ASSORTED TAKES FROM THE WEEKEND THAT WAS
CF Montréal and Dallas can't be stopped
Montréal spent the weekend obliterating Orlando while Dallas had no problem dealing with the Diet Sounders. Neither result is really all that surprising considering that these are the hottest teams in each conference. Montréal is deservedly getting a lot of attention for going unbeaten in the seven games since CCL ended. In that time span they're fifth in expected goals scored and fourth in expected goals allowed per Second Spectrum. But don't sleep too much on Dallas.
Dallas can actually one up Montréal here. The artist, formerly known as The Hoops, are unbeaten in their last eight, equal on points with the Galaxy and are just four points off LAFC's Supporters' Shield-leading pace. Jesus Ferreira has been one of the best forwards in the league by any measure and Paul Arriola seems to be thriving in Texas. Add in Alan Velasco, who has had his moments even if it seems he's understandably still acclimating to a new league, and you have one of the scariest front threes in MLS.
Both teams are on runs that don't feel like flukes. I'm not going to guarantee anything, but don't be surprised if both are hosting Audi MLS Cup Playoff games come October.
Orlando…you…you ok?
I didn't really dig into it in the last section but holy goodness heck, Orlando got blown all the way up on Saturday. It's the second time in three weekends it's happened. In losses to the New York Red Bulls and CF Montréal, Orlando have lost by a combined 7-1 scoreline, were out created 5.5 xG to 0.3, and were outshot 37-5. Yikes.
I don't really have anything else to say but "Yikes." But I guess I'll add that getting overrun like that by two of the East's best teams maybe isn't the best sign for the Lions' future this season. There may need to be some soul searching and maybe even some reevaluations on what we expect this Orlando team's ceiling to be.
Ronaldo comes alive in Atlanta (and everything is somehow still kind of a bummer)
The most depressing moment of the weekend came when Miles Robinson went down with a non-contact injury. Atlanta were already missing Brad Guzan and Ozzie Alonso for the season. It just felt cruel to watch Robinson go down and not only add to that list, but potentially miss out on his first World Cup. There's nothing really to add beyond how miserable it all felt.
There is some good news for Atlanta, though. It seems like they might have a dude in Ronaldo Cisneros. Cisneros earned a first-half hat trick for the Five Stripes as they cruised past a Chicago team that didn't look like their usual, highly defensive self while missing Gaston Giminez and Rafael Czichos. To be fair, though, they might have been pulled apart anyway by Cisneros' movement.
He's been getting into good positions since he arrived in Atlanta and almost immediately took the starting job in place of the injured Josef Martinez. On Saturday, those quality positions turned into results. Well earned results. And the kinds of results that are going to make it difficult to just insert Martinez back into the lineup once he's healthy.
Among players who have played 400 minutes or more (Cisneros has played 407) Cisneros is second in goals added per 96, he's leading the league in expected goals per game (just ahead of Jesus Ferreira, Brandon Vazquez and Chicharito) and he's fourth in the league in average xG per shot. That all stems from the runs he's making in behind and from varied angles that either send him in on goal or take him into positions that can cause havoc for a backline. A striker that can run in behind is the kind of simple element that Atlanta have been missing over two years now. We'll see if it continues to unlock a steadily improving attack.
BEEP. BEEP. (Again.)
Taxi Fountas did it again.
In just three starts, Fountas already has two braces for D.C. He's exploded out of the gate and has basically been an entire "new manager bounce" on his own. It's a blast to watch. Buttttttt maybe not super sustainable as far as I can tell.
Even with four goals, he's yet to collect a full goal worth of xG. That's enough to already make him second in the league in goals scored above xG. His average xG per shot is .05, well below the best goal scorers in the league so far this year.
But he is constantly trying to make things happen. And even if that isn't a recipe for an MLS Golden Boot presented by Audi year, it's a needed boost to D.C.'s attack. Fountas may not be a savior, but he is a step in the right direction. And, in theory, he should only continue to grow into his role. Just maybe don't be surprised if he takes a few steps back before he goes forward.
Do you believe me about Cincy yet or are you simply too cowardly to fully open your heart?
THEY CAN'T. STOP. WINNING.
FC Cincinnati picked up their third-straight win (the first in club history) by finding a late winner against Minnesota United. And if they somehow didn't have your attention yet, they really should by now. This team is good. Like, not even "Aww isn't that cute, they're not going to be in last this year" good. It's looking increasingly likely that they will challenge for a playoff spot this year.
They're already fifth in the East and, per ASA, they're the unluckiest team in the league, nine goals below their expected goal differential. They should have even more points than the 16 (!) they have so far. And maybe even a couple of more wins than five (!) they have so far. That's already one more win than they had the entirety of last season by the way.
There's plenty of credit to go around, including to new manager Pat Noonan. But the biggest change has been the hand-in-hand rise of Lucho Acosta and Brandon Vazquez. Acosta and Vazquez are second and seventh respectively in non-penalty xG+xA and as one goes, so does the other. They're the most productive duo in MLS right now and their play is lifting the entire team to a height they've literally never been before.
Well, almost. One more win until they match their highest win total in club history.
The Galaxy aren't "The Galaxy" and that might be for the best
I don't know what's happened but suddenly the LA Galaxy are kind of boring. We've talked plenty about LAFC's shift to a more prudent team, but we haven't taken into account just how practical the Galaxy have become. If you read the newsletter yesterday, you might not have been so surprised that the Galaxy came into Austin and earned a clean sheet, but I'll give a few updates on just how good this team has been defensively.
The Galaxy have allowed just two goals from open play and lead the league in open play xG allowed. They're tied for the fewest total goals allowed so far this season and are third in the league in xG allowed per game. Other than a few slip-ups on set pieces, this team has been elite defensively. It's not exactly The Brand in LA, but Greg Vanney has set this team up to succeed defensively and capitalize on chances when they can. It's resulting in plenty of points and feels like the kind of thing that should be sustainable long-term. Last year's second-half collapse should be a little more avoidable this year if the Galaxy continue to limit chances in a way they haven't in a long, long time.
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