After three weeks of MLS actions, the writers of the Vavel USA Soccer Office were asked six questions about the start of the season. Included are Adam Stefanik, Chris Blakely, Jos Wielgus, Kyle Nowotny, Liam McMahon, and myself, Blayne Riffle.
1. So far, which team has been the biggest surprise of 2015?
Adam: San Jose Earthquakes. It is only week 4 but most of us thought they wouldn’t be anywhere near the top of the standings even early in the season.
Blayne: San Jose. Dominic Kinnear has turned this team from a flop to an instant hit. With 6 points in three games that could have easily been 7, it’s hard to count them out. They were not in my list to make the playoffs from the West this season, but they are close to a lock if I had to make that list now.
Chris: I would have to say the biggest surprise would be how well New York City FC is doing. I know they have only played three matches so far, but they currently lead the Eastern Conference even if it is by one point. I would also put FC Dallas in this category as well. They have played three games and have nine points. This seems to be a trend for Dallas every year. Start off hot and slide in the middle of the season. Let’s see if it happens again in 2015.
Jasmine: San Jose Earthquakes
Joe: San Jose. It's early, and I still think they'll fail to make the playoffs, but no one had them beating Seattle away and being 2nd in the West at this point.
Kyle: Vancouver Whitecaps: the track record for consistency amongst Canadian clubs is poor to say the least, so it's a bit surprising to see the Whitecaps continue their fine form from last season. Even in their loss to Toronto they looked good, especially during the first half. Uruguayan striker Octavio Rivero is the best kind of player to watch: consistently dangerous with enough flair to keep you guessing how he'll score again. Nicolas Mezquida is another fun player to watch. With all of the attacking options Coach Carl Robinson has at his disposal, expect the 'Caps to be the most entertaining outfit in MLS. They look like a contender for a 3-4 spot in the West if they can remain consistent.
Liam: The biggest surprise to me over these first three weeks has been the San Jose Earthquakes. They were dreadful last season, but are off to a good start with six points from nine available, and the victory over Seattle took everyone by surprise.
2. So far, which team has been the biggest disappointment of 2015?
Adam: New England Revolution. Yes they are missing Jermaine Jones, but with only 1 point from 3 games while being held scoreless so far is just mind-boggling with the attacking talent they have.
Blayne: While Sporting Kansas City has struggled so far, that was somewhat expected with a move to the West. The New England Revolution have shown nothing to MLS fans yet this season after a run to MLS Cup last year. With 1 point and no goals, it’s hard to see their collapse as anything but a disappointment to their fans and the league.
Chris: I would have to say Sporting KC has been a huge disappointment three matches into the season. They have yet to win a game and have two ties. I know the Western Conference is a lot tougher than the Eastern Conference, but it’s not the much tougher. Of the two teams moving to the West this year, I figured Sporting KC would be the better of the two. So far, I am wrong and Houston is looking good.
Jasmine: Chicago Fire or Sporting Kansas City
Joe: Sporting Kansas City. Very ugly start to the year
Kyle: It's tempting to go with the Revs since many had them pegged for a Supporter's Shied this year, but without Jermaine Jones their season was going to get off slowly. The real disappointment has to be Sporting KC. They've yet to win a game this season and have looked rather drab at times. Dom Dwyer hasn't shown his form yet and the defense has been rather poor. With Aurelian Collin gone to Orlando, everyone wondered how Matt Besler would fare and so far things don't look good for the US International. There's simply too much veteran talent on Peter Vermes' roster to be looking this poor to start the season.
Liam: Chicago. Without a doubt, Chicago. The new signings have yet to gel at all, and they don't look anything close to a playoff team. There's plenty of time for Frank Yallop to figure it out, but they need some results soon. They'll be without Shaun Maloney this weekend and he probably won't be 100% next week, so it's going to be tough for the Fire. However, they need a result to start figuring things out.
3. In the first 27 games, there have been 22 shutouts, 6 instances where a team scored 3 goals, and 10 where a team scored two goals. In your opinion are defenses getting better, are offenses struggling, or are the big names not performing?
Adam: I think it is still early in the season and teams and players are still working out the kinks, especially teams with new players filling key roles.
Blayne: All the credit goes to the defenses and coaches. The low scoring is a direct result of teams emphasizing defense. With so many international stars on the offensive side of the game coming to MLS and the flood of new attacking DPs, solid defense is the natural reaction.
Chris: I wouldn’t say that the big names are performing, sure a few aren’t. Dempsey, Martins, Perez, Kaka and Villa have all been playing well so far. This seems to be a current trend every year. The season starts out slow as offense takes time to build chemistry. To answer the questions, I’d say right now it’s 50/50 on the offenses and defenses.
Jasmine: I think it is a lot of things that can change/shift during the game, and it can be hard to group all of these things together and say it's one or all of the things listed.
Joe: Early season slump and improved defenses.
Kyle: It's no surprise to me that defenses have looked so sharp to start the 2015 campaign. After MLS set records for offense last season, it's only natural that coaches would look to bulk up their defenses and they certainly have across the board. Be it with more attention to their current defenders or bringing in quality defenders, such as Houston Dynamo's Spanish center back Raul Rodriguez just to name one, teams are going to be much more disciplined in the back. Many goalkeepers have taken starting jobs and showed their quality like Houston's Tyler Deric or NYCFC's Josh Saunders. Expect a dip in scoring across the board this season.
Liam: I think that this is more a case of early season form. We're only three games in; everyone is still trying to get their fitness back. New signings are still trying to figure out how they fit in, and especially from a defensive standpoint that's difficult. If you're starting a new center back, and your back line suddenly lacks an understanding or they're still building one, of course you're going to concede some early goals.
4. What are your thoughts on Minnesota United FC joining MLS?
Adam: I think it is awesome that Minnesota will be joining MLS. They have a great organization and a good fan base.
Blayne: I’m very unfamiliar with the club and their ownership, but I can say this is a huge win for MLS as a whole. The northern Midwest was a wide open market that needed a team. With the state of soccer in the country, expanding to new markets is critical. Sacramento, St. Louis, and Miami are all covered by other MLS teams. The stadium deal MUFC is working on is just another positive.
Chris: I like it. It gives another market in the Midwest and they seem to have a passionate fan base. Now if the can keep those sweet kits they currently wear as well as the name and nickname, I will be a happy camper.
Jasmine: I believe MLS coming to Minnesota will engage a group of potential fans who have been looking for a team close to them to root for. I guess what I would say to fans who live in those areas is that now they have a team closer to them that they can root for and call theirs if they do not feel that cheering for the other teams in MLS would not afford them that. Meaning that for instance, Person A lives in North Dakota and the closest team could be Chicago or maybe Sporting KC, but they don't hear much about that team because of proximity, etc. then having a team closer in Minnesota would potentially open up doors for them to learn and become more than just a casual fan.
Joe: Fully behind Minnesota joining the league. As a Wisconsinite it will be good to have a team in the vicinity that isn't Chicago. I love the Loons, Dark Clouds, and everything Minnesota United is doing with their club
Kyle: LOVE IT! This was the team I really wanted, besides San Antonio, to join the league. It's an ownership who already knows how to run a successful soccer team (currently in NASL), along with a great stadium plan and very deep pocketed ownership. What separates them from Sacramento is geography. MLS is trying to fill the holes in the map and the Twin Cities is a gaping one. Add in all of the possible business opportunities there (lots and lots of Fortune 500 companies reside there) and this is a no brainer. The cherry on top is United's wonderful jersey. It's great. With the recent article from Howler Magazine about Miami's expansion bid, it's not far-fetched to think the Republic will join United. Hang in there, guys.
Liam: Minnesota is a terrific move for MLS. This will do wonders for expanding their Midwestern footprint, and the plan for a downtown Soccer Specific Stadium sounds fantastic. These are exactly the sorts of teams MLS should be looking to bring in. Sacramento anyone...?
5. Are 11 red cards and one suspension in the first three weeks of MLS too much discipline or not enough? Should there have been more of fewer cards?
Adam: I think it is a little of both. A few of the red cards have been warranted but some clearly show that officiating has been questionable, even in games where there were no red cards.
Blayne: Red cards and suspensions are never good for a league. They always hurt the performance every weekend. But the physical nature of MLS and the out of control style some players bring require harsh reactions. 11 red cards is too many for three weeks, but it’s not nearly as many as there should have been. Without going into detail, I can think of 6-10 challenges that could have seen red and didn’t. I can’t even count the times there could have been two yellows.
Chris: This is a tough one to speak about. Every single referee views every single infraction differently. If you come in studs up into a player, no matter what that needs to be an automatic red card. Example being last weekend during the Whitecaps-Orlando City match, Kekuta Manneh did just that and only received a yellow card. He was handed a one game suspension by the MLS disciplinary committee this week. That being said, there should have been more than 11 red cards issued in 27 matches. MLS is cracking down on excessive force and such and they need to train their referees better on how to handle the situations and call better games. However, that is a discussion for another time.
Jasmine: This is really an opinion question obviously, and I am not sure how to answer but the best advice is just don't put yourself in the situation for the call to be made. No, not all calls are fair; some come from a skewed angle or from behind the play. I more meant that everyone has their own opinion about whether a foul was warranted or not.
Kyle: Despite all of the heat referees get naturally, I believe they've been pretty accurate on with their cards this season. Not everything is perfect, of course (it's debatable whether you'd truly want a ref to be 100% perfect) but they've been more right than wrong. A couple of games have had some fantastic howlers but that's no different than any of the players' mistakes. If fans really want refereeing to take the next step they should pressure the league to add more full-time refs to the pool. The more a ref can focus solely on his game, the better they'll be able to keep up with the players physically and mentally. Given what refs have to work with, they've been fine so far in 2015. As for the disciplinary committee, I prefer them to have a light hand. Not every call needs judgment. Take the most egregious and hand down suspensions/fines. No need to go overboard as players seem to have gotten the message over the years now.
Liam: It's hard to look at straight discipline numbers and just say out of hand that there has been too little or too much discipline. You have to look at it on a case by case basis. Was Matt Besler's sending off against New York harsh? Yes. But does that mean all 11 red cards were harsh? No. It's too early to make a definitive statement on something like this.
6. Which team will be most greatly affected by the international call-ups?
Adam: I think Orlando will be the hardest hit team because the call-ups are also impacting their depth, not just the starters but bench players as well.
Blayne: Orlando City is losing seven players to international duty and most are key pieces of the starting lineup. For a new squad, losing that many players will be hard to overcome. The subs aren’t accustomed to starting and chemistry will be lacking.
Chris: It will be teams like FC Dallas and Orlando City because they are missing so many players at one time. This forces younger, less often played players to step into those roles and can affect the outcome of games. MLS needs to honor these international dates. Who cares if you have to play a few more weekday matches? As a fan, I love them.
Jasmine: Ones with more names or bigger names like your Seattle’s or LAs or maybe NYCFC.
Joe: Montreal. A lot of young starting Canadians are gone. Montreal needs to keep the team together as much as possible in the run up to the CCL finals
Kyle: The Houston Dynamo will be missing a large part of their starting lineup for this weekend's clash against the Colorado Rapids. Center back Jermaine Taylor and striker Giles Barnes are away with Jamaica while World Cup veterans Luis Garrido and Oscar Garcia are with Honduras. With Ricardo Clark (rib) and DaMarcus Beasley (hamstring) leaving last weekend's game against LA due to injury, Owen Coyle will have to rely heavily on his bench. The status of Spanish defender Raul Rodriguez is also in the air, after leaving the opener against Columbus Crew due to a hamstring injury. What looked like an easy three points at home has turned into another tough fight for Coyle's side. His best hope is that his players' injuries are minor, making them available for this weekend. The International Window couldn't have come at a worse time for the Dynamo.
Liam: Toronto FC. This is always a tough one to gauge because we aren't seeing training every day and don't know how squad players play with each other, but it seems a safe bet to say that a team missing it's captain, who also happens to be their field general, and their top striker will be struggling.