Orlando, LAFC take 1-0 leads
Orlando City dismissed Charlotte FC in a 2-0 win and LAFC took care of Vancouver in a 2-1 win. Both will take a 1-0 lead on the road to Game 2.
Round One continues in Cincy, Seattle
FC Cincinnati host New York City FC tonight at 6:45 pm ET (Apple TV - Free), then Seattle welcome Houston at 8:50 pm ET (Apple TV - Free). Both matches can also be watched on FS1 and FS2 (Spanish) in the US, as well as TSN and RDS in Canada.
This all went…about exactly how you’d expect. Let’s talk it out anyway though.
Well. That might be about that for Charlotte.
Orlando were in total control from start to finish on a frustrating night for The Crown. The Lions took a 1-0 series lead thanks to goals from Facundo Torres and Martin Ojeda while the most interesting thing Charlotte could muster came in the form of Pep Biel’s late (and unnecessary) red card. They’ll be without their DP No. 10 for Game 2. Considering the fact he came on loan with an option to buy at the end of the season, it wouldn't be surprising if that’s the last time we saw Biel put on a Charlotte uniform.
The Lions looked like the real deal this whole game against a good team. Not to get too far ahead of ourselves here, but the idea of a Florida Derby in the next round is becoming more enticing by the game. Orlando may have some way to make Miami’s life very difficult.
Any hopes that Vancouver’s 5-0 win over Portland would lead to a burst of momentum have already gone away. LAFC were cruising here. Ryan Gauld converted a late strike, and the ‘Caps couldn't finish several other promising chances.
So, yeah, this one might be over pretty quickly. No real surprise there. What might be surprising though is it still doesn’t feel like Olivier Giroud is contributing to LAFC’s success at a high level. He still hasn’t scored a goal in MLS play. His three assists make up for that a bit, but he’s been far from dominant.
Do LAFC even need him to be that though?
It feels like we’re getting the most interesting night of the playoffs so far tonight. Here’s what to keep an eye on as FC Cincinnati host New York City FC and Seattle welcome Houston.
Do Cincy still have enough to make a run?
We won’t know for sure from just one playoff game, but tonight is a decent barometer. You should be well aware of the arc Cincinnati have taken over the last few months. They’ve lost multiple starting center backs and a DP striker, and life has generally been more difficult because of that.
In fact, you can see a clear difference in the team statistically before and after Matt Miazga’s season-ending injury on June 15. Up until that point, Cincy were averaging 0.88 goals allowed per game (1st in MLS) and were earning 2.06 points per game (also 1st in MLS). Since then, they’ve allowed 1.78 goals per game (22nd in MLS) and have earned 1.44 points per game (13th in MLS).
They still ended up with 59 points on the season, but they just aren’t the same threat they used to be. That’s despite Lucho Acosta putting up even better numbers than last year’s MVP campaign. That doesn’t make them harmless though. It just makes them more uncertain than we’ve become used to. We’ll have a decent idea of where they’re truly at after tonight against a solid, but inconsistent NYCFC side. Which, hey, speaking of…
Which New York City FC are we getting?
NYCFC have a ton of talent all over the pitch. They’ve even found a bonafide star at striker in Alonso Martínez. But they’re still one of the youngest teams in the league and they’ve played like it all year.
Which means we can keep this short. Are we going to get the NYCFC that steamrolls opponents or looks like they’ve never played soccer together before? To be fair, a lot of teams have ended up looking like the latter against Cincinnati over the last couple of seasons, but this Cincy side is still vulnerable. If NYCFC can put their best foot forward tonight, they can steal a win here. At that point, they’d be heading back to New York with a chance to end the series. And they probably would. Only Miami had more home wins this year in the East.
Actually, maybe “inconsistent” in this case just means “bad on the road.”
Seattle and Houston are looking for the same thing
Who’s going to score in this series? It doesn’t feel like either team has a player in the final third destined to be a series-changer. So it really comes down to which goal-by-committee approach is more effective.
That’s if goals come at all in this thing. You could tell me this is going to end with three separate 0-0 draws and I wouldn’t even blink. These two take different approaches to it, but both are stout defensively. Only two playoff teams in the West have allowed fewer than 40 goals and only two playoff teams have scored fewer than 52. They’re both right here.
So is it Ezequiel Ponce earning every bit of his DP deal with Houston? Is it Jordan Morris continuing to build off a solid season as Seattle’s No. 9? Is it Coco Carrasquilla or Albert Rusnak pulling the strings? Is it [player to be named later] just finding a way to force the ball into the net? Something has to give here.
Or, ya know, three straight 0-0 draws are on the table. That could honestly happen, I’m just saying.
- LAFC know there’s more work to do.
- Orlando started off the playoffs on the right foot.
Good luck out there. Make sure your entrance is well-timed.
