The NASL continues to confound as the spring season appears to be wrapping up. On any given week, anyone can beat anyone else, it seems. For those of us who predicted this year would be more lopsided than the one before (and seemed vindicated four or five weeks in), recent results have pushed against that notion. The top teams have stumbled recently as the cellar-dwellers have landed some punches. Can it continue?
It certainly did in week nine. Of the five matches played, there were four wins. But count me underwhelmed: just about every team seemed to offer less than their best, and a couple of the winners were decidedly fortunate. The lone club that took care of businesses has been among the league’s most inconsistent performers. It was a weird week, and although the rankings haven’t changed a great deal, they’re on unsteady ground. This is the least confident I’ve been in this list for a while.
#1. New York Cosmos – (6-0-3, 18 pts) – Up One
The Cosmos look to have all but wrapped up the spring season with a 1-0 win at home against Rayo. But they fall into the top spot by default. In their last two matches, both at home, the green and white have been less than convincing. The week before, they barely survived the Tampa Bay Rowdies. Midweek, they drew SD Eibar 2-2 in a bizarre friendly played before a hundred or so people in Las Vegas. This week, they struggled to put away a tightly wound Rayo OKC team that ultimately imploded on their own—then nearly equalized.
All the same, in classic fashion, New York lead the league by four points, with a game left on the schedule (their challengers all have two). They have probably already done enough. Win and the spring title is done and dusted. Draw or lose, and leave the door just a touch. Again: they’ve probably done enough. I’m more confident in this Cosmos team than I am in any other team in the league. The Cosmos always find a way.
But I’m not especially confident in them. This coming week, New York host New Jersey Express in the Open Cup, and travel to Fort Lauderdale for their final spring match on the weekend.
#2. Indy Eleven – (3-5-0, 14 pts) – Up One
This is the highest Indy have ever placed in my nearly two years of rankings, and it’s not entirely by choice, results have forced my hand. It’s been harder and harder to ignore Indy and their undefeated spring season, but if you want to understand why, just watch their poor effort on Saturday in Jacksonville. With a respectable shot at the spring title, coming off their best win of the season, against a team totally incapable of scoring, against a rookie goaltender, the Eleven limped to a 1-1 draw. For a team who sit second in the league, it was a performance that lacked a cutting edge.
Last week, I wrote about how the Eleven’s success against the league’s better looking teams has been difficult to reconcile with their struggles against the league’s poorest outfits. We saw that again on display Sunday. If Indy are to make a serious, long term challenge this season, they need to figure out how to beat the Jacksonvilles of the league as they’ve beaten the New Yorks and Minnesotas.
I think they’ll struggle to do that. The Eleven are not a subtle team: they play long balls over the top, they rely on speed to chase them down, and have players adept at poaching balls across or in the box. This is a brutal and effective approach, but the teams that do it well generally aim to avoid relegation, not win the league. To a somewhat shocking extent, opposing teams have been naïve in approaching Indy, but I don’t expect that trend to continue. Can the Eleven adapt in the next round of play? Can they adapt against teams who play the same style?
Indy host Louisville in the Open Cup and then travel to Miami on the weekend. I suspect they’ll have difficulty with both match-ups.
#3. Minnesota United FC – (4-1-3, 13 pts) – Down Two
I’m not able to rag on the Carolina RailHawks this week due to their bye, but Minnesota United are doing such a bang-up impression that my jabs won’t go to waste.
After a sterling start to the season that put the Loons in the driver’s seat to win the spring, they’ve thrown it all away in three weeks. A late draw in Ottawa was merely the opening act for their 2-4 capitulation in Indy and this week’s 0-2 home embarrassment at the NSC Stadium. After fielding the league’s best offense and one of its best defenses, Minnesota have all but awarded their opponents eight goals in those past three matches. Miserable one-on-one defending has been the culprit, as teams have had no trouble beating the Loons defenders in space and at speed. This isn’t a unique issue in the NASL, but more than a few teams routinely escape through stellar goalkeeping, and Sammy Ndjock hasn’t been the difference maker that he must be.
United overcame a bit of early adversity early in the season, but the recent run of poor form presents a deeper and more grave challenge. Adding to the woe is a nearly comical injury list that claimed Jeb(!) Brovsky and Brent Kallman on Saturday alone. This week, with the open cup (at St. Louis) and league commitments (at OKC), the depth of this seemingly deep squad will be put to the test. All will be called upon to step up, improve, and press forward.
#4. Tampa Bay Rowdies – (3-3-2, 12 pts) – Up One
Looks like the Rowdies didn’t take too kindly to losing their #4 ranking last week. They’re back at it after thoroughly thumping Minnesota—the most convincing performance in the league this week.
It’s funny how putting too results together can create the illusion of a trend. Last week, I noted the strength of Tampa’s play in a defeat to New York. If the green and gold had lost up north this week, that earlier losing effort would’ve been forgotten. Instead, it’s now tempting to see it as evidence of a team finally finding its footing. Perhaps it was!
But let’s wait and see with this team, who have been hard to figure out so far. On Saturday, big signing Joe Cole was excellent, and the midfield managed to find the goals they’ve been missing all season. That doesn’t mean their goal scoring problem is fixed. Stuart Campbell opted not to even bother with Danny Mwanga in Tom Heinenmann’s absence, opting instead for Georgi Hristov as something of a false 9, with Michael Nanchoff and Cole hot on his heels. It was a clever move, and it paid off. But whether this tactical switch has legs or not remains to be seen.
The good news is that the Rowdies’ win puts them in a solid spot. With two games left, Tampa have joined the top group of teams with double digit points. More than other teams, this team has seemed to come up short in games where they deserved better. To still be in the thick of the hunt is solid work.
In the Open Cup, Tampa host FC Cincinnati, with the winner set to take on the Columbus Crew. Just about everyone will be cheering for an all-Ohio match, but the Rowdies ought to be favored to play spoiler. After that, Ottawa come to town.
#5. FC Edmonton – (4-2-3, 14 pts) – Down One
Ho boy. Edmonton were briefly on top of the league last week, and this week they find themselves losers in Miami, who have been all kinds of bad this year.
The book on the Eddies reads similar to the one on Indy. This is a team relying on lumping it deep to score, with a stout defense behind. What separates the two is that Indy have been quite a bit better in the attack, while Edmonton have been a touch better in defense. But their strengths and weaknesses are similar, down to the awful turf at home.
Edmonton were a bit unfortunate to come away with nothing. A fair result would’ve been a draw. But one of the difficulties for a team that plays as Edmonton do is that they have no real way to dictate the pace of a game (especially not with Dustin Correa out). They are a reactionary and defensive unit. They are built to contend in every game, but not built to impose their will. Beat New York one week and Carolina the next, then lose to Miami.
The Eddies seemed to thrive when they were playing twice every week, and now that they’re out of the Canadian Championship and are on the bye, it’d be interesting to see how they respond in the spring’s final match.
#6. Carolina RailHawks – (4-1-3, 13 pts) – No Change
Bye week for the RailHawks. Have they figured out how to stop their awful slide? They will host Charlotte in the cup, then Jacksonville in the league.
#7. Fort Lauderdale Strikers – (3-3-2, 12 pts) – No Change
Fort Lauderdale continued their improbable tear this past week, with a 2-1 win up in Ottawa. They ought to have won 2-0, but for one of the worst penalty kick decisions I’ve ever seen.
At the same time, the Strikers were second best in just about every other respect. On the balance of play, they deserved nothing. The difference-maker was Diego Restrepo, who was stunning in goal. It’s no coincidence that as soon as the former Rowdies keeper replaced the bumbling Bruno Cardoso, the red and gold’s fortunes turned around. Not only has he made a number of electric saves, but he’s also avoided the goofy errors that plagued his predecessor, and that must give the defense ahead of him much more confidence. On the weekend, that defense was porous, but Restrepo bailed them out and earned the three points. He deserves a steak dinner.
Incredibly, Fort Lauderdale now sit midtable with an even goal differential. The issue is that they need to put in more consistently good performances. Play as they did on Friday, and the results will vanish. We’ve seen the evolution of an awful team into a decent one. Now, the question is whether a decent team can become a good one. The evidence is mixed so far, and there won’t be a better test than when the Cosmos come to visit over the weekend. Before that, the Richmond Kickers arrive for the cup, in a Strikers vs Kickers match-up that sounds straight out of the Simpsons.
#8. Ottawa Fury – (2-2-4, 8 pts) – No Change
On one end of the field, Fort Lauderdale’s Diego Restrepo won Friday’s match in Ottawa. On the other end, the Fury’s Romauld Peiser lost it. The league’s best goaltender last year, Peiser has seemed to show his age on a few occasions this season, though he’s been good in others. But here, he horribly misjudged a low show, allowing it to skip right past him. It wasn’t a good look, and it ended up costing the Fury a consolation point in a match where they did more than enough to earn three.
https://twitter.com/pauldalglish/status/736390361464082432
I’m not a fan of managers whining about the results, and to do it on Twitter isn’t exactly the path to fame and fortune. But Dalglish has a right to be frustrated. His team played its best game of the year and still lost. The NASL is a tough league for teams trying to play a Barcelona-esque possession style, especially because nobody has Barcelona-esque players . But you have to take note of the way that Ottawa have gone about their business all season. As suicidal as the mission is, you must tip your cap to a team trying to play such an intensive brand of soccer when it’s so easy to do the opposite (as the Strikers ably demonstrated).
The Fury are in the semi-finals of the Canadian Championship this week, when they will host the defending champion Vancouver Whitecaps. After that, they face a grueling trip down to Tampa, then across the continent for the return leg in Vancouver.
#9. Rayo OKC – (2-2-4, 8 pts) – No Change
Rayo were always within striking distance against the New York Cosmos, yet they couldn’t keep their cool enough (or stay onside), and emerged with no points. This was a result that Alen Marcina’s men really needed and had within reach. But a first half red card to Michel for a stupid lunge on Jimmy Maurer was the first sign of doom. Late in the match, the Scissortails completely imploded. First, Billy Forbes was sent off for an elbow, then Georgios Samaras was dispatched with his second yellow. In one match, OKC managed to lose their two best players and their most famous one. What a total implosion!
Oh, and to repeat, this game was very much open to the visitors, who allowed just an ugly goal, and had an equalizer correctly (but unfortunately) ruled out for offside (which gave the attacker no advantage). The Cosmos were the better team, but they were also at home, and up a man for more than half of the game. Rayo played tenaciously and their hosts had a difficult time putting them away.
This week ought to be the most interesting in this club’s young history. First, Rayo play their crosstown competitors OKC Energy in the Open Cup. Given all the bad blood from the NASL vs USL battle and the recent supporters-section ticket dust-up for this match, the eyes of American soccer will be on this nascent rivalry. Like it or not, Rayo will be representing the whole of the NASL in this match.
After that drama, Rayo will host Minnesota United. Both teams have had disappointing stretches and will be looking to prove a point in league play.
#10. Jacksonville Armada – (1-2-5, 5 pts) – No Change
Jacksonville scored! Incredible! Forget that it was something of a misplay by Jon Busch, and just bask in the glory! Four hundred and sixty four minutes of match play, over the course of 34 days, had elapsed since the Armada had last scored. Yet there it was on Saturday against Indy. The ball. In the back of the net. Matt Bahner doing one of the worst goal celebration dances in history, as if the team had collectively forgotten what happiness could feel like. What a moment!
Less glorious was the injury that forced rookie goaltender Sebastian Evers out of his first start. The kid had been playing excellently. Of course, Miguel Gallardo returned to replace him and gave up the equalizing goal sixteen minutes later, which was entirely preventable.
https://twitter.com/alexschief/status/737492643689734144
Gallardo had taken several steps out to intercept a cross he couldn’t reach, then had to run back and sideways. When the ball was struck, his feet were turned sideways, and was in no position to save a ball hit directly at him. Had he been facing the ball, with his feet planted, the ball would never have gone in. This mistake cost the Armada two points, which they desperately needed.
Lets hope Evers is okay. They could use help on Wednesday against the Charleston Battery, although perhaps Matt Fondy will recover his scoring touch against USL opposition once again.
#11. Miami FC – (1-3-4, 6 pts) – No Change
With Saturday’s 1-0 win over Edmonton, Miami FC scored the first victory for a Miami professional soccer team, in that city, since 1976. Take that, Beckham!
Mark one down for the teal and tangerine. The first win for Nesta’s boys comes as they have made two eye-popping big-money moves to shore up their defensive midfield in recent weeks. First, Richie Ryan was acquired from Jacksonville. Next, Michael Lahoud was poached from New York, by dealing directly with the Philadelphia Union, who owned his contract. With the reported expenditure of over a million dollars, Miami have secured the services of two of the NASL’s best defensive midfielders. If you’re playing with Monopoly money, that’s great, but you’ve gotta figure there were more efficient ways to spend that cash.
Still, adding two good players ought to improve a team, and the early signs seem to indicate that this team is no longer hemorrhaging goals. With Darío Cvitanich more or less fit, they ought to be able to score them as well. I’m not entirely willing to boost Miami up the ranking just yet, not with matches against Indy and Minnesota still remaining. But they shouldn’t be a total pushover anymore. First, Wilmington in the open cup.
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