The first round of the MLS Cup playoffs is complete, and in this instance, the amount of sheer chaos was below the postseason’s usual standard. That is at least until FC Dallas‘ Alan Velasco decided to clinch his side’s penalty shootout win over Minnesota United FC with a Panenka that was just out of reach of Loons keeper Dayne St. Clair. That said, form largely held, as FC Cincinnati were the only lower-seeded team to prevail.
Granted, the conference semifinals, when the top seeds enter the bracket, is when the real havoc often takes place. And there are some mouthwatering matchups set to take occur later this week. But it’s worth revisiting what went down throughout the past three days, especially with some young teams successfully navigating their playoff baptism.
Cincy march on as Red Bulls run in place
Another year, another first-round flameout for the New York Red Bulls, who still have never claimed MLS Cup. Granted, there have been more painful exits in recent years — the blown 3-1 lead against Philadelphia in 2019 comes to mind — but this one still hurt. Lewis Morgan‘s second-half opener appeared to put the Red Bulls in the driver’s seat, only for Luciano Acosta to equalize from the spot.
Then came the sequence that doubled as a metaphor for the respective directions of the two teams. A transition opportunity began with Red Bulls defender Aaron Long seemingly well positioned to deal with any threat posed by Brandon Vazquez, only for a lapse in concentration by Long plus Vazquez’s mobility proving to be enough to but the FCC forward in the clear to one-time Acosta’s delivery past Carlos Coronel for the game-winner. Cincinnati are streaking into the next round, while the Red Bulls are running in place, at least when it comes to the postseason.
Now Cincy are poised for the ultimate apprentice vs. master matchup, which sees GM Chris Albright and manager Pat Noonan head to their old stomping ground in Philadelphia. Given the firepower of their frontline, an upset is certainly possible. Even if FCC don’t pull that off, the team and organization are clearly headed in the right direction.
Galaxy midfield topples Nashville
The LA Galaxy‘s midfield has been a work in progress for much of the 2022 campaign, but the trio of Marky Delgado, Riqui Puig and Gaston Brugman played arguably its best game yet in the Galaxy’s playoff win over Nashville. Not only did they help LA control possession, but they did their bit on the defensive end. Granted, it was a collective effort that held Nashville MVP candidate Hany Mukhtar to just one touch inside the Galaxy penalty area — his fewest since a 2-0 defeat to FC Dallas in March — but the midfield put in plenty of work in that regard. That allowed the Galaxy to simply wear down Nashville, finally breaking through on Julian Araujo‘s 60th-minute header. Now a playoff El Trafico against LAFC is up next for the Galaxy.
It’s been said often how much Nashville’s attack relies on Mukhtar, but the fact that the German contributed to 65% of NSC’s goals can’t be ignored. Nashville’s best chance came early in the second half but Mukhtar’s shot was saved by Galaxy keeper Jonathan Bond. The Yotes didn’t create much otherwise, and finding a complimentary piece to Mukhtar remains Nashville’s biggest offseason priority.
Driussi’s MVP campaign continues
Man bites xDAWG. Or maybe in this case, more than one man did the biting.
