League’s top dogs face off for spot in MLS Cup final
It isn’t often you see the best ranked teams in the East face off in a Conference final. We’d have to go back to 2015, when the Columbus Crew SC, in second, edged out the top seeded New York Red Bulls 2-1 to qualify for the MLS Cup final.
Even more significant is the fact that this is just the fifth time in 23 years that the two best teams in the entire league face off in the postseason, two teams who happened to have finished with the two best individual points totals in the history of MLS in the regular season (Atlanta ties Toronto’s total from 2017).
Needless to say, there are plenty of reasons to be excited for this clash of titans.
Ironically enough, it’s the New York Red Bulls that managed to trounce the Black & Gold this time around to qualify for the Conference final, where they’ll take on one of the league’s most exciting teams, Atlanta United FC.
Who has the edge?
A berth in the final would be a first for both clubs, and arguments can be made for both sides as to who deserves it more. The Big Apple representatives have been runners-up twice since 2014 and will want to make sure history does not repeat itself after their matchup with Tata Martino’s men. Although the Red Bulls are no strangers to the league’s regular season top honour, having won it twice already, only six teams in the league’s history have gone on to win it all after finishing first in the table.
Standing in their way is precisely their biggest challenge yet: Tata Martino and his men. The winner of the 2018 MLS Coach of the Year award, as voted by his peers, certainly has the line-up to qualify for the final; Josef Martínez and Miguel Almirón were pivotal in the team’s conquest of New York City FC, both scoring in the second leg to ensure Atlanta’s berth into the next round.
What better way to send off Tata Martino, who is heavily linked with the Mexican national team, and maybe even Miguel Almirón, whose agent has stated the player’s desire to play in the Premier League, than by winning it all. That being said, Atlanta has still not managed to defeat the Red Bulls in four regular season tries since they joined the league (0-3-1), including a 2-0 loss at Red Bull Arena to close out September.
Line-ups
Both teams excel here. Defensively, Chris Armas’ men may have a slight advantage, only because their backline, which includes 2018 MLS Defender of the Year Aaron Long, has been playing together consistently over the course of the season, while Atlanta’s has seen its fair share of changes, including a new look during the team’s two legs against NYCFC.
Atlanta, on their end, boasts the league’s best offense, with 70 goals scored this year, including 31 from their record-breaking striker Martínez. The Red Bulls are however still in the league’s top five offensively, and boast a great centre forward of their own, Bradley Wright-Phillips, while Atlanta also features in the league’s top five defensively.
The real battle may take place in midfield. Will Tata Martino opt for a more defensive minded line-up in the centre of the pitch, or will his sole focus be on attack, as we’ve seen in the past. Whether or not Darlington Nagbe will be available after suffering an injury in the last round should give us a better idea of Martino’s midfield formation.
Too close to call
It’s a difficult matchup to predict, but one thing is already set in stone – for the first time in MLS history, the final will be hosted in either Atlanta or New York. But if we had to choose one….
It’s too close to call.
