Has MLS taken the ‘parity’ concept too far?
It’s a staple move in playground games the world over. As the ringing of the bell approaches, regardless of the score, one kid will inevitably call out, “Next goal wins!” And strangely, all parties will almost always agree. After all, who doesn’t love a classic, last-minute buzzer-beater, even at the cost of erasing the scoreline?
This is a little like the state of Major League Soccer as we approach week 32. After DC United and the Vancouver Whitecaps seemed to take a steady, if at times wobbly lead atop their respective conferences throughout the summer months, we now seem to be back at square one. In the East, four different teams – the New England Revolution, the Columbus Crew, the New York Red Bulls and DCU – have enjoyed sometimes very brief stints at the top in recent weeks as the erstwhile leaders have gone five games without a win.
Meanwhile in the West, the Seattle Sounders have roared back from the dead, beating Cascadia rivals Vancouver twice, once in MLS and and once in the Concacaf Champions League. Now five of the six teams above the red line are within touching distance of top spot and the Supporters Shield. Only FC Dallas, with two additional games in hand, appear to have any kind of edge.
Perhaps this is simply what MLS’s single-entity driven competitive parity looks like in practice, but it’s not clear this is what most fans mean when they use the term. For many, ‘parity’ means their team will get a shot at glory one day, not all at the same time in the same season, after seven months of play no less. Which model is more exciting is in the eye of the beholder, but to paraphrase David Mitchell, there’s still everything to play for in MLS and seemingly forever to play it in.
Montreal ride their luck as playoffs approach
Most MLS defenses knew that Montreal Impact’s Didier Drogba, even at 37, would be no pushover in the penalty box. Few, however, likely expected he would be allowed to get away with yanking opposition centre-halves to the ground.
That’s what appeared to have happened this past Wednesday when Drogba scored his fifth goal in five appearances for L’Impact, a “free header” that followed the Chicago Fire’s Jeff Larentowicz getting hauled on the floor. As Arsenal fans are all too well aware, referees are not omniscient (what fun would that be?) so the goal was allowed to stand; Montreal went on to win 2-1, and have now gone five games straight without a loss, their longest streak of the season.
It’s been that kind of September for the Impact, who now join the ranks of several MLS clubs with Designated Players whom several conspiracy-minded fans believe enjoy an unfair advantage. This weekend they’ll face DC United, a team that on July 3 were 17 points ahead of them in the Eastern Conference. After a reversal of fortune for both sides – DC United are now winless in its last five, with four losses – that lead has been cut to six, aand that could be erased by Montreal’s two games in hand.
The last time the two teams met at Stade Saputo, in early August, Montreal peppered Bill Hamid’s goal only for DC to score with their only shot on target. A repeat of that feat with Drogba up front is unlikely to produce the same result.
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