MLS the Daily Kickoff
By Anonymous (not verified), May 2, 2023
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By Sam Jones
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Good morning, y'all. Your pal Sam here. Let's soccer.
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WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
- LAFC host Philadelphia in final leg of CCL semifinal: On Tuesday night either LAFC or the Philadelphia Union will become Major League Soccer's representative in the 2023 Concacaf Champions League final, as the clubs return to the scene of their epic MLS Cup 2022 final for a semifinal leg-two showdown in the continental competition. The series is currently tied at 1-1 with LAFC holding the advantage on away goals. Here's how to watch and stream.
- Nashville SC, Loba reach mutual contract termination: Nashville SC and striker Aké Loba have mutually agreed to terminate his contract. Loba, as of early January, was on loan at Liga MX club Mazatlán. Despite being away from Nashville, the Ivory Coast native still occupied a Designated Player spot. Loba initially joined Nashville in July 2021 from Liga MX side CF Monterrey, though never quite lived up to his club-record transfer fee (reported $6.8 million). He only tallied two goals and two assists across 40 league games (two starts). Should Nashville want to pursue additions, the league's Secondary Transfer Window runs from July 5 to Aug. 2. In the meantime, with the Primary Transfer Window closing last week, teams can still sign out-of-contract players.
AN AWAY GOAL COULD BE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PHILLY AND LAFC
That Kellyn Acosta goal at the end of the first leg of this semifinal is an amazing moment for so many reasons. The biggest is that he went from scapegoat to hero so completely in about five minutes. What a good-as-hell sport we have when that can happen. But there's also a chance that it could be the defining moment in this series, for better or worse.
The better (in LAFC terms) is easy to see. LAFC can suffocate this game, come out of there with a 0-0 draw and advance. They're capable of doing it, too. No team has been better defensively this year in MLS. And they can pull it off by retaining possession or through a more reserved approach that relies a little more on their excellent back line. That's only one plausible scenario though. The Acosta goal means it's win and in for LAFC. They would have had to win 1-0 or win by two otherwise. They're more than capable of that as well even if these two teams seem fated to draw over and over again like Sisyphean tag team partners.
However there is a "worse." It's a little less clear, but still plausible. What if that away goal actually benefits Philadelphia in the end?
There's no way to know what will happen on the timeline where Acosta didn't equalize. But what if a 1-0 advantage heading into the second leg convinced Philadelphia to approach things far differently? What if they would have come in to LA and attempted to sit a little deeper and a little less naturally? What if LAFC took full advantage of that, grabbed a goal or two and the Union weren't able to get their momentum going forward again?
Not saying this would have happened, just that it could have. I do think though that there's a freedom in going into a second leg knowing you need to score. The onus is on you but the pressure is on the team that starts with the advantage. For a Union team that largely dominated the first leg and has been one of the few teams to find consistent chances against LAFC over the last few years, Acosta's goal could be a blessing in disguise. They can play their game without reservation. LAFC can too of course, but probably far too often teams opt to play it safe.
Thing is, this matchup doesn't take too kindly to "safe." You tend to get dragged into the clutter whether you like it or not. The only thing that really feels safe is a bet that this whole thing goes sideways.
Look, I have no idea what will happen. I have no idea whether or not anything I just wrote will come into play. I have no analysis to offer other than what we've already talked about a whole bunch lately. I think all we can do at this point is just appreciate that we get one more winner-take- all matchup between these two.
Ya know… at least until MLS Cup.
AND OTHER THINGS
- Inter Miami CF's Campana named Player of the Matchday: Following a breakout brace in his team's 2-1 victory at the Columbus Crew, Inter Miami CF striker Leo Campana has been named MLS Player of the Matchday presented by Continental Tire for Matchday 10. The Ecuadorian international garners the honors after bagging the third multi-goal game of his MLS career, and first since September 18, 2022 against D.C. United.
THE READING RAINBOW
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Good luck out there. Take your friends new places.
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