10 things we learned from MLS Gameweek 17
Here are the ten things we learned from Week 17 of the 2015 MLS season. 1. Rivalry Week worked The big, weeklong push for MLS’ first rivalry week paid off with some terrific spectacles and terrific soccer over the weekend, … Continue reading →

Here are the ten things we learned from Week 17 of the 2015 MLS season.

1. Rivalry Week worked

The big, weeklong push for MLS’ first rivalry week paid off with some terrific spectacles and terrific soccer over the weekend, and while the corporate branding was somewhat nauseating, expect the rivalry week gimmick to be around for a while.

Of course not every team could play a rival – in the case of Orlando City, who had a bye this weekend, there is no rival, in the case of the Vancouver Whitecaps, who won at New England, the rivals were busy – but the derby games did live up to the hype.

Between MLS’ three marquee rivalry games, the California Clasico, the Hudson River Derby, and the Cascadia Cup clash between Portland and Seattle, there were thirteen goals, two come-from-behind wins, and sellout crowds totaling well over 100,000 in attendance.

Also not to be overlooked is the push that the NYCFC – New York Red Bulls game got. The match was moved from ESPN2 to ESPN, Taylor Twellman and Mix Diskerud were interviewed on SportsCenter in the days leading up to the match, and a full-fledged pre-game show kicked off the coverage from Yankee Stadium.

The New York Derby was the first of seven matches ESPN has moved to their flagship station to finish out the season. Make no mistake – this week was a major success for Don Garber and MLS.

2. The Timbers trend up

For all the glitz and glam and Pirlo of the Hudson River Derby, MLS’ best rivalry is still, by a long way, Timbers – Sounders, and the only matchup of the year between the two at Providence Park didn’t disappoint.

Starting with a stunning tifo display, even for the Timbers Army, Portland went on to throttle their arch rivals with unmistakable flair. It was a match that showcased the best of Caleb Porter, from the team selection to the tactics, but the man who decided the match was Porter’s old protégé.

On days like this one, it’s not entirely unreasonable to call Darlington Nagbe the best player in MLS. No one, maybe with the exception of Giovinco in Toronto, can dominate games with the same combination of drive and attacking efficiency.

It helps that Nagbe is almost indestructible, since he’s set to lead the league again in fouls won, and it helped further that Osvaldo Alonso, who since 2011 has taken great joy in hacking Nagbe every time he’s touched the ball in a derby, missed the match with a hamstring problem for the Sounders.

Nagbe scored a blinder for the first goal, and made the run and the pass that set up Fanendo Adi for the game-winner. There’s a reason that Nagbe is untouchable in Portland, and a reason why he’ll play for the US in the World Cup one day.

9. How bad is the East?

The weekend’s most staggering statistic is this: DC United lead the Supporters’ Shield race, followed by seven Western Conference teams. That’s right, a team that won’t even make the playoffs in the West is better than the East’s second best team.

The West is good. That much is for sure. There’s only one hopeless team in the conference. Even Houston could foreseeably turn things around once Cubo arrives and everyone returns from summer international duty.

But in the East? Chicago is awful, with Frank Yallop’s job certainly under increasing scrutiny. Philadelphia is getting results, but still playing semi-offensive soccer. Montreal and NYCFC have some potential in places, but aren’t anywhere near the usual quality for MLS playoff teams.

Columbus certainly hasn’t lived up to the hype, and you get the feeling that even the standard-bearer DC would be scrapping for a playoff spot in the West. There is a major, major conference imbalance this year – even worse than in years past. Everyone involved is going to have accept that, and deal with it.

10. Gold Cup absences

The scheduling of this big rivalry week wasn’t an accident – this is the last week that MLS teams will have their full compliment of players.

The better part of the summer, MLS’ regular season heyday, will be lost to the CONCACAF Gold Cup, which runs through the entire month of July. With more MLS players than ever competing for the US and beyond, this marks another unfortunate drawback of a summer schedule – stars missing games for national team duty.

It’s a necessary evil for MLS, and an unintended consequence is that the playing field becomes a little more level: It’s usually the bigger clubs that are punished by having national team quality players that need to leave.

There’s no easy solution for the league, which always wants the national team to do well, although maybe less so now with Jurgen Klinsmann at the helm. This was a big week for MLS – and it came just in the nick of time.