Tommy McNamara is a veritable MLS cult hero. Gonzalo Veron may well make Red Bulls fans forget (or forgive) his largely unproductive tenure. Cristian Roldan and Dominique Badji are the sort of young, ambitious, cap-friendly players every MLS team needs to be successful.
Any of the four could make the difference for their respective teams in the second and final leg of the Audi 2016 MLS Cup Playoffs conference semifinals. None, however, should be expected to turn the tide.
Naturally, that responsibility falls to the stars, the players with loaded resumés, big paychecks and commensurate on-field expectations, players who shoulder both personal and collective burdens and whose MLS legacies, in large part, rest on playoff success or failure.
Should the Red Bulls, Rapids, NYCFC or FC Dallas take care of business at home and advance to the Conference Championships, their stars will have to, well, play like stars. Here are four who could make the difference on Sunday.
Sacha Kljestan – New York Red Bulls
Much was made of the way the Impact sat deep and attempted to smother Kljestan in pressure in Leg 1, a strategy which helped prevent the Landon Donovan MVP finalist from creating a single chance, the first time that had happened in a game this season.
But that doesn’t necessarily mean Kljestan wasn’t active or dangerous, simply that the Red Bulls were muted in their final action on the road. Below are all the defensive actions by Montreal midfielders Patrice Bernier, Marco Donadel, Hernan Bernardello and substitute Calum Mallace in their own half:
That’s a DMZ-esque line of clearances, blocks, tackles and interceptions as Montreal did their best to take away the space, particularly centrally, between midfield and back four that Kljestan operated in with such success over the past two seasons. For the record, the Red Bulls’ creative fulcrum has just one goal and one assist in six games against the Impact.
The result on Sunday was that most of Kljestan’s combination play in the Montreal half came either in wide areas or too far from goal to threaten the Impact backline. And while he can still drive the Red Bulls forward from those positions (see the pass that set up this 92nd-minute chance for Bradley Wright-Phillips), Kljestan will have to find a way be more active in and around the box for New York to turn their current 1-0 deficit around.
I think he’ll do it. Kljestan wasn’t far off at Stade Saputo, and one goal from the home side will force the Impact to break out of their bunker with more frequency, creating opportunities for turnovers and even-man attacking scenarios. There’s precedent here, too: New York are 7-0-0 (21 GF, 7 GA) against Montreal all-time at Red Bull Arena.
Prediction: Kljestan gets two assists, one setting up Wright-Phillips, and the Red Bulls advance.
David Villa – New York City FC
Designated Players and MVP candidates don’t get to pick and choose when they show up, especially in the playoffs.
Villa’s most high-profile contribution to NYCFC’s 2-0 loss in Toronto was probably the kickout on Armando Cooper that caught the attention (but ultimately not the ire) of the MLS Disciplinary Committee. That’s a recipe for an early playoff exit, a scenario the blue side of New York is looking squarely in the face down 2-0 on aggregate.
Two shots – both from way outside the 18-yard box – and an early exit is not what Patrick Vieira ordered from the Spanish legend in Leg 1, though his decision to go defensive at BMO Field certainly didn’t help Villa’s cause.
The good news for NYCFC is that Villa has been decidedly better at Yankee Stadium (24 goals, 11 assists in 30 games) than he has on the road (17 goals, 1 assist in 33 games) and has scored six goals in four games against Toronto FC, the most he’s tallied against any MLS opponent.
They’ll need him to pad those numbers on Sunday to set up a potential #NYDerby in the Conference Championships.
Prediction: Villa scores, but NYCFC can’t pitch a shutout and TFC roll on.
Shkelzen Gashi/Kevin Doyle – Colorado Rapids
Defensive dominance is all well and good, but someone’s got to score for the Rapids to extend their season.
Gashi and Doyle are international-caliber forwards from whom much is expected. Doyle has two goals, both in one game against San Jose, since July 10, a span of more than 1,000 minutes. Gashi has scored seven of his nine goals this season since July 30, but double digits were expected from the two-time Swiss league Golden Boot winner.
Yes, Pablo Mastroeni’s boys have done it by committee all season long and both bring more than just goals, but it’s time for the Rapids’ investment to come good when it really matters. Their fairytale season may depend on it.
Prediction: Goals remain scarce for Colorado, and a 1-1 draw sees LA go through.
Oscar Pareja – FC Dallas
After Fabian Castillo flew the coop in the summer and Mauro Diaz went down with another unfortunate injury, Pareja and FC Dallas face a 3-0 deficit that must be overcome via collective effort and tactical nous rather than raw star power.
In Leg 1 at CenturyLink Field, Pareja went defensive, trotted out an unfamiliar 5-3-2 and paid for it. An eight-minute lapse saw the Sounders run away with a 3-0 victory that tilted the odds against the Supporters’ Shield winners, making their treble chase seem destined to fall short.
The good news is that Dallas managed to score three or more goals without Diaz twice this season, though neither were shutouts. The bad news is that both of those games came with Castillo in the lineup, with the Colombian chipping in with two goals and an assist.
More bad news: FC Dallas’ set-piece superiority came, in large part, via Diaz’s service. The Argentine No. 10 took 30 of the 56 set pieces that resulted in chances and assisted on five of eight set-piece goals. No other Dallas player had more than eight chances created (Mauro Rosales) or one set-piece assist.
The West’s top seed must find a way to score early and often via open play and dead balls without the player that made both attacking phases sing. That means Pareja’s going to have to inspire his troops emotionally and tactically – on both sides of the ball.
Can Papi make the team the star once again? It’s the only way Dallas will buck the odds keep their MLS Cup dreams alive.
Prediction: FC Dallas put Seattle under pressure with an early goal, but the hole from Leg 1 is too much to dig out of.
