One Strike and You're Out: The 2015 MLS In-Season Thread

[Titans Bastard]

Damn, too bad I was too tired to watch the Portland-SKC game, it sounded awesome.  The play-in round has been drab in years past, but was really fun this year.
 
The aforementioned Abdul-Salaam PK is ridiculous, especially because it was for the win:
 
https://twitter.com/bubbaprog/status/659958236959760385
 
 
--
 
Of the six highest-payroll teams, only one is among the last eight.  Of the 15 highest-paid players in MLS, only two are still in the playoffs.
 
There's a Sunday marathon of first leg matches:
 
NYRB @ DC, 3pm
VAN @ POR, 5pm
CLB @ MTL, 7pm
DAL @ SEA, 9:30pm
 
 
There goes my weekend.

 

[DJnVa]

The Timbers-SKC match-up this season has been pretty boring, in 3 games only 1 goals was scored total.  

 

Well this one certainly wasn't.
 
That was insane. From Nemeth not getting the red, to the 87th minute goal to pull even by KC while Besler was bleeding all over himself on the sideline, to Nemeth scoring the go ahead goal in the 97th minute, to the 118th minute equalizer, to the bad PK attempts, to KC's shot going off both posts, to the keepers taking the final shots.

 

[steeplechase3k]

 
Well this one certainly wasn't.
 
That was insane. From Nemeth not getting the red, to the 87th minute goal to pull even by KC while Besler was bleeding all over himself on the sideline, to Nemeth scoring the go ahead goal in the 97th minute, to the 118th minute equalizer, to the bad PK attempts, to KC's shot going off both posts, to the keepers taking the final shots.

 
No Kidding, that match took years off my life, in the 10+ years I've been following the Timbers they've never won matches like this one.  
 
I've seen GKs take PKs before in a college playoff a few times, one of which went to something like 16 rounds before it ended, but I think I rad that it has never happened in MLS history.

 

[Titans Bastard]

steeplechase3k caught on camera:
 

 

[SoxFanInPdx]

Was at the Timbers match as usual last night. What an absolutely insane match and I've never seen anything like it. Not much sleep after all that. Vancouver coming here on Sunday. Whew!

 

[Titans Bastard]

This sounds a bit like a goodbye, no?
 
https://twitter.com/Jermainejunior/status/660123738487300097
 
 
 
 
Elsewhere, it's been reported that Mike Petke has interviewed for the managerial opening in Chicago.  I don't know if the Fire will hire him, but Petke will get another job in the league sooner or later if he wants one.  In Montreal, it looks increasingly likely that they'll just remove Mauro Biello's "interim" tag.  But there will probably be a few more openings this winter.
 
Less believably, there have been some Capello-to-NYCFC rumors.

 

[robssecondjob]

Bobby Boswell has picked up a one game suspension for his off the ball foul on Juan Agudelo. Geiger gave Boswell a yellow during the game, but apparently the Disciplinary Committee though there was more there. 

 

[steeplechase3k]

steeplechase3k caught on camera:
 

Lol, not me, but I do know the guy in green.

 

[steeplechase3k]

There is just so much amazing footage out there of this game...
 
I love this video the Timbers put out, some of these goals are crazy:
https://www.facebook.com/portlandtimbers/videos/10153709991042236/?permPage=1

 

[DJnVa]

I like on Urriti's goal, you see Asprilla make the pass and then kind of peer around the defender to see if it finds anyone...

 

[Titans Bastard]

An extremely detailed summary of 2015's attendance numbers is here.
 
Cliff notes:
 
Average attendance was 21,550, an increase over just over 2,000 from last year
Median attendance was 20,018, an increase of just less than 1,500 from last year
 
Both are records and are numbers that were unimaginable five years ago.  I remember when everything over 15,000 was deemed to be pretty great.  This year Colorado averaged 15,657, the worst in the league.
 
The big jump in 2015 numbers were powered by the addition of NYCFC and Orlando, the subtraction of Chivas USA, and San Jose's new stadium.  New England (17.7%) and LA (10%) also saw double-digit increases.
 
There were also a number of minor decreases around the league.  The most widespread drag on attendance is that the new national TV deal pushed more games out of Saturday night, which is the best time slot for crowds.  The league seems to think that trading some better-attended Saturday night games for long-term regular TV slots on Friday and Sunday nights is worth it.  I agree.
 
With no structural changes coming next year (popular expansion teams, Chivas USA purging, new stadia) and with several teams at or near capacity already, it's very unlikely that 2016 will see nearly the growth that happened in 2015.  In fact, it's possible we'll see a decline in 2016 with Orlando moving into a smaller stadium at some point during the year, but the league is in a good place nonetheless.  Atlanta looks like it has strong potential to be an attendance juggernaut in 2017, perhaps even Seattle-sized.  Orlando-sized at worst.
 
The bottom five clubs are all legacy teams founded in the 1990s - Chicago, Colorado, Columbus, Dallas, DC.  I expect DC to perk up significantly when their new stadium opens in 2018 (ish), both because RFK is a total dump and because DC will be able to afford to invest more into the club on and off the field.  They may be the only team in the league who can legitimately cry poor at this point in time.  Chicago and Colorado have terrible ownership/management and have sucked on the field for a while as well.
 
It's kind of crazy to think that the Portland Timbers were a slight net drag on average attendance all season because of Providence Park's capacity, although they boosted the median.

 

[Titans Bastard]

DC 0-1 NYRB

NYRB are in good position heading back home. DC were dreadful and had no shots on goal. At some point in the second half they were on pace to have the third worst passing completion in MLS since 2010.

Hopefully this Portland Vancouver game is better.

 

[ThePrideofShiner]

Beautiful free kick by Dempsey to help Seattle rally for a late 2-1 win. Now if they can just get Alonso and Evans healthy, they appear to be in business.

 

[Billy R Ford]

NYCFC sacks Jason Kreis.
 
Pretty bone-headed move IMO.

 

[Titans Bastard]

NYCFC sacks Jason Kreis.
 
Pretty bone-headed move IMO.

 
 
I agree.  I don't think Kreis was the problem.  The roster construction at NYCFC was very much out of step with Kreis' methods at RSL, which leads me to believe that personnel choices were made on high, mostly.
 
I still suspect that NYCFC is clueless when it comes to building a successful MLS team.  But we shall see what they've learned from Year One based on their new hire and how they re-tool the roster.  The next manager will be really telling, I think.
 
Kreis will get a job elsewhere if he wants it.  Chicago has an opening (not necessarily an appealing gig).  Greg Vanney shouldn't be feeling too comfortable in Toronto.  And there's even sentiment in Seattle that Sigi Schmid, though successful, is perpetually close-but-no-cigar.  That Kreis' old boss Garth Lagerwey is now with the Sounders makes such a move a little more likely.  It depends on how far the Sounders get in the playoffs this year, too.
 
Wherever he lands, this is probably a blessing in (loose) disguise for him.
 
That was a harsher-than-average sacking announcement, btw.  Also, it is a bit strange that Claudio Reyna, the director of soccer operations, was not quoted.  I wouldn't be surprised if he's gone too.

 

[steeplechase3k]

Second games are scheduled:
NYRB host DC: 3pm Eastern
Columbus host Montreal: 5pm Eastern
FC Dallas Host Seattle: 7:30pm Eastern
Vancouver Host Portland: 10pm Eastern.
 
Despite the being the late game a ton of Timbers fan are heading up, I'm planning to be in a car that drive up that morning and back that night.  That's about 12 hours of driving.  I did that once before and vowed to never do it again, but I just can't take monday off.

 

[Titans Bastard]

Orlando City hired Armando Carneiro as its "Chief Soccer Officer", a guy with a seemingly impressive resume.  (Vinho Tinto batsignal...activate!)
 

 
The club announced Tuesday it hired a former Portuguese soccer club executive as its Chief Soccer Officer to oversee all of soccer operations. Armando Carneiro had extensive success at SL Benfica as general director, where he oversaw everything from the Benfica B team to the club’s academy and its scouting network.
 
...
 
Carneiro will now serve as essentially Orlando City’s sporting director. Current Orlando City general manager Paul McDonough will now report to Carneiro. Carneiro will oversee all staff for Orlando City's three professional clubs -- Orlando City, Orlando City B and Orlando Pride -- as well as the youth academy.

 
 
Wahl reports that Cubo Torres is on the shopping block:
 

 
The Houston Dynamo paid a club-record $7 million-plus transfer fee for Mexican forward Erick "Cubo" Torres earlier this year, but I’ve learned that Houston is already shopping Torres for a trade, and multiple MLS teams are interested. The 22-year-old scored 15 goals with Chivas USA in 2014, but he had zero goals in 11 games for Houston this year and never earned the trust of coach Owen Coyle.

 
 
NYRB has added 16 year old academy product Tyler Adams to the MLS roster.  He's not eligible for the playoffs, not that he's ready to make the 18 anyway.  Adams played in the USL this season for NYRB II, but has mostly gained notoriety for scoring on Chelsea in that friendly.
 

 
“It’s good to have Tyler with us full time,” head coach Jesse Marsch said after practice on Tuesday afternoon. “I congratulated him this morning. He is a full time Red Bull player on November 1st. It’s good to have him with us now permanently.”
 
Adams played 808 minutes over 11 matches for New York Red Bulls II of the USL this season. He will be training with the club through November, but will not be eligible for selection this postseason.

 

[Titans Bastard]

Steven Gerrard: LA Galaxy midfielder may retire in 2016
 

 
"Going on the road, playing on [artificial] turf, playing at altitude, playing in humidity, those are the hurdles that I've had to face over the last three months that I wasn't aware of. Every away game has a different challenge," he said.

 
Really???  That's a pathetic lack of preparation from Gerrard.  And on top of that, he flew back to the UK repeatedly for a midweek Champions League TV gig.  Aging stars who treat MLS like semi-retirement don't do well and that increasingly seems to be the case with Stevie.
 
 
Toronto FC president Bill Manning confirms Greg Vanney will remain head coach despite considering Jason Kreis
 

 
I thought about the future of this franchise, the history,” Manning said at Toronto FC's end-of-season availability. “We've never had [a coach] that's started two seasons in a row. Greg has coached 44, 45 games. The team has improved. [Greg] deserves the opportunity to continue what he started.
 
“He wants to prove that he can build this season into a championship contender, and I'm going to give him that."

 
 
Vanney's going to be on a real short leash next year, though.

 

[soxfan121]

Aging stars who treat MLS like semi-retirement don't do well and that increasingly seems to be the case with Stevie.

 
The $ wasted on it - as opposed to the many, many other things they could be doing with those funds - is a major impediment to their own stated goals. I do not get it. 

 

[Titans Bastard]

 
The $ wasted on it - as opposed to the many, many other things they could be doing with those funds - is a major impediment to their own stated goals. I do not get it. 

 
From your lips to God's ears.  All that money buys a lot of academy infrastructure and quite a few good, young South American players.
 
It's about selling jerseys and - especially - capturing the attention of the American Anglophile soccer fan by dangling familiar names in front of them.  It's still successful for teams to do this if they sign the right guy -- Keane, Kaka, Martins, et al.  Giovinco is in his own category because he's still in his prime.  The "Sons of Lothar Matthäus" style signings are getting as old as the painful procession of midseason friendlies against Euro clubs on a summer North America tour.
 
I'll be glad when this phase has run its course.  My anecdotal perception is that tolerance for Steven "but nobody told me about the travel!!" Gerrard type signings is decreasing and it seems that few LA fans would miss him if he retired or terminated his contract.

 

[steeplechase3k]

The Timbers Army is close to selling out our allotment of 750 tickets for the match in Vancouver. It's a 6+ hour drive, plus another hour or more at the border and the match is at 7pm on a Sunday.  All on 10 days notice.  I think about 1/4 of the people will be driving back that night so they can go to work on Monday.

 

[Titans Bastard]

NYRB vs. DC about to kick off. Looks like a packed house in Harrison.

 

[Titans Bastard]

NYRB wins the second leg 1-0 after a late goal and advance 2-0 on aggregate. DCU played an absolutely putrid form of soccer in both legs and deserved to lose by a lot more. (Sorry @Turrable )

 

[Turrable]

I'm on the path train back from the game. As ugly as they played it was a ton of fun, and the fact that they were in it until the last minute is more than any of us could have asked for. Fun crowd too.

 

[Titans Bastard]

All Columbus so far in the other Eastern semifinal. Kei Kamara scored early to put the Crew ahead on away goals and then nailed the underside of the crossbar a few minutes alter.

 

[ThePrideofShiner]

This game has been great.

Have they always done away with the away goal tiebreaker when it gets to overtime? I like it. Makes it so there will be more up and down.

 

[ThePrideofShiner]

What a rally for Columbus. And nice of Kamara to get the winner after missing the PK earlier.

 

[Titans Bastard]

Away goals aren't in effect in ET.

Ignacio Piatti blew a golden chance to tie. Just a few minutes left now.

 

[Mr. Wednesday]

Seattle is hanging on by their fingernails against Dallas, as Dallas have set up shop in the Sounders' penalty area.

 

[SoxFanInCali]

Seattle is hanging on by their fingernails against Dallas, as Dallas have set up shop in the Sounders' penalty area.

Yep, although Dallas is showing signs of frustration. They've tried to go down easy hoping for a call a few times, and are wasting effort yelling at the ref.

 

[Titans Bastard]

This is intense.

 

[Senator Donut]

As much as I despise the away goal tiebreaker, it does dial up the drama in situations like this where the trailing team can take the lead with a single goal.

 

[SoxFanInCali]

And Dallas finally capitalizes. Seattle needs one to win it.

 

[Mr. Wednesday]

And there's the goal! No less than what Dallas deserved, given the pressure they had Seattle under.

 

[SoxFanInCali]

AND SEATTLE SCORES!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Mr. Wednesday]

Seattle back in the lead with a goal off a corner kick! Now a Dallas goal would only send the game to extra time.

 

[Mr. Wednesday]

DALLAS GOAL TO LEVEL IT! THIS GAME IS INSANE!

 

[SoxFanInCali]

AND DALLAS AGAIN!

Extra time looming!

 

[ThePrideofShiner]

Dallas is going to score again. This is awful.

 

[SoxFanInCali]

AND DALLAS ALMOST WINS IT! Frei saves it while on his back!

 

[Mr. Wednesday]

Dallas is repeatedly getting chances down their right wing. Just had a header with probably 3/4 of the net open, but it went right to Frei.

 

[SoxFanInCali]

83 minutes in, I said the one thing we didn't have to worry about was extra time. That was 3 goals ago.

 

[Mr. Wednesday]

Dallas is going to score again. This is awesome.

FTFY.

Bonus soccer!

 

[ThePrideofShiner]

FTFY.

Bonus soccer!

As the board's token Sounders fan, I can tell you this game has been amazing - yet terrifying at the same time. Lotta heart attacks.

 

[Titans Bastard]

This game is bonkers.

One thing to keep in mind for extra time is that both teams are fairly unbalanced because they've both had to make desperation subs in the last few minutes.

Seattle took off a CM for a FW and a LB for a winger. Dallas took off a CM for a forward, so perhaps they're in slightly better shape in this regard.

 

[Mr. Wednesday]

As the board's token Sounders fan, I can tell you this game has been amazing - yet terrifying at the same time. Lotta heart attacks.

I feel like there's more likely to be three goals in the extra time than one.

 

[SoxFanInCali]

As the board's token Sounders fan, I can tell you this game has been amazing - yet terrifying at the same time. Lotta heart attacks.

I'm with you, just broke out the Dempsey jersey for extra time. I went to 3 games up there this season, unreal atmosphere.

 

[Titans Bastard]

As the board's token Sounders fan, I can tell you this game has been amazing - yet terrifying at the same time. Lotta heart attacks.

I'd be shitting my pants any time Fabian Castillo got the ball with a little space in front of him.

 

[ThePrideofShiner]

Man, it really feels the only way the Sounders are scoring is off a set piece. They can't get anything forward.

 

[ThePrideofShiner]

I'm with you, just broke out the Dempsey jersey for extra time. I went to 3 games up there this season, unreal atmosphere.

Yeah, it's a lot of fun. If they win, I'm going to the next game, but that's a big if at this point.