Game of the Matchday week 7 - ranked
By Alex Windley
There is never a dull match date in MLS.
Week seven brought us some exciting matches, where attacking excellence was on display. LAFC, the Seattle Sounders, and the Houston Dynamo, in particular, played games that were pleasing to the eye as a neutral.
Each match was filled to the brim with goals, controversy, and tactical nuance that - oftentimes, some people miss when watching a league a physical as MLS.
That said, here are three games from match date seven that are worth taking a closer look...
3. Seattle Sounders vs St. Louis CITY
Seattle Sounders vs. St Louis CITY was an interesting clash.
As a highly anticipated matchup between the top two teams in the Western Conference, many expected the game to be much more competitive.
Unfortunately, Seattle head coach Brian Schmetzer had his game plan mapped well and stopped St. Louis in its tracks.
Lining up in a 4-2-3-1, Seattle looked to control the match's tempo and use their talent to outshine St Louis. Seattle is excellent at home, and to try to counteract that, St. Louis rolled out in a 5-3-2 to bring some defensive balance.
Initially, the game was fairly even.
Both teams were feeling each other out, and St. Louis looked to implement their high-pressing style to disrupt Seattle’s passing patterns. 21-year-old Joshua Atencio, who was in for an injured Joao Paulo - a player integral to Seattle's play style, shined the brightest, testing the St. Louis goalkeeper early with a stinging shot in the 14th minute.
However, St. Louis fought back, with striker Joao Klauss hitting the word work in the 16th minute.
Through the first 45 minutes, St. Louis outshot Seattle 7-4. But, eventually, Seattle’s quality came through.
In the 60th minute, striker Raul Ruidiaz entered the game. This personnel switch allowed Seattle to go much more direct in their attack, playing long balls over the top to the two strikers, forcing St. Louis’ defense to backpedal.
The Sounders found a breakthrough in the 66th minute through Atencio with a right-footed rocket into the top corner. Seattle never let up after that, Ruidiaz scored their second to put the game away, and then St. Louis gave them a gift in the 89th minute with an own goal via fullback Jakob Nerwinski.
Seattle’s patience, personnel flexibility, and better finishing saw them come out on top in this match.
2. Houston Dynamo vs LA Galaxy
The LA Galaxy continues to slide down the Western Conference standings. Their latest 3-0 loss against the Houston Dynamo was well below self-imposed expectations for a club as large as they are.
On the flip side, the Dynamo looked cohesive and are slowly becoming a difficult team to beat under head coach Ben Olsen. Lining up in a 4-3-3, the Dynamo tried to keep it compact defensively to stymie the Galaxy midfield trio of Riqui Puig, Marco Delgado, and Gaston Brugman.
LA also lined up in their typical 4-3-3, with wingers that like to isolate the opponent one v. one, then get a cross off or cut inside and have a shot on goal themselves.
The game was quite competitive. Each team had a good portion of possession, and their expected goals tally (xG) indicated that they had quality chances on goal. But, it was the Dynamo that struck first with a set-piece goal from Mexico international Hector Herrera. Houston continued their pressure on the Galaxy’s defense in the 40th minute with another Herrera shot that went just wide.
LA still had plenty of chances despite Houston’s attacking clinic.
However, it all went sound for the Galaxy in the 65th minute. Galaxy defender Martin Caceres concedes a rather nasty penalty that saw winger Adalberto Carrasquilla go down in the box.
Now, here is where it gets silly. The referee went over to VAR to confirm that the foul was indeed a penalty.
Caceres, who already had a yellow card from a tackle earlier in the match, went over to the official and badgered him while in the middle of watching the replay. Because of this, Caceres received his second yellow of the match and was sent off for confronting the referee.
After this debacle, not only will Houston knock it two more goals, but the Galaxy would completely capitulate. By the end of the match, LA was down by three and increasingly growing irritable. After a bad foul by Herrera on Chicharito, who entered the game in the 55th, Herrera got sent off for a second yellow.
This nastiness boiled over in the 97th minute as Douglas Costa got a straight red card for violent conduct. The game ended just after that in favor of the Dynamo, 3-0.
While there were tactics to behold during the match, much of the football played was overshadowed by the choppiness on the field.
1. Austin FC vs LAFC
The other side of Los Angeles faired much better than their counterparts.
LAFC continues to cement itself as one of the best teams in the league with a 3-0 whacking of Austin FC.
It was the Denis Bouanga show once again, as the Gabon international slotted in three goals past a feeble Austin defense. LAFC lined up in a 4-3-3 that’s expansive, offensively, and defensively stable.
The attacking front three of Bouanga, Kwadwo Opuku, and Stipe Biuk are dealy. The trio possesses speed, flair, and clinical finishing that make them a nightmare to defend. Austin FC learned the hard way.
Though they lined up in a 4-2-3-1, a formation that has a ton of flexibility both on the offense and defensive side, LAFC’s attack was too much for the men in green. Austin was far too spread at times and Bouanga made them pay.
His first goal came just before halftime in the 40th minute as he rocketed in a right-footed shot from outside the box to put LAFC in front.
Bouanga’s second came in the 58th minute with another rocket into the top right corner.
Austin tried switching to a back three with the substitutions of defenders Nick Lima and Adam Lundqvist in order to stop the attacking onslaught from LAFC, but it fell flat.
Bouanga then iced the game in the 68th minute with a gorgeous half-volley to kill any hope of a comeback for Austin FC.
This match showed just how dangerous LAFC can be. Not only do they play with fluidity and conviction, but they’re also defensively brilliant in a 4-3-3 structure that can be difficult to coach.
Though they’re not on top of the Western Conference quite yet, with Bouanga leading their line, it feels inevitable.