MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER - MLS - USA

   

MLS's new gold standard

Heading into the final two months of the MLS regular season, D.C. United leads the Eastern Conference by two points over the New York Red Bulls. But after a 3-0 loss at Red Bull Arena on Sunday, D.C. coach Ben Olsen said the Red Bulls were the Eastern Conference's "gold standard." Indeed, the Red Bulls lead all MLS clubs in points-per-game, making them the favorite for the 2015 Supporters' Shield.

MLS Top 10, Points Per Game:
RANK TEAM PTS PPG
1. (E) NY Red Bulls (42) 1.68
2. (W) Vancouver (45) 1.67
3. (W) LA Galaxy (46) 1.64
4. (W) FC Dallas (41) 1.64
5. (W) Sporting KC (40) 1.60
6. (E) D.C. United (44) 1.57
7. (E) Columbus (41) 1.52
8. (E) Toronto FC (37) 1.48
9. (W) Portland (40) 1.48
10. (W) San Jose (38) 1.46
E=Eastern Conference; W=Western Conference.

In terms of total points, the Red Bulls have 42 points, fourth in the race for the Supporters' Shield, but they have three games in hand on the LA Galaxy, first in the Western Conference with 46 points, and D.C. United, first in the Eastern Conference with 44 points, and two games in hand on the Vancouver Whitecaps, second in the Western Conference with 45 points.

The Red Bulls' record in MLS their last 10 games (7-2-1) is the best in MLS, ahead of the LA Galaxy (7-3-0) and Columbus (6-2-2), but head coach Jesse Marsch said after Sunday's game that there was no talk in his locker room of a second Supporter's Shield in three years.

"Right now, it's just about taking a little bit of a break and getting ready for Chicago here," he said of the schedule that has the Red Bulls off for the FIFA fixture window and back in action against the Fire on Sept. 11. "There's nine games to go. That's a lot of games. The minute you stop and start to think that you're better than you are, that's when you slip."

The Red Bulls reached the Eastern Conference final in 2014, but few gave them a chance of doing anything in 2015 after the exits of star Thierry Henry, who retired, and Tim Cahill, who moved to China, and the decision to replace popular coach Mike Petke with Marsch. The departures of Henry and Cahill, two of the highest-paid players in MLS, transformed New York from having one of the highest payrolls in MLS to one of the lowest.

The Red Bulls began the season with only one Designated Player, Bradley Wright-Phillips, who was given a raise after tying the league's record for most goals in a single campaign with 27 in 2014. 

BWP scored two goals and added an assist in the win over D.C. United to give him 13 goals and seven assists in 25 games. 

"When Bradley drew the yellow card early in the game on [Steve] Birnbaum," said Marsch, "he was injured. His toe was bothering for the rest of the game. To get two goals and an assist while you're limping around on the field is a big accomplishment. He's dynamic. I think he's shown what a complete player he is. I would argue that he's been much better this year than he was last year."

The Red Bulls also allowed veteran defender Jamison Olave to return to Real Salt Lake, leaving them with an inexperienced backline, but it has been one of the best in MLS.

"I think Damien [Perrinelle] and Matt [Miazga] have been a very good pairing," he said after the shutout win over D.C. United. "We obviously think very highly of [left back] Kemar [Lawrence] and his ability physically."

The win over D.C. United -- its longtime rival -- was perhaps the biggest of the season by New York, but Marsch did not want to put too much int it.

"It was another step forward," he said. "There's a lot to play for at this moment and if we stop for a second then we could slip so we're going to keep our pedal on the floor."

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Toronto FC coach Vanney: ‘We’re rewriting history’

TORONTO—For a coach who took over one of the hottest hot seats in Major League Soccer, Toronto FC’s Greg Vanney has expertly maintained his cool over the past 12 months.

When interacting with players, his staff and the reporters who regularly cover his team, Vanney has a fatherly way about him—not surprising, as he’s a father of four, including Christian, an energetic and cute-as-a-bug three-year-old who’s become a fixture at the team’s practices and in the locker room after home games. Firm but fair, Vanney talks to people—not down to them as his predecessor Ryan Nelsen had a habit of doing—and always seems eager to engage in meaningful dialogue with anyone he encounters.

“Remind me to have a conversation with you later. I want to talk about your spacing when we’re in possession,” Vanney told Jonathan Osorio after a recent training session, putting his arm around the midfielder’s shoulder.

This is Greg Vanney.

The 41-year-old native of Virginia—a former MLS star and U.S. international during his playing career—is thoughtful and engaging, and he’s been a calming force at a club renowned for its dysfunction. Formerly the club’s youth academy director, Vanney celebrated his one-year anniversary as TFC coach on Monday, and looks poised to lead the Reds to a historic, first-ever playoff berth.

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Let’s not kid ourselves: a lot of that success has to do with Sebastian Giovinco, and it’s downright scary to think where TFC would be right now without the mercurial Italian (he has 17 goals and 13 assists in 25 games). Still, Vanney has shaped a disparate group of players—ranging from DPs and international stars to MLS journeymen and depth guys—into a cohesive unit.

There have been failures, most notably the Warren Creavalle experiment at right fullback, and the club boasts a losing record in MLS (13-17-6) since he took the reins from Nelsen. But there have also been a number of success stories. Under Vanney’s tenure, left fullback Ashtone Morgan has enjoyed an incredible renaissance (pretty amazing when you consider where he was last season) and Osorio has become one of the best Canadian players in all of MLS. TFC has also tied the franchise record for wins in a single season with Vanney at the helm in 2015.

Most important, the club currently sits fourth in the Eastern Conference (the top six make the playoffs) with an 11-10-4 record. They are nine points clear of the playoff line, and six of their remaining nine games are at home. Barring a catastrophe, Toronto will qualify for the post-season, and they might even host a playoff game.

So, what’s the past year been like for Vanney?

“I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. Some of it has been easy; some of it has been not so easy. ... But I feel now we have an interesting roster with a lot of options that has taken its shape over the course of the past 12 months,” Vanney said this week.

“I think we have some really talented players, between bringing Sebastian in and bringing Jozy [Altidore] in, and the additions of Benoit [Cheyrou] and a number of other guys—we’re really good from that standpoint.”

He later added: “I think we’ve come a long way [in the past year], both with the first team and with the club and the academy and our philosophy on things. For me, it’s been an incredible 12 months, and I really look forward to really interesting and great things in the future.”

Vanney talks as though he’s going to be in charge for some time, which is a pretty bold move considering TFC’s track record of hiring and firing coaches. Vanney is the Reds’ ninth manager in nine seasons—and none of those who came before him lasted more than 18 months.

But Vanney insists he doesn’t get caught up in whether his “time is coming or not coming,” and stresses that only bad things can come from operating out of fear.

“I will continue to work on the club from top to bottom and spend most of my waking hours—and you can ask my wife—concentrating or thinking about the club and how we can continue to get better and move forward,” Vanney promised.

He’s also left a favourable impression on general manager Tim Bezbatchenko, who took a chance in hiring a relatively inexperienced coach—Vanney was an assistant at Chivas USA, his only previous coaching experience at senior level.

“Teams tend to get found out in July. You have one system and one way of playing and over the course of the season things happen and people learn about you. Everybody is watching everybody’s games,” Bezbatchenko said earlier this summer.

“The best coaches are the ones that have success over the years by adjusting, can make tactical changes, and are not just reliant on personnel changes. That’s what you have to do in a salary cap world, and Greg has shown a tremendous ability to make adjustments from game to game and during games. There’s not many coaches in the league who can do that.”

If leading the Reds to the playoffs tops Vanney’s priority list then changing the culture of losing that has engulfed this franchise ranks a very close second. We all know the club’s spotted history: the coaching merry-go-round, the false dawns, the star players who didn’t pan out, the general MLSE mismanagement. To call the previous eight years at TFC chaotic doesn’t quite do it justice to capture the whole mess.

Vanney is tired of hearing about that, and establishing a new culture—one predicated on winning and consistency—remains an ongoing project, and the toughest part of his job.

“We have the history that is behind us that everybody wants to remind you of [whenever things go bad]. It’s always weighing on people and they’re quick to say, ‘Ah, here we go again.’ We’re trying to take that big step forward that says that’s not us anymore. That history is no longer us; we’re rewriting the history of who we are and who are are going to be,” Vanney stated.

“We know that we have things to prove but we’re going to do that. For me, it’s just about establishing the culture of greatness here and believing in it.”

MLS PLAYER SALARIES 2015: BEST AND WORST CONTRACTS

Following up on  Josh Howard from earlier about MLS Player Salaries, we here at 32 Flags went through every team’s and every player’s salary looking for anomalies, bargains, and overpriced MLS players. What we found is there are a lot of MLS stars getting paid the league minimum to carry significant loads on their teams… especially on the defensive line. MLS teams pay premiums for goal scoring and creating; they still rely on young, mostly American talent to anchor back lines.

That said, let’s go ahead and look at each team. All dollar amounts are the player’s annual salary.

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Chicago Fire – Lots of bad contracts on the Fire, especially with their forwards. With Mike Magee out (who makes about $400k), Chicago is clearly searching for a striker by opening the checkbook, but none have hit so far.

• Best: Harry Shipp ($112,500)
• Worst: Kenny Igboananike ($901,666), Guly Prado ($135,000)

COLUMBUS, OH – MARCH 14: Ethan Finlay #13 of the Columbus Crew SC in action against Toronto FC on March 14, 2015 at MAPFRE Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)

Columbus Crew – Finlay is quietly having one of the best seasons in the MLS distributing the ball to lead-leading goalscorer Kei Kamara. On the other side, Pogatetz has gotten much better since his initial disastrous start with Columbus, but he’s still not good enough to justify that lofty salary, especially when players like Tyson Wahl and Tony Tchani run midfield circles around him.

• Best: Ethan Finlay ($142,500)
• Worst: Emanuel Pogatetz ($372,500)

Colorado Rapids – Like the Fire, a lot of overpriced players on a bad team, and like the Fire, the Rapids have a budding young midfielder making next-to-nothing while playing the best soccer on the team. It’s tough to pick the worst contract on the Rapids, but Moor’s contract is probably the biggest albatross. The only way to justify such a lofty salary is that Moor has been in the league for a long time and the Rapids are paying for experience out of loyalty.

• Best: Dillon Serna ($73,000)
• Worst: Drew Moor ($270,500)

FC Dallas – Hedges and Castillo are All-Star caliber players and should be making well over $200,000. Dallas is getting an absolute steal with these two deals. Dallas doesn’t have any terrible contracts on the books. They pay David Texeria a lot, but they’re paying for potential there, and I may look like an idiot for calling him overpriced now when he leads the league in scoring next year.

• Best: Matt Hedges ($135,000), Fabian Castillo ($160,000)
• Worst: David Texeria ($338,000)

CHESTER, PA – JULY 25: Chris Pontius #13 of MLS All-Stars holds the MVP trophy after defeating Chelsea during the 2012 AT&T MLS All-Star Game at PPL Park on July 25, 2012 in Chester, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Drew Hallowell/Getty Images)

DC United – How would like a back-line good enough for top of the league for less than $160,000? Coach Ben Olsen struck gold with former #2 overall pick Birnbaum and LA Galaxy castoff Opare.

However, they have gotten unlucky with former All-Star Chris Pontius, who just doesn’t look the same after a series of leg injuries. Don’t get me wrong–Pontius is one of my all-time favorites, but his post-injury form just isn’t the same (and it pains me to say that). And finally, Michael Farfan can barely get on the pitch, and has no impressed at all in limited appearances.

• Best: Steve Birnbaum ($96,000), Kofi Opare ($60,000)
• Worst: Chris Pontius ($396,000), Michael Farfan ($120,000)

Houston Dynamo – Sarkodie makes a lot to be so inconsistent, but at least Houston makes up for it with a steal in Horst.

• Best: David Horst ($81,500)
• Worst: Kofi Sarkodie ($235,500)

KANSAS CITY, KS – DECEMBER 7: Paulo Nagamura #6 of Sporting Kansas City kicks the ball during the MLS Cup Final at Sporting Park against the Real Salt Lake on December 7, 2013 in Kansas City, Kansas. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images)

Sporting Kansas City – Like many on this list, Ellis is a rookie defender getting a lot of playing time and making the best of it. Not only does Nagamura not have a role at SKC anymore (with Benny Feilhaber and Roger Espinoza owning the midfield), he just looks completely done. Nagamura needs a change of scenery sooner than later, but doubtful that many teams would be willing to take on that contract.

• Best: Kevin Ellis ($63,150)
• Worst: Paulo Nagamura ($230,000)

Los Angeles Galaxy – Villarreal is probably the best contract in the entire league as he rapidly develops into a very strong midfielder. Vayrynen is very solid Finnish international who should be playing well, but he just hasn’t yet found his footing in MLS, often being far outplayed by players like Baggio Husidic.

• Best: Jose Villarreal ($61,875)
• Worst: Mika Vayrynen ($227,496)

Montreal Impact – Jack Mac had one amazing ten or twenty game run for Philadelphia. Since then, he’s been an average (or maybe below-average) MLS striker. There’s no way he’s worth that salary but, at only 22 years of age, he has time to make me look like an idiot rather than himself like a flash in the pan. On the other hand, Toia has fought his way into the first team and looks to be a very solid, young MLS-caliber defender.

• Best: Donny Toia ($60,000)
• Worst: Jack McInerny ($334,166)

FOXBORO, MA – NOVEMBER 29: Charlie Davies #9 of the New England Revolution celebrates his goal in the first half against New York Red Bulls during Leg 2 of the MLS Eastern Conference Final at Gillette Stadium on November 29, 2014 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)

New England Revolution – Caldwell has been a midfield sensation for New England, especially with Jermaine Jones missing significant time due to injury. And who expected this career renaissance out of Charlie Davies? MLS teams avoided Davies years ago due to character concerns and a failed stint at DC United, guessing that most regret that decision now.

On the bad side Two years ago, Fagundez looked like the next young MLS attacking star. Now, he’s hit a bit of a slump and just doesn’t look right.

• Best: Scott Caldwell ($67,500), Charlie Davies ($82,759)
• Worst: Diego Fagundez ($152,200)

New York Red Bulls – Like DC United, the Red Bulls enjoy a backline with two very young, very cheap, and very good defenders. On the left side of that line though is every Red Bull and Costa Rica fan’s nightmare: Roy Miller, who nobody will ever forget for not knowing how penalties worked.

• Best: Matt Miazga ($74,500), Kemar Lawrence ($60,000)
• Worst: Roy Miller ($200,000)

TURIN, ITALY – APRIL 10: Andrea Pirlo of Juventus celebrates scoring the first goal during the UEFA Europa League quarter final match between Juventus and Olympique Lyonnais at Juventus Arena on April 10, 2014 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Claudio Villa/Getty Images)

New York City FC – While David Villa carries the team, his fellow countryman Iraola carries the bench. Iraola has only played ninety minutes this season, which obviously will need to improve to justify a lofty salary. Ballouchy never impressed for NYCFC’s cross-town rivals, but he seems to have found a role and plays solid minutes for a meager wage. But really, if Ballouchy is your best contract, then you don’t have any reasonable contracts on the club.

• Best: Mehdi Ballouchy ($83,250)
• Worst: Andoni Iraola ($200,004)
• Potential Best: Andrea Pirlo ($2,315,694). Pirlo makes a lot, but well less than half of what Villa, Frank Lampard, Kaka, and Clint Dempsey make. This is not even a top ten salary in the league. He could wind up dominating and winning the MVP given a full season, and there’s no price tag on that.

Orlando City – Okugo looks lost in purple after dominating in whatever-that-color-is-that-Philly-wears. Thankfully Ceren has picked up the slack and looks like the real deal.

• Best: Darwin Ceren ($96,437)
• Worst: Amobi Okugo ($300,000)

CHESTER, PA – APRIL 12: Forward Sebastien Le Toux #11 of the Philadelphia Union plays the ball off his chest against Real Salt Lake on April 12, 2014 at PPL Park in Chester, Pennslyvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

Philadelphia Union – I love Sebastien Le Toux, really, but he is not worth that salary any longer. If the Union want to keep him, then he needs to take a Charlie Davies-sized pay cut. Philly might be the only club without any obvious best contracts, so we’ll give that honor to Fabinho, who is one of Philly’s best players at a relatively low price tag.

• Best: Fabinho ($118,500)
• Worst: Sebastien Le Toux ($285,228)

Portland Timbers – Powell is a defensive sensation, as he’s been showing in brief appearances with an explosive Jamaica side. But, as of yesterday, Powell seems to have abandoned Jamaica to return to Portland a bit early. Doesn’t look good for his international future. On the other side of the pay spectrum, Ridgewell is a very competent defender, probably one of the best in the league, but that price tag is ridiculous. Knock that in half and maybe he’d be worth it.

• Best: Alvas Powell ($68,700)
• Worst: Liam Ridgewell ($1,000,000)

SANDY, UT – OCTOBER 01: Luis Silva #12 of D.C. United kicks the ball against Real Salt Lake during the 2013 U.S. Open Cup Final at Rio Tinto Stadium October 1, 2013 in Sandy, Utah. (Photo by Gene Sweeney Jr/Getty Images)

Real Salt Lake – The upcoming battle between the Luises. This doesn’t seem fair to attack Luis Gil, who’s still very young and very talented, but he’s making the big bucks now. No longer can RSL wait for potential; they need him to perform at a high level right now. Luis Silva has just freshly arrived via trade with DC United, where he has had an off-season thus far. But if he can regain his 2014 form, then RSL have a real attacking midfielder and won’t even need Luis Gil.

• Best: Luis Silva ($162,634)
• Worst: Luis Gil ($335,083)

Seattle Sounders – Not even sure why or how Chad Barrett is in the league anymore, much less making six figures. The Sounders don’t have a lot of great bargains or bad contracts—they just sign good players at reasonable price. Marco Pappa is the exception who probably should be making more in this league.

• Best: Marco Pappa ($75,000)
• Worst: Chad Barrett ($ 100,000)

CARSON, CA – NOVEMBER 04: Steven Lenhart #24 of the San Jose Earthquakes gestures to the referee’s assistant during the first leg of the MLS Western Conference Semifinal match at The Home Depot Center on November 4, 2012 in Carson, California. The Earthquakes defeated the Galaxy 1-0. (Photo by Victor Decolongon/Getty Images)

San Jose Earthquakes – JJ Koval is a solid young midfielder still making the league minimum. Can’t beat that. Another good contract is Tommy Thompsons ($145,000), but in reality no team should be paying Thompson more than that yet. Don’t want to wind up with a McInerny situation. With Lenhart, San Jose must be paying for Bad Boy reputation. Lenhart is just not a productive striker in this league anymore. Sign him if you want to hurt someone else, not score goals.

• Best: JJ Koval ($60,000)
• Worst: Steven Lenhart ($159,083)

Toronto FC – Findley is absolutely done as a high-level striker. His salary doesn’t make any sense, and was probably informed more by his Nottingham Forest and USMNT experience than any on-field play. On the other hand, Hagglung is a solid, young defender at league minimum (like most other good contracts on this list).

• Best: Nick Hagglund ($60,000)
• Worst: Robbie Findley ($255,500)

Vancouver Whitecaps – With Rosales, the Whitecaps are paying for reputation earned by Rosales several years ago with Seattle. He’s not the same player and this contract will likely be dead weight until they can offload it. At least when Rosales’ contract is up, the Whitecaps should be able to re-allocate that money to raise Manneh’s salary and ensure he doesn’t leave.

• Best: Kekuta Manneh ($113,875)
• Worst: Mauro Rosales ($265,000)

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LOS ANGELES, CA – MARCH 06: Jose Villarreal #5 of the Los Angeles Galaxy shoots to score the Galaxy’s first goal, in the second half against the Chicago Fire at StubHub Center on March 6, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. The Galaxy won 2-0. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)

Best Overall Deal: Jose Villarreal, LA Galaxy midfielder, $61,875/year (league minimum); honorable mention to Marco Pappa ($75,000), Matt Hedges ($135,000), Steve Birnbaum ($96,000), and Charlie Davies ($82,759).

Worst Overall Deal: Roy Miller, New York Red Bulls left back, $200,000/year

Villarreal is turning into yet another LA Galaxy-developed star. Bruce Arena knows how to spot and develop talent for sure.

Roy Miller. What can be said about the guy? For his salary, you could sign three players. Just a terrible contract that surely will not be renewed.