1. Dallas needs a left back because … Fabian Castillo
FC Dallas has strong options at left back, which is surely a good thing. But what is even better? If one of these “options” upgrades his status to “The Guy” at left back. And for more than the obvious reason.
Clearly, every team is better when one intrepid soul takes a position by the scruff of its neck, says “it’s mine!” and then holds on for dear life through a consistent series of unyielding performances. But sometimes there’s even more to gold to gain, and that’s what we have here.
In 2015, Moises Hernandez, Ryan Hollingshead and Je-Vaughn Watson all played left back for FCD at various times. In Saturday’s friendly against El Salvador’s Allianza, Zach Loyd got the call on the left. Of course, that is also where newly signed Maynor Figueroa made his Premier League bones in his days with Wigan. Now all but Watson are options for the spot in 2016.
Now, to Castillo and how left back really, really impacts the bigger picture in Frisco.
So much FC Dallas does in possession is about getting Castillo into favorable spots, working to rearrange the opposition defensive pieces in ploys to get their Colombian wonder winger isolated, to get him attacking stranded fullbacks before the inevitable second (and third) defender arrives. In that endeavor, a solid FCD presence at left back would help.
Castillo had 9 goals and 9 assists in 30 MLS matches last year. It’s not hard to see him adding 3-4 goals and another 3-4 assists if he can develop a chemistry and intuitive understanding with a consistent partner along the left. That elevated level of dual effectiveness develops over a season as patterns and interplay become ingrained and instinctive. When the one-twos or the inside-outside movements happen at a certain speed, defenses may recognize what is happening but still be helpless to contain it.
For the best example, go back and watch how much more effective Landon Donovan was on the right for the United States national team when he was linked with Steve Cherundolo, the longtime incumbent at U.S. right back. They had chemistry.
Dallas never quite got such a thing going last year. Castillo is dynamic, of course – but how much could he produce as the business end of some dynamic duo combo? We’ll find out if one of those FC Dallas men can drive a hard stake into that left back role in 2016 at Toyota Stadium.
2. Gaining perspective on the U.S. national team months ahead
The United States men’s national team features in two competitions in 2016. Which one matters most? Well, it’s all in the perspective.
In the most practical terms, one is obviously more important than the other – apples to oranges in difference. World Cup qualifying began last fall, and this ongoing semifinal round will be completed in 2016. When it comes to international soccer in this part of the world, World Cup (and qualifying for it) really is the only thing that matters. It’s breakfast, lunch and dinner – everything else is just a snack. So clearly, in that way, World Cup qualifying is far more weighty than this year’s other attention grabber, the splashy and flashy (but one-and-done) Copa America Centenario.
Everyone wants to win this newly created, one-time summer extravaganza, set to play out across 10 U.S. venues. And it will be sensational! But “newly created, one-time” is, by definition, a competition with no historical weight.
So for the U.S. national team, 2016 is all about World Cup qualifying, right?
Well, not exactly. If we’re talking about these two competitions as a measuring stick, as the next pinch point in the extended evaluation of Jurgen Klinsmann and whether he is moving this thing in a better direction, there is a different answer.
In that case, Copa America Centenario matters. A lot.
See, World Cup qualifying means two matches against Guatemala, a road contest at highly overmatched St. Vincent & The Grenadines and a fairly comfortable home contest against Trinidad & Tobago. You see a tough test in there? (If you do, you might need to get those eyes checked.)
Oh, you could squint a bit and say the match next month in Guatemala City might be a little rugged. Then again, the United States is 7-0-5 against the Chapines in World Cup qualifiers and the Yanks are 25 games and counting unbeaten against Guatemala dating back to 1988. So there’s that.
The point is this: Klinsmann’s men, already with a home win and a road draw in semifinal round World Cup qualifying will move into the final round. Book it. I’ll go find a Jozy Altidore game-worn shoe and drink a nice pilsner from it if they don’t.
If we want to see where this team is, if we want to assess whether Klinsmann and Co. have improved since an extremely deflated 2015, if there is progress on the manager’s larger ambition of faster tempo, higher pressing, etc., then this summer’s high quality Copa is simply a better testing ground. Matches against Colombia, Costa Rica and Paraguay will reveal so much about individuals – particularly about relative newcomers to the pool, players like Will Trapp, Jordan Morris and Matt Miazga. We’ll learn more about combinations that may be developing, about creative types emerging, about the best back line assembly, etc.
Honestly, we’re just not going to learn these things in a World Cup semifinal round that’s just too comfy-cushy. Even if Klinsmann doesn’t get the lineups and tactics right, it won’t matter; individuals who aren’t quite ready for the big show or flawed team tactics simply won’t be exposed against the likes of Guatemala and, especially, St. Vincent.
They will be against Costa Rica, Colombia and Paraguay in those Group A testers in June.
3. Want Yaya Toure on your team? Because I sure would
Generally speaking, transfer rumors come and go, and most should be met with a yawn. Wily agents plant stories that help drive contract offers; it’s just the way the game is played.
So I have no idea if the “Yaya Toure to MLS” story has any wheels … but this is one case where I don’t mind indulging the fantasy just a bit.
In terms of customer appeal, Toure isn’t quite on the superstar level of, say, Andrea Pirlo, Kaka or Thierry Henry. (Dang, I miss watching that guy!) But Toure would fall into the next class of namey-names, along the lines of David Villa or Michael Bradley in star appeal and recognition. More importantly: he would be an immense presence in MLS. Every single club would improve with Toure manning the middle in its colors.
That’s not to say every club would fight for his services. To get the big Ivory Coast international would take a DP slot, an international slot and a hefty salary commitment. A lot of teams simply couldn’t “tote the note,” as they say, meaning they just don’t have the means to afford him. Other MLS clubs might simply have greater needs elsewhere.
All that said, if this guy lands in MLS his immediate impact would look similar to what Jermaine Jones did two years ago at New England. When the feisty German-born U.S. international landed at Gillette Stadium, the Revs went from “average team” to one that was practically unbeatable until it met the L.A. Galaxy in Southern California for the 2014 MLS Cup biggie.
Fans at Manchester City have soured on Toure, which is a great life lesson for the rest of us: after a while, we inexplicably take things for granted and stop appreciating some of the great things we have.
Does Toure run and rampage in the midfield every single time out? No, not anymore, not at 32 years old. He also plays about 35 games a year for City in the world’s most competitive leagues (EPL and Champions League, plus FA Cup). At this point, he’s bound to pace himself just a little. But since he can’t put pedal to the metal 100 percent of the time, fan discontent has taken root, now growing like spring poppies in the countryside.
So let it grow. And let him join MLS. Because he would be the league’s biggest presence in midfield, the most dominant, influential figure, a lion king on the roam.
Star strikers and standout goalkeepers can certainly win matches, but an unconquerable midfielder (See: “Toure”) can dominate them regularly. Once teams begin dominating and dictating matches on the regular, it changes that team’s elemental chemistry. They become these bigger, bolder, braver versions of themselves; the indomitable spirit grows.
4. MLS remains behind Liga MX … for now
No matter what happens in this intriguing foursome of MLS-Liga MX matchups in CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals, two things to know about the urge to overstate its larger significance in comparing the neighboring associations: A) It will be great, and; B) You should conquer it.
Liga MX is ahead of MLS in quality. If that surprises you – considering decades of head start, much great cultural immersion and far greater salaries, etc. – then I don’t know what to say.
So Major League Soccer is likely to go 1-for-4. Splitting the foursome would be a big “W” for MLS in my book, although that looks less likely after Tuesday’s results. D.C. United appeared to have the best chance, only because its opposition, Queretaro, was the weakest link in this short Liga MX chain. That 2-0 deficit for Ben Olsen’s MLS side isn’t insurmountable, but it’s a bit of a hill to climb.
Either way, here’s the point: We always want to make these competitions a referendum on MLS relative to Liga MX. Which is OK … except we really don’t need the results to know where things stand. Again, Liga MX remains a superior league, one that gets an added quarterfinal round advantage in timing. (For the best indicator of lacking sharpness within a team still in preseason, go look at the goals Seattle gave up Tuesday to Club America. They represent a sad clinic in improperly placed back lines, tentative goalkeeper positioning and sleepy marking at the back post. Ugh.)
The gap is closing. The gap will continue closing, but it’s not going to get there fast. If MLS goes “0-fer,” it doesn’t mean MLS is regressing. Or if MLS somehow splits the four series, it doesn’t mean the league has found some magic potion. MLS is behind but catching up. Slowly. And that’s that.
5. The Little Five
5a. If you saw Sunday night’s Copa America Centenario draw and immediately starting blogging, Tweeting, or just plain belly-aching about some mortally tough group for the United States, well, stand down. It was a tough draw, but not some impossible one. Seriously, what did folks expect? There are lots of good sides in this 16-team field – and we knew that going in. The U.S. draw wasn’t a great one, but it could have been worse. For a more reasonable viewpoint, see my favorite analyst’s take on it.
5b. One more thing to consider on United States’ draw in Copa America Centenario: The United States gets a big leg up as host team. (Just like in Gold cup, and just like in the recent Olympic qualifying tournament.) So in all fairness, Jurgen Klinsmann’s team should get a tough draw – even if that’s not always how it works for host countries in world soccer, as we know.
5c. If Obafemi Martins more than doubles his salary by joining the Chinese Super League, as reported by the dean of American soccer writers, Steven Goff, does that alter your view of Martins’ MLS exit? It should. Don’t blame athletes for maximizing earnings over a relatively brief window of opportunity in their lives. You would welcome the opportunity to double your salary, wouldn’t you?
5d. A great read here on one of world soccer’s dirtiest little corners, and whether it can clean up its muddy act. (Spoiler alert: it’s our corner.)
5e. A year ago I wondered if Clint Dempsey had the right stuff for an MLS MVP year. I won’t get suckered into a second “Deuce for MVP” prediction … but the man did look up for the job Tuesday, didn’t he? (And it makes me wonder again if it’s time for Dempsey, who turns 33 in two weeks, to retire internationally, to prudently prolong his career by focusing on club soccer?)