MLS
THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY – MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER, WRITTEN BY MARCO D’ONOFRIO
HOME GROWN MOVEMENT THE GOOD Major League Soccer has grown significantly both on and off the pitch since its inception in 1996. The quality of the product is unquestionably much more advanced than it was in the league's inaugural campaign as is the sophistication of the marketing and the interest level from the public. However, one area where massive progress has also been made is the ability of the league to develop stars – local and international. This year's Golden Boot was awarded to 23-year-old Valentin Castellanos of New York City FC. The Argentine originally joined the club on loan in 2018 from Uruguayan club Montevideo City Torque, before NYCFC opted to make the move permanent ahead of the 2019 campaign. Castellanos arrived in New York with little fanfare or excitement, but in his fourth season in MLS he led the entire league with 19 goals. Castellanos is far from the only player who has been able to make a name for himself in MLS to garner international attention as many
Canadian international players are discovering as well. Whether it be Toronto FC's Jonathan Osorio, Ayo Akinola and Richie Lareya or the New England Revolutions' Tajon Buchanan, who has already signed with Belgian club Genk, the rest of the world is starting to discover the potential that MLS players have. Alphonso Davies' success at Bayern Munich unquestionably helped erase a lot of the doubt that European clubs had about the quality of players MLS was developing, but he is far from the only one to prove they can get the job done on the biggest stage. Brampton, Ontario's Cyle Larin was drafted first overall by Orlando City in 2015 and spent three seasons in Florida before making the move across the pond to Besiktas in Turkey. The Canadian striker is enjoying an incredible season that sees him battling at the top for most goals scored in the Turkish Super Lig. MLS has done a phenomenal job in identifying young talent and helping them reach their potential, something the league needs to ensure it continues to do moving forward.
‘IN HIS FOURTH SEASON IN MLS HE LED THE ENTIRE LEAGUE WITH 19 GOALS. ’ THE BAD Real Salt Lake knocked off the second-best team in the Western Conference after 34 games, without having a single shot all game. Not just a shot on target – a shot, on or off target. At all. Pablo Mastroeni’s men went into Lumen Field in Seattle and beat the Sounders in a penalty shootout after 120 minutes of playing straight defense. While there are no issues with a solid defensive outing, there is a problem with a team coming into the first game of the playoffs looking to go to a penalty shootout before the game even begins. It really makes you question the idea behind the one-game elimination playoff format that had been re-introduced in the league in 2019. The format was brought back to help garner more interest and generate a big buzz for playoff games, but if more of them turn out
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like the one we saw between the Sounders and Real Salt Lake, fans will inevitably be increasingly turned off. When a team has 21 shots and 62% possession, they shouldn’t be eliminated by a team who had zero shots and 38% possession. Yes, oneoffs happen and we’ve seen this is major finals before, but it is certainly not the norm and shouldn’t happen in the opening round. The Sounders do not deserve to be let off the hook here and were not great on the night either. There are no excuses to be made for their inability to get past a Real Salt Lake side who had been missing their captain, Albert Rusnak. However, from an outsider’s perspective it isn’t a very good look to see teams playing for penalties from the first minute in the first game of the postseason.
