{"id":116406,"date":"2024-10-20T18:14:53","date_gmt":"2024-10-20T11:14:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=116406"},"modified":"2024-10-20T18:14:53","modified_gmt":"2024-10-20T11:14:53","slug":"audi-2024-mls-cup-playoffs-tiers-how-do-teams-stack-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=116406","title":{"rendered":"Audi 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs tiers: How do teams stack up?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text  \">\n<p>And so, with the conclusion of Decision Day, Major League Soccer&#8217;s 29th regular season is in the books.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text  \">\n<p>Let&#8217;s do our usual thing: In place of my typical Sunday night column, following Decision Day we look at where everybody stands heading into the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs (check out the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/competitions\/mls-cup-playoffs\/2024\/bracket\/\">bracket here<\/a>).<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text  \">\n<p>For teams that didn&#8217;t make the postseason, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/news\/topics\/armchair-analyst-matt-doyle\/?utm_source=mlssoccer&amp;utm_medium=homepage&amp;utm_campaign=voices-doyle\">post-mortems<\/a> have been trickling out over the past month, with another big batch coming later this week. But here and now, into the playoffs we go\u2026<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text  \">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/bracket.mlssoccer.com\/?utm_source=mls&amp;utm_medium=story&amp;utm_campaign=bc\">Play the Audi 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs Bracket Challenge<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text  \">\n<p>I\u2019ve said all year long that this is the best MLS team I\u2019ve ever seen. Now, it\u2019s a little bit difficult to make that case during a season in which they didn\u2019t win the Supporters\u2019 Shield and didn\u2019t post outrageous underlying numbers. But I\u2019m gonna do it.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text  \">\n<p>Here, for reference, are those underlying numbers (regular season only):<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text  \">\n<ul>\n<li>Expected goal differential per 90 is +0.44, as per FBRef. That\u2019s second-best in the league.<\/li>\n<li>American Soccer Analysis\u2019s even more granular \u201cgoals added\u201d metric has them as a historically excellent but not quite best-of-the-best side at +0.35.<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text  \">\n<p>What separates the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/clubs\/columbus-crew\">Crew<\/a> and elevates them to \u201cbest MLS team I\u2019ve ever seen,\u201d then, isn\u2019t what they do in the regular season. Rather, it&#8217;s what they do in tournament play, and \u201ctournament play\u201d by definition means more intense games against better teams.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text  \">\n<p>Across the 2023 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/competitions\/leagues-cup\/2024\/\">Leagues Cup<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/competitions\/u-s-open-cup\">US Open Cup<\/a> and playoffs, the 2024 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/competitions\/concacaf-champions-league\/2024\/\">Concacaf Champions Cup<\/a> and Leagues Cup, as well as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/competitions\/campeones-cup\">Campeones Cup<\/a>, Columbus have played 25 games. Over those 25 games, they are 16W-3L-6D with a +24 goal differential. Pro-rate that throughout an MLS season and that\u2019s not just a Shield-winning pace, but a \u201chey they set the single-season points record!\u201d pace.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text  \">\n<p>Again, these are tournament games, so these are better opponents! That record they\u2019ve posted includes an unbeaten mark (tournament ball only) against the two other teams in this tier, as well as six games \u2013 and an unbeaten record \u2013 against Club Am\u00e9rica, Tigres and Monterrey, who are effectively the three biggest clubs in North America.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text  \">\n<p>The Crew\u2019s xGD\/90 across that 25-game sample, as per Opta, is +0.67 \u2013 more than 50% better than their regular-season mark this year. Over the past dozen years, only six MLS teams have gone better than +0.67 across an MLS season. And remember, we\u2019re talking about doing that against a schedule filled with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/clubs\/san-jose-earthquakes\">San Jose Earthquakes<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/clubs\/chicago-fire-fc\">Chicago Fire<\/a>s of the world, and no LIGA MX gigantes to worry about.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text  \">\n<p>So the Crew have done it in life-or-death situations against the very best teams in Concacaf, and they have done it again and again and again and again. Unlike other historically great, ball-dominant MLS teams that would either crumble against playoff-caliber opponents (2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/clubs\/los-angeles-football-club\">LAFC<\/a>) or go into a shell and play on the counter (2018 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/clubs\/atlanta-united\">Atlanta<\/a>, 2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/clubs\/la-galaxy\">LA<\/a>), Columbus do it their way. They never stop using the ball to impose their will on the opposition, and in so doing they have ripped the souls out of good teams.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text  \">\n<p>Consider: In a 23-game span leading to the Leagues Cup final, LAFC had lost to exactly one team: The Columbus Crew. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/competitions\/mls-regular-season\/2024\/matches\/lafcvsclb-07-13-2024\">5-1<\/a>. At home. They then lost again to Columbus in the final, making them 0W-2L-0D, with a -6 goal differential in those two games.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text  \">\n<p>Against all other comers, which includes teams from three different leagues, <em>LAFC were 19W-0L-3D and +45.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text  \">\n<p>And the Crew just killed them. They are the best MLS team I have ever seen.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text  \">\n<p>None of what I wrote above might matter a damn because <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/clubs\/inter-miami-cf\/\">Inter Miami<\/a> have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/players\/lionel-messi\/\">Lionel Messi<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text  \">\n<p>He is not all they are \u2013 there are lots of good-to-great players on this roster, including a match-winner in goal. But the Herons can be terrible for 85 minutes and win 3-2 against anybody because Messi, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/players\/luis-suarez\/\">Luis Su\u00e1rez<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/players\/jordi-alba\/\">Jordi Alba<\/a> will dominate the high-leverage moments, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/players\/sergio-busquets\/\">Sergio Busquets<\/a> et al will do just enough to cover for that error-prone central defense. Add in the occasional dose of set-piece dominance, and you\u2019ve got a recipe for a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/news\/inter-miami-set-mls-single-season-points-record\">record-setting, 74-point season<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text  \">\n<p>As great as I think the Crew are, I am not stupid enough to pick against a fully fit Messi. If that\u2019s what the playoffs present, then Miami are the favorites.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text  \">\n<p>I\u2019ve written a lot about how many games the Crew have played this year \u2013 it\u2019s 47 \u2013 thanks to their extended runs in both CCC and Leagues Cup. LAFC? They\u2019re at 46. And like the Crew, I think they suffered a little bit for it in the regular season, as they collectively lost their legs through the final three weeks of summer. That led to a five-game winless skid to start September that had everyone worried.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text  \">\n<p>Then the Black &amp; Gold beat <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/clubs\/sporting-kansas-city\">Sporting KC<\/a> in the US Open Cup final a month back, hoisted a trophy, and found the accelerator again. They closed the regular season with five straight wins, conceding just three times, have mostly integrated <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/players\/olivier-giroud\/\">Olivier Giroud<\/a>, have elevated another difference-maker in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/players\/david-martinez\/\">David Mart\u00ednez<\/a>, and still have the most lethal counterattack on the continent thanks to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/players\/denis-bouanga\/\">Denis Bouanga<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/players\/mateusz-bogusz\/\">Mateusz Bogusz<\/a>. As long as they&#8217;re not missing too many center backs, they feel like prohibitive Western Conference favorites to me.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text  \">\n<p>Would I pick them to win MLS Cup on the road against either of the above teams? No. But it wouldn\u2019t be a massive upset, either. LAFC are a wagon.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text  \">\n<p>By the way, all three of these teams are playing for a double. Leagues Cup\/MLS Cup for the Crew, Shield\/MLS Cup for Miami, USOC\/MLS Cup for LAFC.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text  \">\n<p>I wanted to drop the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/clubs\/la-galaxy\/\">Galaxy<\/a> down a tier because I simply do not believe in their ability to stifle elite attacking teams in big moments. They are in the bottom half of the West in both goals allowed and expected goals allowed (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/players\/john-mccarthy\/\">John McCarthy<\/a>\u2019s unheralded year has kept that first number respectable), and have pitched exactly one shutout since June.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text  \">\n<p>They concede a lot of chances off set pieces. They can struggle when defending in a low block. They are great when they\u2019re on the same page:<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text  \">\n<p>But they get absolutely gashed on the counter when the pieces on the board have been rearranged like that and turnovers happen.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text  \">\n<p>The upside is they pile up goals and haven&#8217;t lost all year in Carson, which is why <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/andrew_wiebe\">Andrew Wiebe<\/a> made me create a special Galaxy-only tier. With a home-field advantage that strong, and an attack that potent, they at least have a path to MLS Cup. If they get there, could they win a shootout?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text  \">\n<p>They will have the best player on the field in most games, which is always a good starting point. And while the defense has mostly been a mess since <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/players\/matt-miazga\/\">Matt Miazga<\/a> got injured four months ago, the individual talent level remains high, and the pieces still fit (in theory).<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text  \">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/players\/luciano-acosta\/\">Lucho Acosta<\/a>\u2019s healthy, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/players\/luca-orellano\/\">Luca Orellano<\/a>\u2019s a willing and able sidekick, the defense figures it out and one of the forwards gets hot? I mean, I wouldn\u2019t bet on it happening \u2013 especially in this star-crossed year for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/clubs\/fc-cincinnati\/\">Cincy<\/a>. But that\u2019s the recipe.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text  \">\n<p>I\u2019ve repeatedly made the point that since <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/players\/martin-ojeda\/\">Mart\u00edn Ojeda<\/a> was moved to the No. 10 spot in early July, the pieces have snapped into place and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/clubs\/orlando-city-sc\">Orlando<\/a> have become one of the best attacking teams in MLS. They are 11W-3L-3D across all competitions since then, and have the seventh-best xG\/90 in the league. Decision Day loss aside, they\u2019re humming.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text  \">\n<p>Less remarked upon is how good they\u2019ve been defensively since moving Ojeda to that spot. Doing so created actual field balance, and you can see it in all the numbers, both basic and advanced: six shutouts and the league\u2019s second-best xGA\/90 over the past four months.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text  \">\n<p>The schedule has been soft through most of this run. But still, it\u2019s a hell of a run, and between Ojeda, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/players\/facundo-torres\/\">Facu Torres<\/a> and a full stable of center forwards, they\u2019ve got the types of match-winners you need in the playoffs.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text  \">\n<p>They might not have the kinds of match-winners you need in the playoffs. I have genuinely loved watching the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/clubs\/seattle-sounders-fc\/\">Sounders<\/a> since <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/players\/jordan-morris\/\">Jordan Morris<\/a> was moved to center forward \u2013 he\u2019s been awesome, and his movement has breathed life into\/created room for the rest of the attack \u2013 but there\u2019s no <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/players\/juan-camilo-hernandez-suarez\/\">Cucho<\/a> or Bouanga or Lucho or even a Facu on this team.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text  \">\n<p>There are no obvious weaknesses either, which is one of the reasons why they\u2019ve got the best by-the-numbers defense in the league. They will not give games away.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text  \">\n<p>But we saw in last year\u2019s playoffs, and then again in the US Open Cup semifinals, that all it takes against the top team in the West is a single moment. When that happens, the Sounders don\u2019t have the ability to respond.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text  \">\n<p>They\u2019re a match-winner short unless Morris goes supernova or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/players\/pedro-de-la-vega\/\">Pedro de la Vega<\/a> is finally ready to shine. I can\u2019t entirely rule that out, but we\u2019re on the fringes of plausibility here.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text  \">\n<p>I\u2019ve been such a fan of DynaBall over the past 15 months that I feel contractually obligated to put them at this level, especially after they did exactly what I wanted (DP striker, U22 Initiative winger) in the summer window.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text  \">\n<p>Alas, we all know that the U22 winger, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/players\/lawrence-ennali\/\">Lawrence Ennali<\/a>, is done until next summer with a torn ACL. And <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/players\/ezequiel-ponce\/\">Ezequiel Ponce<\/a>, the DP striker, has been\u2026 ok:<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text  \">\n<p>Still, they showed in last year\u2019s Open Cup triumph that their blueprint and personnel work. As long as that midfield\u2019s fully fit and ready to roll next weekend, I\u2019m keeping my <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/clubs\/houston-dynamo-fc\/\">Dynamo<\/a> stock.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text  \">\n<p>I originally had the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/clubs\/real-salt-lake\/\">Claret-and-Cobalt<\/a> down a tier, but Producent Anders made the argument for plausibility in the Extratime group chat. His words, not mine:<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text  \">\n<p>I\u2019d move RSL into plausible case. I know they have not been good recently, but:<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text  \">\n<ul>\n<li>We have seen it this year.<\/li>\n<li>They have an <a href=\"https:\/\/vsbattles.fandom.com\/wiki\/Category:Tier_0\">0-tier<\/a> player in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/players\/cristian-arango\/\">Chicho Arango<\/a>. If he gets hot, there\u2019s every chance they can beat LA or LAFC in a one-off Conference Final.<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text  \">\n<p>That, to me (hi, this is Doyle again) is a pretty good argument, even if Chicho hasn\u2019t been that guy for four months. But when you add it to RSL\u2019s playoffs xDAWG history under Pablo Mastroeni\u2026 ok, plausibility achieved.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text  \">\n<p>Weird one, right? We mostly think of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/clubs\/new-york-city-football-club\/\">NYCFC<\/a> as a young team, but they\u2019ve got four starters who are veterans from the 2021 MLS Cup winners, and three of them are in their respective primes. Their very awesome young(ish) goalkeeper has played \u2013 and played well \u2013 in an Eastern Conference Final. They\u2019ve got depth at center back, and difference-making fullbacks.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text  \">\n<p>Are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/players\/santiago-rodriguez\/\">Santi Rodr\u00edguez<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/players\/alonso-martinez\/\">Alonso Mart\u00ednez<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/players\/hannes-wolf\/\">Hannes Wolf<\/a> postseason match-winners? Santi\u2019s shown glimpses in the past, but the other two guys are playoff unknowns.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text  \">\n<p>Mostly they\u2019ve been really good against bad teams and not good enough against good teams. And they squandered a big chance with that Decision Day loss at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/clubs\/cf-montreal\/\">Montr\u00e9al<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text  \">\n<p>Their only real path to MLS Cup likely involves winning a bunch of road games, which they haven\u2019t done all season.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text  \">\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/clubs\/minnesota-united-fc\/\">Loons<\/a> had one of the best summer windows of anybody, and in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/players\/kelvin-yeboah\/\">Kelvin Yeboah<\/a> they\u2019ve got arguably the hottest striker in the league. He\u2019s a match-winner. I\u2019m not sure DP No. 10 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/players\/joaquin-pereyra\/\">Joaqu\u00edn Pereyra<\/a> (who\u2019s playing more as a half-space merchant on the left side in Eric Ramsay\u2019s 3-4-2-1) is, but it wouldn\u2019t shock me \u2013 given his numbers in Argentina \u2013 if he was able to hit that level.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text  \">\n<p>I love <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/players\/robin-lod\/\">Robin Lod<\/a>. I love <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/players\/bongokuhle-hlongwane\/\">Bongi Hlongwane<\/a>. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/players\/dayne-st-clair\/\">Dayne St. Clair<\/a> can be an adventure, but he can also be a super-elite shot-stopper for months on end.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text  \">\n<p>The central midfield and central defense\u2026 just not good enough for multiple rounds.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text  \">\n<p>The real issue for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/clubs\/charlotte-fc\">Charlotte<\/a> is that when they emphasize using the ball to attack, they haven\u2019t figured out a way to stay compact and defensively solid. Things get bad. They start leaking goals.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text  \">\n<p>So then they go back to the low-block-and-counter approach that worked so well for them to start the season, but one-dimensional teams like that almost never win more than a round or two in the playoffs (last year\u2019s LAFC being the one major exception). Not these days, anyway.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text  \">\n<p>The sort of well-rounded balance true contenders have has eluded them. The combination of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/players\/kristijan-kahlina\/\">Kristijan Kahlina<\/a> and that counterattack is enough for them to pull off an upset or maybe even two. But beyond that?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text  \">\n<p>The argument for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/clubs\/portland-timbers\">Timbers<\/a> is simple: between <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/players\/evander\/\">Evander<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/players\/jonathan-rodriguez\/\">Jonathan Rodr\u00edguez<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/players\/santiago-moreno\/\">Santi Moreno<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/players\/felipe-mora\/\">Felipe Mora<\/a> they have enough attacking talent to outscore anyone. And if they\u2019re smart about how they defend \u2013 a massive, season-defining \u201cif\u201d \u2013 they can rely upon those four guys to do the heavy lifting, which then allows them to defend with six and take minimal risks.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text  \">\n<p>The argument against the Timbers is simple: they have not consistently done the above all year. And they are miserable on the road, which is not great for a team seeded this low.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text  \">\n<p>No matter what happens from here on out, 2024 is going to go down as a massive success for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/clubs\/colorado-rapids\/\">Rapids<\/a>. Fifty points, a third-place finish in Leagues Cup (and a subsequent berth in next year\u2019s ConcaChampions), and a bunch of big swings (primarily <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/players\/djordje-mihailovic\/\">Djordje Mihailovic<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/players\/rafael-navarro\/\">Rafa Navarro<\/a>) paying off? You love to see it.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text  \">\n<p>But this team plays open, fast-paced soccer that risks leaving space in behind, and with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/news\/colorado-rapids-transfer-moise-bombito-to-ogc-nice\">summertime sale of Mo\u00efse Bombito<\/a>, they don\u2019t have an all-world athlete back there to run opponents down in the open field. They also don\u2019t have a reliable goalscorer coming in off the wing. And <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/players\/cole-bassett\/\">Cole Bassett<\/a> missed the past month with an injury, and then Djordje was stretchered off on Decision Day with one of the nastiest-looking ankle sprains of the year. It&#8217;s too much.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text  \">\n<p>Add in how they\u2019ll be on the road for most of their playoff journey, and I\u2019m not expecting Colorado to duplicate that Leagues Cup run.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text  \">\n<p>They\u2019ve been pretty good when they\u2019ve had both <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/players\/emil-forsberg\/\">Emil Forsberg<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/players\/lewis-morgan\/\">Lewis Morgan<\/a> fit and healthy, and some of their young players are potentially elite (center back <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/players\/noah-eile\/\">Noah Eile<\/a> in particular jumps out). They are also, at times, much more aesthetically pleasing than they\u2019ve been in a half-decade or more.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text  \">\n<p>But <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/clubs\/new-york-red-bulls\/\">Red Bull<\/a> global has again left them at least one DP attacker short. Same song stuck on repeat for 15 years.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text  \">\n<p>The \u2018<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/clubs\/vancouver-whitecaps-fc\/\">Caps<\/a>, to their credit, went out and got another DP this summer, signing Scottish midfielder <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/players\/stuart-armstrong\/\">Stuart Armstrong<\/a>. It has been a stop, start, stop-again integration into the first XI, as the EPL veteran had managed just 120 minutes across all comps heading into Decision Day.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text  \">\n<p>How does he fit with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/players\/ryan-gauld\/\">Ryan Gauld<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/players\/brian-white\/\">Brian White<\/a>? We don\u2019t know. Can he and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/players\/pedro-vite\/\">Pedro Vite<\/a> play in front of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/players\/andres-cubas\/\">Andr\u00e9s Cubas<\/a> in a 3-1-4-2? We don\u2019t know. Where does <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/players\/fafa-picault\/\">Faf\u00e0 Picault<\/a> fit in now? We don\u2019t know.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text  \">\n<p>Vancouver are probably better, on pure talent, than they\u2019ve ever been before. That still leaves them as a bottom-tier playoff side that almost certainly doesn\u2019t have the horses for anything more than their customary hello-goodbye postseason stay.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text  \">\n<p>CF Montr\u00e9al\u2019s late run \u2013 5W-1L-1D to climb into the host\u2019s seat for the Wild Card game \u2013 really does feel like it came out of nowhere. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/players\/caden-clark\/\">Caden Clark<\/a> scores four goals and adds four assists after doing nothing all year for Minnesota? <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/players\/josef-martinez\/\">Josef Martinez<\/a> turns back the clock half a decade immediately after head coach Laurent Courtois had more or less called him a fraud who\u2019d turned his back on the team?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text  \">\n<p>What the hell? How is this even happening? Montr\u00e9al aren\u2019t dominating the ball during this stretch, nor are they creating significantly more chances than they had been. In fact, their xG\/90 has dropped from 1.34 per game over the season\u2019s first 27 contests to just 1.09 over the final seven.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text  \">\n<p>\u201cThey\u2019ve got two guys on a heater\u201d feels like the whole of it. And that\u2019s fun! They\u2019ll be favorites on Tuesday.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text  \">\n<p>This makes even less sense than Montr\u00e9al! <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/clubs\/atlanta-united\/\">Atlanta<\/a> had been significantly worse in the second half of the season by both the eye test and virtually every single metric, boxscore and advanced. They sold around $40 million worth of players and brought in a No. 10, and that guy has been\u2026 not great. As recently as three weeks ago, they were dead and buried.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text  \">\n<p>Yet they somehow stitched together six points from their final two games \u2013 including a Decision Day win at Orlando that\u2019s pretty easily their best performance since Gonzalo Pineda was dismissed waaaay back in the spring \u2013 while <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/clubs\/d-c-united\/\">D.C.<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/clubs\/philadelphia-union\/\">Philly<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/clubs\/toronto-fc\/\">Toronto<\/a> tripped all over themselves. Real \u201cKevin from The Office with the chili.gif\u201d stuff.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text  \">\n<p>Yeah, I don\u2019t know. I\u2019m not remotely about to talk myself into either of these teams. I just hope they give us an entertaining Wild Card game before one or the other is sacrificed on Messi\u2019s altar down in Fort Lauderdale.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async defer crossorigin=\"anonymous\" src=\"https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/sdk.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1660802\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/news\/audi-2024-mls-cup-playoffs-tiers-how-do-teams-stack-up\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>And so, with the conclusion of Decision Day, Major League Soccer&#8217;s 29th regular season is in the books. Let&#8217;s do our usual thing: In place of my typical Sunday night &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=116406\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-116406","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sports","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116406","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=116406"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116406\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=116406"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=116406"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=116406"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}