Whether Los Angeles woke up or Columbus failed to show up, we received some clarity Saturday night when the Galaxy downed Columbus 3-1 at Home Depot Center. Los Angeles now sits three points clear of Columbus and Real Salt Lake atop the standings, own the tiebreaker over last year’s Supporter Shield winner, and have given Major League Soccer-followers reason to think the early season giant that slept through summer has a title push in them.
Major League Soccer Weekend Review: Los Angeles Highlights Columbus’s Low Ceiling
Los Angeles took control of the race for the Supporter’s Shield and in the process reminded us why Columbus has lost both matches with the Galaxy this season.
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Surprisingly, the match was not close. Steven Lenhart had a chance to respond to Edson Buddle’s opening goal, but with Donovan Ricketts’ save and goals from Dema Kovalenko and Jovan Kirovski, Los Angeles had put the match away before the hour mark. While we went into this match looking for confirmation of Los Angeles’s potential, we may have received an unfortunate reminder of Columbus’s.
Columbus may be Major League Soccer’s most dependable team, but they may also have the least potential of the league’s elite. Their ability to more-consistently perform near the top of their range is the reason why they’re competing for another Supporter’s Shield. They can beat any team on a given day, but they can’t beat another top team playing at its best. Their ceiling is lower, part of the explanation for last year’s early playoff exit and this year’s aggregate 5-1 scoreline against the Galaxy. All of Real Salt Lake, Los Angeles and Dallas are capable of taking their games to higher levels, and while you could argue a couple of those the teams are also capable of descending to lower depths, championships in playoff systems are often won by the hot team. Real Salt Lake got hot last year, and if Columbus gets hot this year, they could still run into another peaking performer whose heights outstretch the Crew’s.
Columbus is still a title threat, partly because of the league’s format. Whereas Dallas and Real Salt Lake will have to defeat three of the league’s elite to claim the Cup. Columbus can just make the finals and take their chances. Of course, in light of last season, the finals can not be taken for granted, particularly with New York looming.
Oh, The Lead
There’s a reason why most reports of the Los Angeles-Columbus match lead with David Beckham’s rerutn. While Major League Soccer fans have started rolling their eyes at Beckham (or have bought into the drummed-up, negative hype), the Galaxy player is still, by far, the league’s most globally recognized commodity. As such, he is going to be the league’s biggest story, particularly when he’s coming back for a long-term injury.
Over the last few days, I’ve heard various complaints about the amount of coverage Beckham’s return captured. There are perceptions the coverage overshadowed the game, and I can understand the frustration, but for people who follow the league day-to-day, Beckham was just a footnote. For those people who don’t follow the league, Beckham’s presence drew their attention to a match they would not have otherwise noticed.
The hardcore fans want the league to grow, and the casual fans like having something to hold onto. There’s no reason to be upset about David Beckham’s star.
Nails, Coffins
Mathematically, it’s too early to draw this judgment, but I still recommend we move on from Toronto and Chicago. At least, as far as the playoff race is concerned.
Let’s start with TFC.
Toronto was coming-off a mid-week, tie-protecting performance at Toyota Park that exhaled “if we get in the playoffs, so be it.” Really inspiring stuff, I say sarcastically until noting Toronto lost to DC United at BMO (1-0 on Saturday), burying whatever notion we held of their home stadium being a fortress. While they are still only six back of San Jose and Seattle for the last playoff spot, Toronto’s underwhelming week hints TFC may need to shift focus to Champions League.
Chicago lost at Philadelphia, not a shocking result, though their inability to get more than one point this week’s matches (both winnable) tell us this Fire team is not going to come around. If not this week - with those two opponents - then when? If Carlos de los Cobos can’t get this team better results from these games, there’s little reason to think Chicago will be on-track for their season’s last eight matches.
After this weekend’s action, Toronto and Chicago may have joined the ranks of Chivas, New England, and Houston, all five on the outside of the playoff race. Chivas defeated New England 2-0 on Friday, killing any hopes the Revolution had to getting back into the race. Houston had their match at Kansas City postponed.
The Other Contenders
New York did exactly what they should have been expected to do, and in doing so, they got our attention. In a league where so many teams fail to get three points when they should, the Red Bulls got a 3-1 home win over a dangerous if flawed Colorado squad. New York exploited those flaws, got a 3-1 win, and continued to occupy that precarious place outside the league’s elite. Will it all click by season’s end for Hans Backe? The question remains, but the results are coming.
Dallas had a chance to post an even more convincing result, but a draw at San Jose still allowed the Toros to extend their unbeaten streak to 14 matches. Of concern for Dallas fans may have been their lack of aggression. There seemed to be a reverence for the Earthquakes a team of Dallas’s talent need not have.
Going Forward
Champions League restarts on Tuesday, meaning Columbus, Real Salt Lake, Seattle, and Toronto resume the balancing act between competitions. Chivas USA takes on their Mexican sister-club in San Diego on Tuesday, while their are two mid-week league matches: Philadelphia’s visit to San Jose and New York showing their title bonafides in Dallas.
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