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Kicking it: Orlando surges while the Galaxy struggles
Orlando City SC forward Cyle Larin has been the difference the club early this season.  Joe Petro/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Kicking it: Orlando surges while the Galaxy struggles

Hello and welcome to 'Kicking it' with Demetrius Bell and Megan Armstrong, two of Yardbarker's most discerning soccer specialists. This MLS season we're going to have them give us all the angles on and off the field for everyone already keeping up with the beautiful game to all of the new converts as the season takes shape.

Let’s get right to it as Week 8 was pretty busy around the league. 

The big news the past couple of weeks has been Tim Howard’s suspension for ‘inappropriate fan interaction ’ after the Colorado Rapids played Sporting Kansas City. The players union has come out in support of Howard, and Howard himself has taken responsibility for the incident while also criticizing how teams allow fans to get so close to the players. Do you think the league should be doing better in this regard or is this the same dynamic we see in other North American leagues?

Megan: Having been to Children’s Mercy Park many times, this was surprising to me. Granted, I haven’t spent much time in the area where players come on and off of the field so I’m sure the players union has a point. That said, I do enjoy the intimacy of an MLS game as far as proximity to players. This is just a case of (hopefully) not letting the hecklers and people who take advantage of that access ruin it for the rest of us who aren’t interested in being disrespectful. 

Demetrius: Phew, first those issues with Dom Dwyer and now this? That was a rough week in KC for Timmy, huh? But yeah, in my opinion MLS is in a very strange situation when it comes to their fan/player dynamic. It’s clearly easier to get closer to the players in MLS than it is compared to the other “Big Four” sports leagues, but at the same time there’s a difference between giving fans close access to players and then having them heckle or even get into “altercations” like they did here. 

The league could definitely do better in making sure that this doesn’t happen again in the future, because it would be a shame if they had to clamp down on fan interactions based on this incident resulting in other incidents down the line. You don’t want the league to lose the closeness of the fan-player relationship, but you also don’t want stuff like this happening. It’s a tricky situation.


Colorado Rapids goalie Zac MacMath clears the ball in the first half against the Minnesota United at TCF Bank Stadium on April 23, 2017. Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

And just as an aside, how great has Zac MacMath been in Howard’s absence? 

Megan: Zac MacBath has done everything he can to win the starting job in Colorado except morph into Tim Howard, who will have the starting job for as long as he wants it because he is Tim Howard. 

Demetrius: He’s been so great that the Rapids lost to Minnesota and you felt sorry for MacMath instead of laughing at him and the rest of Colorado for losing to the Loons. They’ve lost twice since Howard got suspended, but it definitely hasn’t been the keeper’s fault. He’s been making some absolutely crazy saves and doing everything he could to make sure that Colorado could’ve at least escaped those two games with a couple of points. 

Of course, the starting keeper job is going to be Howard’s for as long as he stays at Colorado and plays decently, but the Rapids can rest well knowing that if there comes a time when Howard has to have an extended stay on the sidelines, MacMath will be able to get the job done for them and they won’t have to worry about that.

Orlando City is off to an amazing start this season, one of the hottest since Sporting KC or Real Salt Lake. What’s the secret behind their newly found magic and is it sustainable for the rest of the season?

Megan: In short, Cyle Larin. 

Demetrius: Yeah, Larin’s been off to an amazing start this year. Of his six goals, four have been of the game-winning variety, so he’s not just grabbing goals when he can – he’s actively changing the game for Orlando City. They’ve been doing most of this damage without Kaka as well, who is still an influential player at this level of play. If he can seamlessly return and serve as an even bigger boost to Larin’s goal-scoring ways, then Jason Kreis may be handling something really special down in Florida this season. 

Megan: It would be awesome to see a former expansion club win an MLS Cup, but I also selfishly don’t want Cyle Larin to do so well that he ends up leaving MLS.  


Los Angeles Galaxy head coach Curt Onalfo reacts on the sidelines after a third goal by the Seattle Sounders in the first half at StubHub Center on April 23, 2017. Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

On the other coast, what’s wrong with the LA Galaxy? How did one of the league’s premiere clubs stumbled so badly out of the gate and can they be righted before the season is lost? 

Megan: Bruce Arena is gone, so that’s the most obvious finger to point. Then you take into account Gio dos Santos’ injury situation, and the inconsistencies start adding up from there. Sports are all cyclical in how dominant franchises ultimately lose reign at the top, but that’s not as prominent of a theme in MLS. Or at least, it hasn’t been. The league is catching up to LA Galaxy, which is great for the league. 

Demetrius: Well, it doesn’t help that they lost the man who helped build them into the club that they are today to a second tour of duty with the National Team, so there’s that. In a league where the difference in talent between the “haves” and “have-nots” is relatively small when compared to other soccer leagues, managerial talent makes a difference and the Galaxy are seeing it right now. 

Saying that, if this was one of those “other leagues,” Curt ONalfo would be on the hot seat. Since it’s MLS, he’ll probably receive plenty of patience. However, if it seems like they’re going to be in a dogfight to just make the playoffs, he’ll be gone. The problems with the Galaxy aren’t all on the manager, but he’ll be the first scapegoat if things continue on like this.


FC Dallas defender Hernan Grana chases the ball in the second half against the Sporting Kansas City on April 22, 2017. Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

Only one unbeaten team left: Dallas. How much longer do you think that will last

Megan: I don’t anticipate it lasting much longer just because, in MLS, no team is that much better than any other team on any given day (except Minnesota: sorry Loons). All of Dallas’ games so far have been a one-goal differential (except Minnesota, who they beat by two: again, sorry Loons).

Demetrius: They’ve got the Timbers next, and that’ll be a pretty big test for them. Then they’ll have a trip to Rio Tinto Stadium to face RSL and then after that they’ll have a tricky tie against NYCFC. If they manage to get past that patch undefeated and then a couple of more games, they’ll have the Dynamo waiting for them at the end of May. It’ll be amazing if they get past all of that with a “0” in the “L” column still, but I’d imagine that they’ll probably slip up in one of the road games before then just because of how this league is.

The owners are meeting this week and one of the topics that is sure to come up is an increase to the Targeted Allocation Money (TAM). Think it goes up (again) this year, or is it time for the league to stop increasing the spending amount each season? 

Megan: MLS seems to be dead-set in continuing to bring in big names and up-and-coming talent from around the world, which would automatically deem increasing the targeted allocation money. Which is fine. Who am I to say where the league should spend its money?
But then The Washington Post releases the 50 richest players in MLS this season, and you see the humongous drop-off from Kaka, the highest-paid, or even Bastian Schweinsteiger, who literally just got to the league, and players who are drafted and consistently present in MLS for the majority if not all of their careers. It’s certainly an interesting dynamic.

Demetrius: As long as MLS has aspirations to bring in quality talent from around the world -- and specifically from South America – spending has to go up so we’ll probably see that receive an increase. Granted, MLS could probably benefit from adding a bit of transparency as to how this whole process works, but we’re two-plus decades into MLS messing around with its rules on a whim when it comes to transfers, so I don’t have hope in that regard. But yeah, we’ll probably see an increase in TAM this season and it’ll be a good thing if it means more money can get used to bring in talent.

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