Soccer <\/p>\n
Let\u2019s switch it up a bit and cruise through the weekend\u2019s games in chronological order. We\u2019ll explore a big question from each game.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
Has Robin Fraser figured some things out defensively?<\/strong><\/p>\n It looks that way following Toronto<\/a>\u2019s scoreless home draw<\/a> against a very good Minnesota United<\/a> side. It marks three draws in three games against, in order, Vancouver<\/a>, Miami<\/a> and Minnesota. That\u2019s about as tough a run of games as you could find in this league (though it should be noted that the \u2018Caps were short-handed, and two of the three were at home).<\/p>\n The catalyst has obviously been the defense, as well as the return to form of Sean Johnson<\/a>: they\u2019ve conceded once in this three-game stretch after conceding 12 times in their first five outings. The improvement has come hand-in-hand with a switch to a pretty bog-standard 4-2-3-1 shape. There are no bells and whistles.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a reason for some mild optimism in what\u2019s otherwise been a pretty rough few years.<\/p>\n The Loons did the thing I warned of: they\u2019ve put all their eggs in the counterattack basket. As such, they’ve struggled all year to create chances against low blocks, and I think they\u2019ll be facing a lot more of those in the weeks and months to come.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Are Atlanta in trouble?<\/strong><\/p>\n On paper, it should work. And even on the field\u2026 I mean, this is not the shot chart of a team that loses 1-0<\/a> because it doesn\u2019t know how to get into good spots:<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n But I can\u2019t just write \u201csometimes ball not go in\u201d every single week, right? And yet it feels like I have for the Five Stripes<\/a>.<\/p>\n So there are, I think, two things at play here:<\/p>\n That\u2019s a team struggling to fix structural problems. Ronny Deila sounds frustrated any time he\u2019s speaking to the public or the press these days, and it\u2019s easy to understand why.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Caleb Porter believes he fixed some structural problems with his team\u2019s shift to a 3-5-2.<\/p>\n \u201cI felt like there were a couple of wrinkles that we can do that would push us over the top,\u201d Porter said afterward. \u201cWe\u2019ve been playing well, we\u2019ve been in every game, but I\u2019m always trying to think about ways to make it even better. On Wednesday, we kind of rolled out this new shape. We had to sell the players on it, obviously, because we had been playing well. But my pitch to them was this was our opportunity to go from good to great, to create a little more, hopefully, at times be a little better defensively in the box especially. In the end, it worked out really well today.\u201d<\/p>\n The Revs<\/a> are definitely playing better than they were a few weeks ago, but I\u2019m not sure how many times this kind of performance ends up with three points.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Will Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting deliver for RBNY?<\/strong><\/p>\n This was brutal and it\u2019s worth noting the Spanish broadcast crew called it out as well:<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \u2014 Matthew Doyle (@MattDoyle76) April 12, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n This is not the whole thing for the Red Bulls<\/a> right now \u2013 there are defensive issues this year in ways there haven\u2019t been for a long time, and I think it\u2019s fair to be at least a little disappointed at the lack of progress from most of the young players on the team \u2013 but the inability to generate a consistent attacking threat, even when up a man against a not-great defensive team missing multiple starters, was glaring. And that non-effort is a piece of what we\u2019ve seen from Choupo-Moting<\/a>, in terms of goal-hungry off-ball movement (or the lack thereof).<\/p>\n He\u2019s not useless out there. His hold-up play is very good and he makes his penalties. But I said what I said in that tweet.<\/p>\n Orlando<\/a>\u2026 they were an order of magnitude better than the Red Bulls up until Rodrigo Schlegel<\/a>\u2019s red card. Carlos Coronel<\/a>\u2019s absolute blinder is the main reason the game ended as a scoreless draw<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n I\u2019m sure they\u2019re bummed not to have picked up the three points at home (Oscar Pareja said as much in the postgame), but logging two straight shutouts probably takes some of the sting out of that.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Are the Whitecaps actually this good?<\/strong><\/p>\n I mean, it sure seems like it, and did even before their 5-1 evisceration<\/a> of Austin<\/a> on Saturday. It was one of the most comprehensive, one-sided beatings I can remember seeing dished out in this league.<\/p>\n Here, enjoy some of it. This is such great ball, both on a fundamental and a conceptual level:<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Crosses are low-percentage propositions but I never, ever mind an early cross in transition before the defense is set.<\/p>\n Force the defense to deal with it while running at their own goal. Especially if you’ve got two strikers in the box. pic.twitter.com\/Awr85Ebp9c<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u2014 Matthew Doyle (@MattDoyle76) April 12, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n The fundamental aspect is in the tweet above: early crosses are good. (So good, in fact, that we\u2019ve got executives in the mentions<\/a> talking about how they should be logged as a separate analytical entity from the types of crosses I was scolding Atlanta for above).<\/p>\n On a conceptual level, it\u2019s an understanding that, with Daniel R\u00edos<\/a> forced to start as a false winger due to a rash of injuries, the \u2018Caps were basically playing two No. 9s. And if you\u2019re playing with two No. 9s against a back four, you should be getting them to work off each other in the box as often as possible.<\/p>\n Which they did, again and again and again. R\u00edos\u2019s touch here is our Pass of the Week, but Brian White<\/a> is absolutely going to be our Player of the Week after his four-goal outburst<\/a>.<\/p>\n Now, there is a reason to be at least a little bit wary about Vancouver\u2019s 2.38 points-per-game pace, because they\u2019ve played a very easy MLS schedule thus far.<\/p>\n I\u2019m tossing that wariness in the trash, though, because they\u2019ve been doing this same thing to LIGA MX sides in Concacaf Champions Cup<\/a> play, and because they\u2019ve done this while battling through injuries and squad rotation. So don\u2019t expect them to go away any time soon.<\/p>\n Austin\u2026 I don\u2019t expect them to disappear or anything, but the limiting factors I was worried about in preseason (the attackers don\u2019t quite fit together and there\u2019s no pure chance creator in midfield) have limited what they\u2019re capable of with the ball.<\/p>\n The thing I keep thinking about with them is that great 2019 LAFC<\/a> side that really blossomed after shifting Latif Blessing to a pressing 10 in a 4-3-3. The more I watch Owen Wolff<\/a>, the more convinced I am that\u2019s his best spot.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Is it Tai Baribo or nothing?<\/strong><\/p>\n Baribo<\/a> got off to a scorching start; the Union<\/a> got off to a scorching start. Baribo has gone cold; the Union, who lost 1-0<\/a> at NYCFC<\/a> on Saturday, have now gone cold, with just one win in their past five games. They\u2019ve scored three goals in that span, and have now been shut out twice on the trot.<\/p>\n I don\u2019t think they were wrong to sell D\u00e1niel Gazdag<\/a> for $4 million (along with another $500k in incentives) to Columbus. Getting that kind of cash for a 29-year-old No. 10 who\u2019s actually not much of a playmaker \u2013 watch me eat those words as he blossoms under Wilfried Nancy \u2013 is good business.<\/p>\n But there\u2019s not really a secondary goalscorer in this squad at the moment. Bruno Damiani<\/a> keeps knocking on the door, and I trust a striker with his instincts (his movement around the box is really, really good) will eventually start putting the ball in the back of the net. Union fans, though, are frustrated.<\/p>\n The Pigeons needed that one, and the goal came courtesy of \u2013 who else? \u2013 Alonso Mart\u00ednez<\/a>, who punished a big error from the Philly backline and a bigger one from young goalkeeper Andrew Rick<\/a>, who was in for Andre Blake<\/a>. Longer term, however, the more interesting thing to note is that it looks like 17-year-old academy product Jonathan Shore<\/a> has locked down a starting job in central midfield, and slightly older academy product Justin Haak<\/a> has solidified himself as a starting center back, according to head coach Pascal Jansen<\/a>.<\/p>\n “Justin, today, again, he was strong in the air, strong on the ball, and he gives us a lot of options playing from the back because he’s that comfortable on the ball as well,\u201d Jansen said. \u201cVery calm and composed.”<\/p>\n You could see how important that calm was against a team that presses like hell.<\/p>\n I do wonder, with the spine sorted, if NYCFC start looking more like what they were four or five years ago, when they used the ball as well as anyone. That\u2019s still, I think, part of their DNA.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Are Montr\u00e9al starting to get more comfortable with the ball?<\/strong><\/p>\n Weird question after a 1-0 home loss<\/a> to Charlotte<\/a>, right? Especially one in which the game\u2019s only goal came from a horrible misplay when Fernando \u00c1lvarez<\/a> Bill Buckner\u2019d a back-pass.<\/p>\n And yet even after going down a goal and being forced to chase the game, Montr\u00e9al used the ball a ton (they had 65% possession), created danger (19 shots, which resulted in 1.6 xG) and didn\u2019t leave themselves exposed to turn the 1-0 deficit into 2-0 or 3-0.<\/p>\n They also had, on average, their longest passing sequences of the year in this one \u2013 both the opponents and game state have something to do with that, of course \u2013 as well as their longest passing sequences that lead to a shot.<\/p>\n Cold comfort when you\u2019re winless on the season and are propping up the entire table. But there was at least a little bit of spark.<\/p>\n Pep Biel<\/a> continues to be awesome for the Crown. As with Minnesota, though, I\u2019m waiting for this team to show more in other phases of play before I\u2019m convinced they’re contenders.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n How big a part does Dado Valenzuela play this year?<\/strong><\/p>\n The 20-year-old attacker got his first start of the year, and took his chance extremely well with the game\u2019s only goal in a 1-0 win<\/a> at D.C<\/a>. My guess is he\u2019ll stick in the lineup for a bit after this performance, especially with Evander<\/a> nursing a knee injury.<\/p>\n This is obviously crucial for a Cincy<\/a> side that hasn’t had, to this point, great attacking depth. It was supposed to be Sergio Santos<\/a> and Corey Baird<\/a> who would provide that, but Santos is just really a pressing option and Baird hasn\u2019t fit (for reasons I can\u2019t quite figure out \u2013 he\u2019s a talented player!) in Pat Noonan\u2019s system.<\/p>\n Valenzuela<\/a>\u2019s comfortable getting on the ball in half-spaces and is decisive about punishing scrambled defenses. He\u2019s not a playmaker, really, in that he won’t unlock a settled defense or pick a pass that nobody else sees. But he plays with directness and pace on and off the ball in a way that can inject some life into a Cincy attack that has, at times, looked a little unsure of itself this year.<\/p>\n One other Cincy note: Matt Miazga<\/a> returned to action after missing 301 days with a knee injury<\/a> suffered last year. It\u2019s a very good bet that this team will be better in two months than they are right now.<\/p>\n As for D.C., they just need talent.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Will the goals start to come for Nashville?<\/strong><\/p>\n The \u2018Yotes<\/a> put together another really attractive, aggressive, attacking performance in their 2-1 win<\/a> over RSL<\/a>. And yet they needed a PK from Sam Surridge<\/a> in second-half stoppage to come away with three points from a game they\u2019d otherwise dominated. This came without Walker Zimmerman<\/a>, it should be noted (a lack of Zimmerman has been something close to a guaranteed L for this team in the past).<\/p>\n The data\u2019s not showing it yet, but Edvard Tagseth<\/a> is good, Gast\u00f3n Brugman<\/a> is still good, the center backs have been very good in their distribution, and the fullbacks are still capable of winning (or tying, in this case) a match.<\/p>\n Surridge, Hany Mukhtar<\/a> and the wingers have to figure out how to put the ball in the back of the net from open play. Otherwise, no matter how pretty they play, we\u2019re talking about a team that\u2019ll scrape into the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs.<\/p>\n Face of the Week here from Daniel Lovitz<\/a>:<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n It’s safe to say that Dan Lovitz disagreed with the red card review last night.<\/p>\n “If I do that to you, you would know.” ???????????? pic.twitter.com\/v2H8mZoqv8<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u2014 Nashville SC Stats (@NSC_Stats) April 13, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n All the focus so far this year has been on the lack of a starting-caliber No. 9 for RSL, which is understandable.<\/p>\n But the defense has really fallen apart, hasn\u2019t it? Thirteen goals allowed in eight games isn\u2019t a disaster, but they\u2019ve allowed 2+ expected goals in six of their eight outings, which is.<\/p>\n I dug into the American Soccer Analysis database and most of the issue seems to come down to allowing opponents easier passes (especially in the defensive third), and more of them. It\u2019s been a deadly combo.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Is Pedro de la Vega a difference-maker?<\/strong><\/p>\n De la Vega<\/a> wasn’t clean in his return to the starting XI after missing the past four weeks via injury \u2013 he completed just 11 of his 16 passes \u2013 but he was busy (35 touches in 45 minutes) and offered some of the conscience-free, \u201cscrew it, I\u2019m shooting this\u201d the Sounders<\/a>\u2019 attack has been missing. And obviously that mattered on the game\u2019s only goal in their 1-0 win<\/a> at FC Dallas<\/a>:<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \u2014 Seattle Sounders FC (@SoundersFC) April 13, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n When de la Vega\u2019s been healthy this year, he\u2019s passed the eye test. If they get more of this from him, they\u2019ll leave this pretty miserable two-month start to the season in the rearview (especially with Jordan Morris<\/a> coming back soon).<\/p>\n Dallas have been up and down, and I\u2019m not sure they\u2019re any closer to figuring out who they are and how they want to play than they were on Matchday 1.<\/p>\n One to watch for: Petar Musa<\/a> left the game with a sprained ankle. Hopefully it’s not too serious.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Are San Diego uniquely vulnerable to two-forward set-ups?<\/strong><\/p>\n Los Ni\u00f1os<\/a> have played eight games, and they\u2019ve looked really good in six of them. They won the xG battle in all six and, not at all coincidentally, took results (four wins and two draws) out of each.<\/p>\n In their other two games, which includes Saturday\u2019s trip to Colorado<\/a>, they\u2019ve faced teams playing out of a 4-4-2. In the first of those games \u2013 a trip last month to Austin \u2013 they won the possession battle (as they almost always do) but gave up chance after chance on the break, lost the xG battle, and subsequently lost the game. Against Austin, it was 2-1<\/a>; against the Rapids, it was 3-2<\/a>.<\/p>\n Watch how Darren Yapi<\/a>, one of Colorado\u2019s two forwards, drags right center back Chris McVey<\/a> into the channel here at the start of this sequence:<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \u2014 Colorado Rapids (@ColoradoRapids) April 13, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n That\u2019s not necessarily fatal. But it absolutely can be, and obviously is here, if there are no subsequent rotations to compress space. The primary culprit in this case is Paddy McNair<\/a>, who\u2019s chilling eight yards deeper than the rest of the backline. We can also find some blame for Jeppe Tverskov<\/a> and Jasper Loffelsend<\/a>, though, since they get lost in no-man\u2019s land, neither getting pressure on the ball nor keeping attackers in their cover shadows.<\/p>\n This is pretty close to the same type of breakdown we saw time and again in Austin. These inside-out runs seem to cause this team, which has looked so comfortable against everyone else, all kinds of trouble.<\/p>\n Great and necessary win for the Rapids, who not only got three goals, but also got a debut from Ted Ku-DiPietro<\/a>. I think he\u2019ll thrive there.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Are the Quakes cooked if Daniel is out for any length of time?<\/strong><\/p>\n Based upon what happened in goal for San Jose<\/a> last year when Daniel<\/a> was hurt, and the performance of back-up Earl Edwards Jr.<\/a>, who came in after Daniel had to leave the game in the 20th minute after being kicked in the head by Olivier Giroud<\/a>\u2026 probably. Both of LAFC\u2019s goals in their 2-1 win<\/a> came off mistakes from Edwards, and I don\u2019t blame any Quakes fan who found themselves having unpleasant flashbacks.<\/p>\n San Jose were fine, bordering on good, outside of the two goals they conceded (the first was a save that Edwards pushed straight to Sergi Palencia<\/a> at the top of the box; the second was a flubbed goal kick that led to Denis Bouanga<\/a>\u2019s first goal of the year). I think they have a real chance to be a playoff team.<\/p>\n But not if Daniel is sidelined for a significant amount of time.<\/p>\n For LAFC: If Bouanga\u2019s back, they\u2019re back. I suspect he\u2019s back and they\u2019ll be fine in the regular season, though the way they lost to Miami in the CCC is the same way they\u2019ve been losing big games for the past couple of years. And until\/unless they change that, it\u2019s hard to imagine big games against the region\u2019s best will have appreciably different outcomes than we saw in 2023 and 2024.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Do the Galaxy have any way to build a reliable central defense?<\/strong><\/p>\n A big part of the theory regarding LA<\/a>\u2019s ability to maintain a good level this year \u2013 despite shipping off players like Dejan Jovelji\u0107<\/a>, Mark Delgado<\/a> and Gast\u00f3n Brugman, and despite being without Riqui Puig<\/a> until summer at the earliest \u2013 was, hey, at least the backline is still together! And hey, it\u2019s been reinforced by the addition of Zanka<\/a>, a veteran with plenty of experience in top European leagues, the Champions League, the Euros and the freaking World Cup!<\/p>\n Well, Maya Yoshida<\/a> has underperformed and got hurt two weeks ago. Emiro Garc\u00e9s<\/a> has struggled with the way the game model has shifted in Puig\u2019s absence. And Zanka? Zanka\u2019s\u2026 not been great.<\/p>\n He picked up a (totally deserved) red card a half-hour into a 1-1 home draw<\/a> against Houston<\/a> on Saturday after his flubbed clearance led to a breakaway which he stopped by pulling down Ezequiel Ponce<\/a> on the edge of the box. LA, to their credit, held onto that one-goal deficit for the next 25 minutes, then tied it up on a Diego Fag\u00fandez<\/a> free kick, then held onto that 1-1 for the final half-hour.<\/p>\n But still, the already-in-bad-shape Galaxy are looking at a really, really dodgy situation in the one part of their XI that was supposed to be solid. They are winless \u2013 tied for dead last \u2013 with the season nearly a quarter done. And they haven\u2019t shown much reason to think things are about to get better.<\/p>\n Houston at least have a theory for that: Jack McGlynn<\/a> continues to look more comfortable as a half-space merchant, U22 attackers Lawrence Ennali<\/a> and Nelson Qui\u00f1ones<\/a> should be back soon, and DP attacker Ond\u0159ej Lingr<\/a> should be available soon. They\u2019re about to get a real talent influx.<\/p>\n Of course, they are just 1W-4L-3D with only six goals scored. So they need it.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Are we sleeping on the Portland midfield?<\/strong><\/p>\n Phil Neville thinks so! Here he is, waxing poetic about David Ayala<\/a> following Portland<\/a>\u2019s 4-2 win<\/a> at Sporting KC<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \u201cHe’s the best midfield player in MLS. Simple as that. The kid has got everything \u2013 on the ball, tackling, desire, discipline, aerial ability. For me, he\u2019s the best midfield player in MLS. I don’t see anyone better at this moment in time.\u201d<\/p>\n The Argentine is finally fully healthy and is having a good season. I am not quite as enthusiastic as Phil is, but his ability to do the job of disruption next to Diego Chara<\/a>, while also getting forward to add to the attack, has added real dynamism to the Timbers. Here, have a taste:<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Kevin Kelsy scores ????????????@TimbersFC<\/a> retake the lead in the first half. pic.twitter.com\/XH74aZ62wN<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Major League Soccer (@MLS) April 13, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n That is really nice work!<\/p>\n And the goal, of course, was not his \u2013 it took a deflection off of Kevin Kelsy<\/a>. The young Venezuelan No. 9 is toolsy as hell and had himself a brace, but struggled with Cincy last year in doing the main job of a striker: being in the right spots to make goals happen. It\u2019s why he eventually drifted out of the rotation there and became available for the Timbers to sign on a U22 deal.<\/p>\n \u201cKelsy\u2019s gonna be a massive player for us,\u201d Neville said afterward. \u201cWe’re just going to be patient with his development; we’ve got to push him. He’s driven and everything about the kid I love. Even when he doesn\u2019t train well, play well, I see someone that we can develop over the next 12 to 18 months into being a top, top striker in this league and in his career.<\/p>\n \u201cHis movement was good. He\u2019s simplified his game, one-two touches, he’s been having some great work with [assistant] Dave van den Bergh. We\u2019ve been trying to simplify his game, get him into the box. The first one, obviously it was a ricochet, but it’s a goal. The second one was a proper finish.\u201d<\/p>\n Sporting took it on the chin here, particularly young John Pulskamp<\/a> in goal and even younger Jansen Miller<\/a> in central defense. There are definitely going to be days like this over the rest of 2025.<\/p>\n But interim head coach Kerry Zavagnin should keep playing these guys. Run the tough yards now, and give them a chance to be the long-term answers at spots where there have only been questions for so long.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Can Brian Guti\u00e9rrez be a game-changing No. 10 on a contender?<\/strong><\/p>\n A scoreless draw<\/a> against unbeaten Inter Miami is not a bad result. But Chicago<\/a> had the better chances on the day, including chances that didn\u2019t even officially turn into chances:<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n High hopes for Brian Gutierrez, and he deserves some grace given he’s coming back from an injury.<\/p>\n But if he’s the type of 10 who can help take a team to silverware, he’s got to turn this into a chance for someone. And I’m sure he knows it. pic.twitter.com\/CuzJR5CaNx<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u2014 Matthew Doyle (@MattDoyle76) April 13, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n Guti\u00e9rrez<\/a> is a very good young player, the type who\u2019d be an asset for any team in this league, and who likely has a clear path to Europe either this summer or, more likely, next winter.<\/p>\n You can\u2019t leave money on the table here, though. Yeah, Toto Avil\u00e9s<\/a> deserves some credit for scrambling well after serving up that hospital ball \u2013 this is textbook open-field defending, taking away both the dribble and the easy pass \u2013 but above-average chance creators in this league punish that moment.<\/p>\n Bear in mind, Chicago have a DP slot open and they\u2019ll likely use it this summer. If Guti\u00e9rrez shows he\u2019s not the guy to be the focal point of this attack, they\u2019ll use that spot on a No. 10. If he shows he can do it, maybe they’ll spend that spot elsewhere.<\/p>\n Miami won this exact game \u2013 or something like it, anyway \u2013 about five times last year thanks to Julian Gressel<\/a>\u2019s chance creation, both from out wide and on set pieces. His exile remains one of the more inexplicable storylines of the early season, and I wonder if the relative lack of squad rotation (Leo Messi<\/a> and Luis Su\u00e1rez<\/a> both started and went 90 again) will catch up to this team.<\/p>\n Still, though. They\u2019re unbeaten through two months, even with last year\u2019s record-setting PPG pace, and are into the Concacaf Champions Cup semis. They check the boxes they\u2019ve needed to check, even if there are some nits to pick.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Here\u2019s what I wrote about this game \u2013 or at least part of what I wrote about it \u2013 in my preview column<\/a>:<\/p>\n Defensively, the Crew\u2019s whole thing is \u201cget the ball back quickly and keep it.\u201d They want to avoid defending in their own box, where they are only adequate<\/strong>. They\u2019re an excellent defensive team everywhere else on the field, and the data shows it.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote><\/div>\n In the first half of this game, they weren\u2019t even adequate. St. Louis<\/a> had just four box entries; three ended with Jo\u00e3o Klauss<\/a>, who is massive, physically dominating the Crew defenders, winning headers that turned into shots, and turning one of those shots into a goal. The rest of the half was played the way Columbus want the game to be played, and honestly, what can you say about a goal like this?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \u2014 Major League Soccer (@MLS) April 14, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n I can\u2019t even be incredulous anymore that it\u2019s a center back making that run and finishing off that sequence. It\u2019s just become the expected pattern of play for the Crew, who still \u2013 apologies, Vancouver and San Diego \u2013 play the most beautiful ball in the league.<\/p>\n They played more beautiful ball on the second goal, one that included a key touch from new guy D\u00e1niel Gazdag<\/a>, who came on at halftime and was busy, if not super effective. And by about the 65th minute this one felt a lot like another Crew goal was inevitable, and that it\u2019d be a 3-1 final with minimal drama.<\/p>\n\n
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Will Olof Mellberg let St. Louis get out and attack?<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
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