The 2014 MLS season is already in weeks ten?!?! But the L.A. Galaxy have only played six matches?!?!
I know it’s strange. I hate it as much as the next guy, trust me. I wish that MLS and CONCACAF could play nicely with each other so that no team would ever have four games in hand on another. But it doesn’t appear like that will be happening anytime this year.
Nobody likes waiting, so for this week’s Wins Column, I’ll share with you some things that I think will be happening as early as next week.
But as always, these aren’t guarantees. Remember when I tipped Jack McInerney to win the Golden Boot? Remember when he got traded to a team with a horrible midfield and another target forward who wasn’t giving up his go-to status?
Read with caution people. Read with caution.
1. Vancouver will be going on the up…
Vancouver is a loaded side from the midfield up. Getting rid of Kenny Miller really isn’t a bad thing at all.
Firstly, the contract of the 34-year-old was set to expire in the summer. Unless he was willing to take a pay cut that would almost certainly remove his DP tag, he wasn’t going to stick around anyways.
Second, Vancouver has players ready to fill in. In Darren Mattacks, Kekuta Manneh, and Erik Hurtado, the ‘Caps have three of the fastest players in the league, all of whom are 23 or younger. By getting rid of Camilo, Manneh’s playing time shot through the roof. With Miller now gone as well, Hurtado’s role looks set to increase substantially as well.
With the offloading of Miller, Vancouver’s top half appears complete. If they can find a legitimate goalkeeper and inject youth into the centre of defence, they could become scary. With an easy schedule ahead of them, now is their time to get rolling.
And did I mention that newly-reopened DP slot? If they find another player of the same quality as Pedro Morales, the Whitecaps could become a real Western Conference contender.
2. But the rest of Canada won’t be
Jermain Defoe can’t score every week. Gilberto, who has yet to score but has been inching closer every week, can’t either.
TFC came into the season with a very clear depth problem, but at the moment it looks like even a full strength squad won’t cut it. Their next five include Sporting Kansas City and two matches against the New York Red Bulls. If the Reds want to be thought of as one of the big boys, they need to compete with the big boys, and it doesn’t look like they can at the moment.
Montreal’s next five aren’t as tough as Toronto’s, but there are not easy by any means. Fans should be hoping that McInerney and Marco Di Vaio start shooting everything they touch, because the support they have behind them is minimal at best.
I would be surprised if Montreal’s next win, which would be only their second of the season, came before July. It’s that bad in La Belle Province.
3. New England vs Seattle will be a cracker
Both sides are on a roll, and the Revs are doing it without Kelyn Rowe. Steve Neumann and Patrick Mullins looked brilliant against Toronto on Saturday and fit perfectly into the team’s long-term plans. If the Krafts, arguably the thriftiest owners in MLS, can splurge on a real DP instead of Jerry Bengtson, the Revs could be ready to strike in the East.
The Sounders are currently the best team in MLS, and they boast the league’s hottest player. Their offseason bomb dropping is a stark contrast to New England’s careful development, but it has so far worked just as well.
Both of these perennial underachievers look like they finally mean business. Each club will serve as the other’s measuring stick on Saturday, and both sides will be looking to stand tall.
4. Cubo won’t keep up his pace…
Erick Torres has stayed strong while his Chivas teammates have shown their opening weekend win was a mirage. “Cubo” is second only to Clint Dempsey in the Golden Boot Race, but has scored four goals from the penalty spot.
At some point teams will realize they need to be smarter when Chivas enters their penalty area. At some points Chivas may only enter the opposing penalty area once a match.
Torres will still score, but with fewer gifts, he won’t keep up his currently torrid pace.
5. But Joao Plata might
I think it’s safe to say that Plata has joined Beckerman, Borchers and Co. as part of RSL’s core. The brilliance he showed while in Toronto has only blossomed further, and with two goals this weekend it appears his injury earlier in the season has not fazed him.
Real Salt Lake have yet to lose. That will change. But Plata has looked so good it could be argued he has taken over from Alvaro Saborio as RSL’s main man up front.
The league’s smallest player could have one of the biggest goal tallies at year’s end. Try betting against this, and see how quickly you regret your decision after watching him play.
And the best of the rest:
6. Somebody is going to get sacked, at least before the All-Star break (John Hackworth in Philadelphia could be one to watch).
7. A big name star gets ruled out of the World Cup through injury (My money is on Chris Wondolowski for the United States).
8. At least one Chivas home game will have a gate below 5,000.
9. David Beckham finds a site to build a stadium in Miami, and it’s on the waterfront just as he has long wanted.
10. The Battle of New York gets real. Because at this point there hasn’t been much discourse between the two parties, and you would be a fool to think that won’t change by the end of the calendar year.
Happy Streak: 0
I’ve been neutral too many times recently. I’ll resume the streak once my predictions start coming through.
Like the occurrence of regular season play for the Galaxy, that might be a long wait.
Until next Monday folks.
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