You want parity, we’ll give you parity.
Ever since it was founded two decades ago, Major League Soccer has prided itself as being one of the most even soccer leagues in the world. From its single entity structure to the existence of a salary cap as well as certain mechanisms such as the allocation ranking system among other things, those who run the show want the perception to be that things are set up to create financial stability as well as competitive balance.
Major League Soccer’s Wild Conference Races
Perhaps there is no more evidence of the latter than by simply taking a cursory look at the 2015 standings as most teams enter the halfway point of the season. In the Eastern Conference, third-placed Orlando City SC has 20 points and is only six points ahead of Chicago Fire SC who sit in tenth. Out west, the suddenly surging Portland Timbers are third with 25 points yet are only five points clear of the club they beat 2-0 Saturday, the ninth-placed Houston Dynamo.
The only frontrunner to have established some distance ahead of the pack is DC United. After a 2-1 comeback win over the New England Revolution on Sunday, they currently enjoy a seven point advantage on top of the East standings. Things are much closer in the Western Conference, with a deadlock at the top of the standings between Cascadia Cup rivals Seattle and Vancouver who both have 29 points each. Those two are only six points ahead of FC Dallas who occupy the final playoff spot in the West.
Columbus Crew SC’s Shaky Ground in the Standings
Flipping back to the Eastern Conference, it’s Columbus Crew SC who currently find themselves sixth. In many respects, their situation might be the most precarious of anyone in the league at the moment. This week is shaping up to be the busiest of the MLS season, with 12 of 20 teams having double game weeks including seven from the East.
If we narrow it down even further, three teams, Montreal, New York Red Bulls and Philadelphia, are within three points of the Black and Gold in the standings and those first two are deadlocked with Crew SC points-wise with 17. Getting results during a crucial Week 17 could be the difference between consolidating the team’s position in the postseason race and continuing their slow descent out of it. The club currently finds itself smack dab in the middle of a six-game winless skid in regular season play dating back to a 3-2 win over Seattle on May 9th.
Winning ways returned when Crew SC began their 2015 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup campaign with a 3-1 road victory over USL’s Richmond Kickers last Wednesday. Second-year forward Adam Bedell netted his first-ever brace with the club, including a 63rd minute strike from outside the box that sealed the win.
The Revs Return to the Site of the Last Year’s Conference Playoff Pasting
The first opportunity to translate that US Open Cup success to the regular season takes place this coming Wednesday when the New England Revolution come to MAPFRE Stadium for the only time in 2015. The two played to a listless 0-0 draw on April 11th in which Columbus was unable to register a single shot on goal all game. Nevertheless, the shared points capped a rather successful road trip in which the Black and Gold played two games in Vancouver and Boston in the span of four days, coming away with two points.
The Revs themselves are in the midst of some less than stellar play. Since being tied with DC for the conference lead in early May, they’ve gone on a 1-3-3 run that included Sunday’s loss. Though they’re still second in the East, it’s now a seven point gap as has already been pointed out.
Two things have really dogged New England during this poor run of form: an inability to win games after scoring first and conceding late goals. In their eight games played since May 8th, they’ve opened the scoring on seven different occasions yet have only taken the full three points once (June 13th vs Chicago, 2-0). During that span, the Revs have also conceded seven goals past the midway point of the second half.
For Crew SC to emerge victorious, it’s likely Kei Kamara will need to find the back of the net. Though he still remains the only player in MLS to reach double-digit goals on the season, he hasn’t scored in his last three appearances. In total, the Black and Gold are 0-6-2 when the Sierra Leone international has been unable to add his name to the score sheet.
Recent league history has seen these two sides establish a bit of an impromptu rivalry. The last time the Revs played in Columbus, it was the first leg of the 2014 Eastern Conference semifinals. Nothing seemed to go right for Crew SC that day as New England romped to a 4-2 victory and would eventually send the Black and Gold crashing out of the playoffs a week later.
If revenge can indeed be served during this mid-week meeting, Crew SC will take the season series and maintain their standing within the veritable logjam that is the Eastern Conference standings.
Columbus Crew SC News and Notes
– Wednesday’s game will mark the 65th all-time meeting between Crew SC and New England, making the Revs the most frequently faced opponent in club history.
– The Black and Gold sport a 31-21-12 all-time record against New England and have only dropped eight of their 31 contests at MAPFRE Stadium.
– In addition to Kamara leading the league in goals, midfielder Ethan Finlay has a similar lead in assists with eight on the season which is already a single-season career high for the Duluth, MN native.
