The list of 12 teams vying of the MLS Cup Playoffs is complete, Manchester City takes full control of the Premier League, Vincenzo Montella’s and Ronald Koeman’s time could be up soon, and Valencia makes a triumphant return to the Spanish elite in this new edition of 90 Minutes Top Five of the Weekend.
1. The road to the MLS Cup begins
Another crazy Decision Day has come and gone in Major League Soccer, and the brackets are set for the MLS Cup Playoffs.
The drama came to a climax in the race for the sixth seed in the Western Conference. As San Jose Earthquakes found itself eliminated with a draw and FC Dallas’ win over the LA Galaxy, Marco Ureña, coming off the bench, delivered the game winner in aggregate time to send San Jose to the playoffs for the first time since 2012, and complete Dallas’ epic collapse out of the postseason. The Cascadia teams finished as the class of the west, all three occupying the top three spots after Seattle’s win over Colorado Rapids and Portland Timbers making the jump from the third to first with a victory against Vancouver Whitecaps.
David Villa came through once again to secure a knockout round bye for New York City FC, while the Chicago Fire kept home-field advantage despite losing 3-0 in Houston, thanks to Atlanta United’s home draw with Supporters’ Shield champions Toronto FC, which also set the record for most points in a regular season.
Portland, Vancouver, Houston, Sporting Kansas City, San Jose, Toronto, New York City, Chicago, Atlanta, Columbus, and New York Red Bulls will vie to dethrone Seattle as the kings of MLS.
2. City break away from the pack
The head-to-head battle for first place in the Premier League is turning a certain shade of blue.
Uber-hot Manchester City has opened up a five-point gap atop the table after another dominating performance in the 3-0 home win over Burnley, including Sergio Aguero tying the record for most goal in club history only three weeks removed from the infamous car accident in Amsterdam. Give the assist to Huddersfield, though, for upsetting an unispiring Manchester United 2-1, inspiring Jose Mourinho to question his team’s attitude. Right with United is now Tottenham, which took care of business at Wembley against a poor Liverpool defense, while Chelsea and Arsenal find themselves climbing out of a deep hole already being nine points behind.
3. Valencia rising from the ashes
Years of losing, frustration, financial problems, and leadership voids appear to be behind at Valencia.
Los Che have surged from perennial mediocrity to be one of three unbeaten teams in La Liga this season, rubbing elbows once again with the elite of Spanish soccer. The club finally found the ideal combination of leadership, from the administrative level to manager Marcelino Garcia Toral, who has stabilized the managerial position after 11 different bosses stood on the sideline since 2012. But the game-changing moves came courtesy of general director Mateu Alemany. Alemany was instrumental in bringing Marcelino in, keeping young talents like Jose Maria Gaya and Carlos Soler, and complemeting them with leading scorer Simone Zaza, Geoffrey Kondgobia, and Goncalo Guedes.
Mestalla was rocking like it hadn’t in years Saturday against Sevilla, and Valencia supporters can finally be proud of its club again.
More Top Picks Stealth Cam Deceptor Max 2 0
4. Money not buying success
As the club season reaches the end of October, two of the show-stealers of the summer transfer window may be looking into new leadership.
The highest-profile hot seat is Vincenzo Montella’s at AC Milan. The Rossoneri’s new owners whipped out $200 million euros to practically but a whole new starting XI with players like Leonardo Bonucci, Andre Silva, Hakan Calhanoglu, Franck Kessie, Ricardo Rodriguez, Lucas Biglias, etc. Despite a promising start, Milan sits midtable in Serie A, having won only one out of the last five, including losing the Milan derby to Inter, and drawing at home to Genoa Sunday.
An even warmer seat is Ronald Koeman’s, whose Everton side finds itself in relegation places after a monumental $168 million euro investement. Sunday’s 5-2 home loss to Arsenal saw home supporters calling for Koeman’s head, and who can blame them. Even after signing names like Rooney, Keane, Pickford, Sigurdsson, and Klaasen, Koeman’s side can’t figure a common idea, looking more like a collection of eleven strangers that an actual team.
Such big roster overhauls require time to gel, but time is running out very quickly in Liverpool and Milan. One more loss could mean the ax for both.
5. Boufal channels his inner Messi
While the “Big 5” of the Premier League occupied the top level of the Premier League standing, it was Southampton’s Sofiane Boufal who stole the weekend with a mesmerizing run from his own half, past multiple defenders, and into the Top Five Goal of the Weekend.
div.video_header {
text-align: center;
width:100%;
clear:both;
border-top:1px solid #ccc;
padding-top:20px;
}
.deptitles:after {
content: ”;
display: block;
background-color: #ED1C24;
margin: 16px auto 0;
height: 5px;
width: 100px
}
.deptitles:before {
content: “RECENT PHOTOS AND VIDEOS”;
display: block;
font: 700 23px/25px Georgia,serif;
text-align: center;
color: #000000;
}