Are we buying or selling prospective playoff teams? Plus, the Sounders are back! | MLS Update
The Athletic's MLS analysis show discusses weekend soccer results, highlighting St. Louis City's dominance (6-2 over LA Galaxy), Seattle Sounders' resurgence against New England, and the competitive Western Conference landscape. The hosts debate whether top Western Conference teams like Vancouver, St. Louis, and LAFC are genuine playoff contenders or potential frauds.
Summary
The episode opens with Taylor Rockwell, Joe Lowry, and Jeff Ruder discussing major MLS storylines from the past weekend. St. Louis City continues an unbeaten streak, matching the all-time MLS record of 20 games without a loss by crushing LA Galaxy 6-2 on Sunday night. Joe praises St. Louis's attacking balance, particularly highlighting Carla Holza's three-goal performance showcasing his ability to make runs in behind opposing defenses. The team's physical midfield featuring Chris Durkin and Daniel Edelman protects against transition attacks, though Joe identifies their double pivot as a potential weak point.
Seattle Sounders earned a decisive 3-0 away victory against New England Revs, demonstrating decisive attacking play after a sluggish start to the season. The return of Christian Roldan to full fitness has been crucial for Seattle's midfield control. Jeff emphasizes the team's veteran familiarity, comparing them to an amateur team that has played together for a decade but now includes young talent like Sebastian Gomez and Snyder Burrell. The Sounders' strategy involves using Alex Roldan's long balls to break down opponents' defensive shape.
Orlando City mounted a dramatic comeback to beat Columbus Crew 3-2 in an entertaining but defensively vulnerable match. Despite being outshot by Columbus, Orlando capitalized on transitions through Antoine Griezmann and Martin Oheda's playmaking. The hosts note this game exemplifies Orlando's attacking prowess but also defensive fragility.
Sporting Kansas City's turnaround centers on André Luis, who has scored seven goals in seven appearances since joining, transforming the team from likely wooden spoon contenders into playoff contenders. Young midfielder Kwaku Ajibeng has emerged as a versatile midfielder, while Justin Reynolds provides solid right-back defense.
The main discussion focuses on buying or selling each Western Conference playoff team as MLS Cup contenders. St. Louis City emerges as the consensus favorite, having beaten 15 of 29 MLS teams during their unbeaten run. Vancouver Whitecaps rank second despite recent inconsistency and a defensive vulnerability when not pressing effectively. LAFC presents a divided opinion: strong defensively but potentially held back by an underutilized midfield featuring Delgado, Tillman, and Schwanier, plus attacking issues with Jacob Shaffelberg's diminished effectiveness. Seattle Sounders warrant buying despite ceiling limitations without a dynamic dribbler. Houston Dynamo, Dallas, San Jose Earthquakes, and Colorado Rapids all receive selling votes due to injury concerns (particularly Nico Shacklurish for San Jose), inconsistent defensive performances, or developmental stages. LA Galaxy faces structural defensive problems despite recent signings, with injuries to Ricky Puig and Chucky Lozano complicating their outlook.
About this episode
<p>Taylor, Jeff, and Joe are here to dive into all things MLS! We discuss our favorite games from the weekend, spotlight St. Louis City as they near a record, and examine the postseason field as things stand today. Which teams are for real? And which ones are pretenders? All that -- and more -- on the show.</p><br /><p><strong>JOIN THE TSS+ PATREON!</strong></p><p><a href="https://www.patreon.com/totalsoccershow" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Check out our Patreon</a>, which houses bonus podcasts, access to our exclusive Discord, videos, The TSS Scouting Network, and much more.</p><br /><p><strong>WATCH TSS EPISODES ON YOUTUBE!</strong></p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@Total-Soccer-Show" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">We're posting all our episodes here</a>! Smash like and subscribe etc.!</p><hr /><p style="color: grey; font-size: 0.75em;"> Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: grey;" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
Key Insights
- St. Louis City has achieved a 20-game unbeaten run matching the all-time MLS record while beating 15 of 29 teams, suggesting comprehensive dominance across different playing styles
- Carla Holza's attacking profile of making runs in behind opposing defenses is unusual for attacking midfielders in MLS, creating matchup problems for opposing center backs
- Seattle Sounders' return to form depends heavily on veteran familiarity between long-tenured players like Christian Roldan and Alex Roldan, who execute coordinated sequences despite aging roster composition
- Vancouver Whitecaps' defensive vulnerability increased after losing Sebastian Brawler, making them shakier on their best day compared to earlier in the season
- LAFC's midfield talent (Delgado, Tillman, Schwanier, and Vasquez) ranks among the league's best but remains underutilized due to tactical choices emphasizing defense over progression
- Jacob Shaffelberg's regression from a dynamic outlet to a hero-ball player is hampering LAFC's offensive sequences and making it difficult to feed elite attackers Bwanga and Sun
- André Luis at Sporting Kansas City has transformed a wooden-spoon contender into a playoff competitor through seven goals in seven appearances, demonstrating elite player impact on team trajectory
- San Jose's injury-prone elite players (Nico Shacklurish and Timo Werner) make playoff success unlikely despite defensive improvements, as both missing players together is statistically probable
- LA Galaxy's 6-2 loss to St. Louis exposed defensive fragility that contradicts their expensive offseason acquisitions, with individual center backs getting 'pillaged' on specific sequences
- The Western Conference contains several teams that are competitive but not scary, lacking a transcendent tier-one contender besides St. Louis City according to the analysts
- Houston Dynamo's falling-back-to-earth trajectory after reaching second place, combined with attacking limitations beyond Guillermet, makes postseason success unlikely
- Multiple Western Conference playoff teams depend on injury luck (Galaxy with Puig and Lozano, Earthquakes with Shacklurish and Werner, Dynamo with McGuire) making competitive depth questionable
Topics
Transcript
Are you the kind of sports fan that wants to dig into the story behind the stats? Then join us daily on The Athletic Live, where we'll be live on YouTube to cover all the sports stories you can't stop talking about. On game days, we watch the biggest matchups, live alongside the Athletics' most tapped-in reporters. Or come hang on an off night for an inside look at how headlines happen. We want you dropping questions in the chat, and we'll bring answers straight from the source. The Athletic Live is presented by Google Gemini. Subscribe now on YouTube. We want you dropping questions in the chat and we'll bring answers straight from the source. The Athletic Live is…
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