attack since arriving. Scoring three of the team’s four goals against Orlando, it took Mullins to a total of seven goals in eleven games.

That in turn has allowed United to stay in the hunt for a playoff place. Currently sixth in the Eastern Conference, they are just one point ahead of their nearest rival the New England Revolution with four games to play. “Too much talking puts pressure on everyone,” midfielder Patrick Nyarko said. “We know where we are. We know exactly what we need to do. There wasn’t much talking. Benny didn’t have to say much in his speech, and the guys responded.”

Operating against tight margins heading into the final portion of the season, the situation at least leaves United’s destiny in their own hands. “You hope you have the type of players and staff that, when the games get more important, they rise to the occasion,” Olsen said. “I think you saw a group of men out there who fought extremely hard, played well and understood what it was going to take at both ends of the ball.”

Such optimism serves as a stark contrast to the plight of Nocerino and Orlando. The former Milan and Juventus midfielder has brought little quality to the league, and ended a disappointing night with a red card after elbowing Mullins in the chest. A delicate and precise web of events, what initially seemed like a major disappointment for United has actually helped facilitate a pair of integral moves, with Orlando’s own playoff hopes looking slim at best.

“We’ll look to build off of that and make sure the urgency continues to stay high for each and every game here on out,” Olsen said, “because we don’t have much of a choice.”

Colorado break convention to serve up one of the most exciting games of the season

For weeks, months even, we’ve discussed the steely determination of the Colorado Rapids. A defensively sound unit, Pablo Mastroeni has guided the team towards the best goals conceded record in the league, with just 25 goals allowed.

After just eight minutes against the Vancouver Whitecaps, it seemed they would be cruising towards another victory. Dominique Badji, one of the breakout stars this season under Mastroeni, provided the opening goal, after a piece of direct play involving Sam Cronin and Marlon Hairston. Typifying the team’s style of play, it was arguably the last time the match conformed to expectation.

Conceding in the second half to Kendall Watson, the Costa Rican was then dismissed for denying a goal-scoring opportunity. That allowed Rapids forward Shkelzen Gashi to convert from the penalty spot, and the Rapids were once again on course for a narrow one goal victory. A result that seemed even more likely with a man advantage, Mastroeni was understandably furious that his side went on to give up the lead a further two times, conceding first to Pedro Morales, and then to Erik Hurtado after Gashi had scored his second of the evening.

A fantastically entertaining affair, it was not an opinion shared by Colorado’s head coach. “I don’t think it was entertaining at all. We dropped two points,” he said afterwards.

Some may argue the timing of this result is not ideal. Colorado have defied expectation this season, but that hasn’t manifested a new contract for Mastroeni. The former US International is in the final few months of his current deal, and accepts there is little he can do about the situation. “I can only control what I can control,” he said. “I can’t control what management thinks or what the front office thinks. I can’t control any of that stuff.”

Mastroeni has voiced his desire to remain in Colorado beyond this season, with reports claiming a host of clubs in MLS are interested in his services regardless. A team that did not conform to expectation on Saturday, their success this season has been founded on a similar theme of surprise. Still in the hunt for the Supporters’ Shield and MLS Cup, it seems there may still be a few twists left in the Rapids’ tale before 2016 is finished.

The current MLS Cup champions are in danger of missing the playoffs

Such is the nature of MLS that continued success can be difficult to achieve. Take for example the Portland Timbers. Caleb Porter’s side were crowned MLS Cup Champions in December, beating Columbus Crew SC 2-1. Fast forward to September, and Crew SC look unlikely to make the playoffs after a disappointing season that sees them sit ninth in the Eastern Conference, (albeit with a game in hand).

Meanwhile, in Portland, the Timbers are in a precarious position after this weekend. Porter’s side were unable to win away at Houston Dynamo, losing 3-1 and continuing a run of bad form on the road. Elsewhere, their conference rival the Seattle Sounders picked up a fantastic 4-2 win away to the LA Galaxy, leaving them just three points behind Portland with two games in hand.

“We knew Houston (Dynamo) was a much better team than where they sit,” Porter said. “We knew what was at stake. For some reason, human nature meant that our guys didn’t play to the level that they’re capable of in the first half. In the second half, 20 minutes, you saw what happens when we start playing our way. Maybe it’s because we were several points clear. Maybe it’s because we’re playing a team that you see at the bottom of the table, and you think you can stroll out there.”

The Timbers have three games remaining, but two of those are away, against the Colorado Rapids and Vancouver Whitecaps. A difficult set of fixtures, it paints a potential in which the team do not qualify for the playoffs. The Timbers remain the only team in MLS without an away win and that alone does not bode well for their chances.

“I think the biggest thing is that most of the time we’ve lost guys to international duty when we were on the road,” Porter said afterwards. “Also, we’ve had a ton of injuries. So, if you look back at the lineups, we’ve rarely had our top lineup on the road. I think that’s a big factor. It’s a strange thing this year. We’ve won more games on the road than anybody in this league over the last three years. We haven’t changed our blueprint. We haven’t changed anything. In six draws, we were close.”

The time for excuses has passed, though. Porter admitted there has been little predictability in MLS this season, and that theory would only be reinforced if the current champions fail to reach the playoffs. “Today, they looked like a team that felt they were already in the playoffs,” he said. “I’m not so sure we’re going to be in the playoffs we need to get results here coming up.”