Throw the blowouts out the window: All eight Game 1 victors still need one more win to advance in the Audi 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs. More Audi #MLSCupPlayoffs<\/a> to come this weekend. pic.twitter.com\/r5qJ2jNLgd<\/a> A beautiful breakthrough for @fccincinnati<\/a>! \ud83d\ude0d#AllForCincy<\/a> \/\/ Audi #MLSCupPlayoffs<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/TMQFif8N47<\/a> Nouhou drops a dime to JMo to make it 2-0.#Sounders<\/a> \/\/ Audi #MLSCupPlayoffs<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/VNf42sSyRY<\/a> What a time for your first @SportingKC<\/a> goal!#SportingKC<\/a> \/\/ Audi #MLSCupPlayoffs<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/JWBlQ8oMM6<\/a> Another White-Gauld connection to open up our scoring in the second minute \ud83d\udc4f#VWFC<\/a>| #VANvDCU<\/a> Hector Herrera opens the scoring for @HoustonDynamo<\/a>!#HoldItDown<\/a> \/\/ Audi #MLSCupPlayoffs<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/A8bgOmQFmx<\/a> Watch free with #MLSSeasonPass<\/a> on @AppleTV<\/a>: https:\/\/t.co\/Ms8xQA8AhX<\/a>#DOOP<\/a> | #PHIvNE<\/a> 1-0 pic.twitter.com\/q7VE63oTnz<\/a>
That means there\u2019s no use in riding out a low defensive block to protect a massive aggregate lead. (Sorry, LAFC<\/a>, FC Cincinnati<\/a> and Sporting Kansas City<\/a>, who each won their first match by three goals).
If any team with a 1-0 series lead loses their Game 2, it forces a do-or-die Game 3 that \u2013 like all Round One matches \u2013 goes straight to penalties if tied at the end of regulation. Any club would prefer to avoid that sort of 50\/50 affair if possible, especially coming off a Game 2 loss.
Here\u2019s how each team with a series lead can finish the job in Game 2. Conference Semifinal tickets are up for grabs.
Audi 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs Bracket<\/a>
One game down in every series. Only one team won on the road. \ud83d\udc40<\/p>\n
First things first, Cincinnati can\u2019t afford to get crushed on critical 50\/50 duels and ball recoveries like Charlotte FC<\/a> did in their blowout Wild Card loss<\/a> at the Red Bulls<\/a>. But Pat Noonan’s side doesn\u2019t need to dominate those stats either.
The Red Bulls posted better numbers in both categories in Game 1 and still took a 3-0 loss<\/a>. That’s partly because Cincinnati scored off one of the key loose balls they did win (via a Luciano Acosta<\/a> near-midfield banger), but more because the Orange & Blue punished RBNY for their narrow defensive and attacking shape.
One major ingredient of the Red Bulls\u2019 press-happy recipe is shrinking the width of the field and, subsequently, the space their opponents can play in. The inherent risk to that strategy is when teams do manage to get the ball wide, they end up forcing RBNY into all sorts of sloppy defensive recoveries.
That exact scenario played out twice to the tune of two \u00c1lvaro Barreal<\/a> goals in Game 1. Cincinnati have gotten elite play from their Argentine wingback all season, so if they can just survive in the middle of the park long enough to feed him the rock, good things will happen.
Moreno creates & Barreal finishes.<\/p>\n
Once upon a time (like, most of 2019-22) the Sounders<\/a> could punish teams on the counter through Jordan Morris<\/a> on the left wing. They still have that ability to some degree via L\u00e9o Ch\u00fa<\/a> on the left and Morris as the No. 9, but their strength now lies more in patient build-up play, which allows fullbacks Alex Roldan<\/a> and Nouhou<\/a> (or Reed Baker-Whiting<\/a>) to push high and join the attack while the increasingly-important Josh Atencio<\/a> probes at defenses from the midfield with his tireless off-ball movement.
To boot, Seattle had the fourth-highest passes per possession in the league in 2023. When clicking on all cylinders, those methodical passing sequences not only lead to quality chances \u2013 see goal two against Dallas<\/a> wherein eight Sounders players pick up positions near or in the attacking third \u2013 but also lead to defense-via-offense. It\u2019s hard for opponents to build meaningful attacks when they\u2019re pinned that deep in their own third.
Admittedly, this style is difficult to pull off on the road. But with Alan Velasco<\/a>\u00a0out for Game 2, the Sounders don\u2019t have a ton to fear outside of Jes\u00fas Ferreira<\/a> going the other way. As long as Brian Schmetzer\u2019s side doesn\u2019t give away cheap passes in their own half (which they did twice in Game 1), they should be able to suffocate Dallas\u2019 attack by controlling the ball.
It had to be Jordan Morris. \ud83d\ude4c<\/p>\n
Not to give St. Louis CITY SC<\/a> bulletin board material, but Sporting Kansas City sure looked like they had an individual-talent advantage in Game 1. Golazos aside, a lot of the visitors’ success came from STL\u2019s really poor mistakes (cheap giveaways, mishit clearances, whiffed tackles, etc.). All year, St. Louis have preached \u201cthe team is the star,\u201d but it\u2019s fair to wonder if in the playoffs \u2013 where margins tighten and lineup holes are ruthlessly exploited \u2013 they may lack down-roster talent.
Then again, Bradley Carnell\u2019s side did cruise to the Western Conference\u2019s No. 1 seed via their well-defined system of play: Turning teams over in the midfield and breaking towards goal at head-spinning speeds. If Kansas City get sloppy with the ball at home, St. Louis could easily reverse Game 1\u2019s result.
If, however, SKC show their veteran savvy and work the ball around STL\u2019s biting press, then they can take advantage of favorable individual matchups \u2013 particularly on the wings where they gave the home side\u2019s fullbacks fits in Game 1.
Logan Ndenbe, take a bow. \ud83e\udd2f<\/p>\n
Yes, the low-hanging fruit answer here is for LAFC to score four more set-piece goals like they did in Game 1. But let\u2019s assume for a minute that Vancouver<\/a> remember it\u2019s a playoff game and tighten the screws defensively on dead balls. Suddenly, this matchup starts looking a lot more even than Saturday\u2019s 5-2 blowout.
Now, factor in travel to BC Place, and LAFC may well be the underdog in Game 2 \u2013 especially considering they were the only Game 1-winning team to give up multiple goals. Vaunted as LAFC’s attack is (and rightfully so), they probably can’t bank on scoring three on the road.
That means the chief concern for head coach Steve Cherundolo should be slowing Vancouver’s attack, and that starts with cutting off service to Brian White<\/a>. The Whitecaps do-everything forward creates tons of headaches for backlines both on and off the ball \u2013 and doubly so after Ryan Gauld<\/a> started lining up next to his running mate in a two-striker system.
That\u2019s because he\u2019s both a willing runner in behind:
Brian White doing Brian White things. \ud83d\udca5@WhitecapsFC<\/a> equalize LAFC \/\/ Audi #MLSCupPlayoffs<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/sS146A5ApE<\/a>
And because he\u2019s excellent in hold-up play, where he can occupy center backs and allow Gauld the freedom and space to peel off into the midfield and make the game for \u2018Caps:
FUEGOOO!!! \ud83d\udd25<\/p>\n
Gauld may stir the Whitecaps’ drink with his top-tier playmaking, but, somewhat counterintuitively, a lot of his best plays start at the foot of his goal-scoring partner. Whether it\u2019s through excellent midfield pressure or a concerted effort to bracket White defensively (especially in transition moments), LAFC would be well-served to stop the ball from reaching the dangerous striker’s feet.
With H\u00e9ctor Herrera<\/a> running the show, Houston<\/a> more or less operate off the principle that skilled attackers find ways to pick up dangerous positions and get each other involved in attack, no matter their initial place in starting formation. That\u2019s why Ben Olsen’s team have consistently scored some of the best tiki-taka goals on the season.
Every player in Houston\u2019s front five is more than capable of occupying any space in the final third as either a creator or a finisher, and their fullbacks (especially Griffin Dorsey<\/a>) are happy to get involved too. That versatility allows Houston to give-and-go teams into oblivion, and their two goals against RSL<\/a> in Game 1 were no different.
The downside to the approach is it leaves them wide open on the counter, which RSL exploited for their lone goal of the match. But Houston didn\u2019t win the US Open Cup<\/a> and the West\u2019s No. 4 seed by playing it safe, so there\u2019s not much reason to start now. The worst that happens is a Game 3 back at Shell Energy Stadium, where the Dynamo posted an impressive 11W-2L-4D record for 2023.
Perfect placement from the captain. \ud83c\udfaf<\/p>\n
Credit to the Columbus Crew<\/a> for getting the job done at home against an Atlanta United<\/a> team missing their most important player: Thiago Almada<\/a> (who was absent from Game 1 due to red card suspension). But the Crew can expect a totally different dynamic when Almada returns to the lineup for Game 2 at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Atlanta had the second-most potent attack in the league this year (behind only Columbus) with 66 goals scored, but Almada (11g\/19a) accounted for a huge chunk of that. The underlying numbers back up Almada’s outsized influence on the team, too, with TruMedia via StatsPerform crediting him with 41.2% of the side’s “big chances created” on the year. The next highest player on that list is Brooks Lennon<\/a>, with 17.6%.
Almada’s absence also forced head coach Gonzalo Pineda to roll the dice on a more defensive lineup, as he left DP Saba Lobjanidze<\/a> out of the starting XI as well. Assuming both Almada and Lobjanidze start Game 2, there’s virtually no way the Crew (or any team for that matter) can contain Atlanta to 0.1(!) xG like they did in Game 1.
Aidan Morris<\/a> is Columbus’ best destroyer in the midfield, so head coach Wilfried Nancy will need a big defensive performance from the 2023 MLS All-Star (likely at the cost of his offensive game) if his team hope to pull off the road heist in Atlanta.
Like Houston and Seattle, Orlando<\/a> bossed the midfield en route to a Game 1 win. Unlike Houston and Seattle, Orlando only scored once, and it wasn\u2019t just a case of missed chances.
Despite racking up 25 shots on the night, Orlando accrued a meager 1.2 expected goals. For reference, the 2023 league average for shots per game was 12.5, and the expected goals per game was 1.3. That means Orlando were consistently settling for low-quality chances against Nashville SC<\/a>\u2019s tightly-packed defense.
To be fair, Nashville deserve credit for tempting opponents into low-quality chances all year, which often leads to Hany Mukhtar<\/a> counter-attacks. Still, a number of Orlando’s forays into the final third ended with the wrong pass or a touch too many in the box. Take this moment in the 77th minute, one of many where Orlando could have iced the game:
Iv\u00e1n Angulo<\/a> misses the back-post run of Facundo Torres<\/a> and settles for a shot with a slew of defenders in front of him. It\u2019s not a criminal offense from Angulo \u2013 the window to hit Torres was small \u2013 but those are the passes needed to beat Nashville\u2019s stacked defense, especially on the road.
The Revolution<\/a> are a wounded animal at this point. Their injury woes and coaching changes have been well-documented all year, only to be compounded by star player Carles Gil<\/a> leaving Game 1 early with an apparent injury. Head coach Clint Peay says Gil is \u201cfine\u201d and back in training, but the jury is out on exactly how fit the No. 10 will be for Game 2.
That in mind, the Union would be well-served to stick to their identity and take the game to New England via organized but ruthless pressing, even on the road. While Philadelphia\u2019s defensive prowess is a little less duel-oriented than New York or St. Louis, they led the league by some margin this year in interceptions per game. When they set traps and capitalize as a unit, few teams can play through them.
Take their first goal from Game 1. Jack McGlynn<\/a>, more known for his cultured left foot than his hard tackles, relentlessly presses DeJuan Jones<\/a> into his own corner, leading to a deflected clearance that eventually becomes a PK for Philadelphia:
Never ever a doubt \ud83c\udfaf Gazdag gives us the early lead after Carranza is fouled in NE's box!<\/p>\n
Right now, it\u2019s unclear if New England have the talent (or speed) to punish the Union for selling out on the press. T\u00f3mas Chancalay<\/a> remains a threat, but if it comes down to a battle between Chancalay on the break versus Philly\u2019s front three feasting on turnovers, that\u2019s advantage Philly.<\/p>\n