MLS Week 7: Larin, Kaká On The Rise. Dempsey, Piatti Trending Down.

By Nic Bodiford, 4/22/16

Conference matchups dominate Week 7 of the MLS. North of the border, we have Canadian rivals, the Montreal Impact vs Toronto FC. Here in the States, Orlando FC takes on the New York Red Bulls at Red Bull Arena. This is the place to find out which players will determine the results of this weekend’s games.

Gol Olímpico:

(The player listed here is expected to be this week’s statistical juggernaut.)

Cyle Larin, Orlando City SC vs. New York Red Bulls

Last season’s Rookie of the Year gets the New York Red Bulls in Week 7 and the scoring opportunities should be plentiful. The Red Bulls have allowed a league-leading 15 goals through 7 games this season. Last year, Larin shattered the rookie scoring record (11 goals) by scoring 17 times. Expect the second-year player to feast this Sunday.

Put Them On The Pitch:

(Players in this section are expected to show up on the stat sheet in this week’s matchup.)

Kaká, Orlando City SC vs. New York Red Bulls

We’re heading right back to the Red Bull Fountain of Youth. 2015’s MLS All-Star Team Captain should share in Larin’s fun. Whether it’s Kaká netting a goal of his own, or assisting Larin in running up the score, Kaká will be involved in Orlando City’s imminent victory.

Michael “Mickey” Barrios, FC Dallas vs. Vancouver Whitecaps

Although short in stature, Mickey Barrios will come up big in Saturday’s game, against Vancouver. The Whitecaps have allowed 11 goals in 7 games. Mauro Díaz, Dallas’ assist leader is out with a hamstring injury. If Dallas wants to keep their hold on 1st place in the Western Conference, they will need to lean on Barrios. Expect him to answer the call.

Will Bruin, Houston Dynamo vs. Columbus Crew

This week, bottom-dwellers Houston Dynamo and the Columbus Crew duke it out. Columbus has only managed 6 goals on the year, while giving up 9 to their opponents. Stats like that are to be expected from a 9th place team (Eastern Conference). However, Houston has managed to score 13 goals already, good for 2nd best in the MLS. They’ve also managed to give up 13 goals, good for 3rd worst in the MLS. Expect Houston to continue their scoring ways, with Will Bruin leading the charge. Bruin has 3 goals and 2 assists so far.

Long Shot:

(The Long Shot is this week’s dark horse.)

Diego Fagundez, New England Revolution vs. D.C. United

The D.C. United goalkeepers might be the most injured group in the MLS. 2014 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Bill Hamid tore the meniscus in his right knee in mid-January.The expected recovery time is 4–6 months.

D.C. then turned to backup keeper, Andrew Dykstra. Unfortunately, Dykstra suffered a herniated disk on March 17th and was announced OUT for 10–12 weeks. That left keeper’s Travis Worra and Charlie Horton.

Two weeks later, Horton sustained a concussion during practice. On top of all that, defender Chris Korb is still recovering from a right ACL tear that occurred in 2015.

Adding literal insult to injury, a controversial one-game suspension has just been announced for United’s Head Coach, Ben Olsen. Coaches are not allowed to enter the field of play, for any reason, but last week Olsen did just that, in an attempt to help remove a stray soccer ball that had made its way onto the pitch. Needless to say, D.C. fans are furious at this example of following the rules, perhaps a bit too strongly.

Both squads have allowed 10 goals through 7 games. New England has scored 8 times, while United has scored 7. Although neither team is having a great year, one of them is guaranteed to get a win this week. Given the cataclysmic state of D.C.’s keeper room, along with the loss of their Coach, my money is on New England.

This year, Diego Fagundez has lead the Revolution with 2 goals and 2 assists. Being the MLS’s youngest player to both make 100 appearances and score 25 goals, you know the kid can play. This weekend he steals the show.

Slide Tackle In The Box

(Players listed here are expected to have a terrible week.)

Clint Dempsey, Seattle Sounders vs. Colorado Rapids

After going winless through March, the Sounders have managed to turn things around in the month of April, winning twice, and adding a tie. However, the upcoming trip to Colorado will be exceedingly tough. The Rapids have allowed just 5 goals through 7 games. Expect a rough outing for Dempsey.

Leave Them On The Bench:

(Players listed here are expected to have a down week.)

Ignacio Piatti, Montreal Impact vs. Toronto FC

Piatti is having a great year, with 4 goals and 2 assists. However, this week’s matchup puts him in the “undesirable” category. Toronto FC is tied for the league lead of fewest goals allowed, with 5 in 6 games. Montreal is in 1st place in the Eastern Conference, with 12 points. Toronto is in 4th with 8. The Impact have a 3 point lead on Philadelphia, in 2nd. If Montreal is unable to score early, it’s possible they decide to play conservatively and settle for a tie — thus retaining rights to 1st place, regardless of the outcome between Philly and NYC.

Sebastian Giovinco, Toronto FC vs. Montreal Impact

Last season, the Italian national-teamer took the league by storm, in his MLS debut. Racking up 22 goals to go with 16 assists, Giovinco set the MLS record for combined goals and assists. That being said, this week’s matchup with Montreal is far from ideal.

The Impact have allowed only 6 goals through 6 games and are looking to hold onto 1st place in the Eastern Conference. Look for Giovinco to bounce back next week, against the Portland Timbers’ charitable defense.

Joao Plata, Real Salt Lake vs. L.A. Galaxy

Plata has been a monster this year. He has 4 goals (tied for 3rd best in the league), along with 4 assists (tied for 1st). However, This week RSL faces the Galaxy, in LA. LA has allowed only 5 goals, in 6 games, while scoring 12. Plata may get early opportunities but the longer the game goes on, the more likely they are to start playing conservatively. Obviously, they would like to get the win, but it would be wise to settle for a tie, if they can’t get the offense going. RSL sits in 2nd place in the West (14 points). LA is in 5th (11 points). Holding that lead over a conference rival will be most important for them.

It should be noted that Plata left practice, on Wednesday, with a quad injury. However, he has not yet been ruled OUT for the game. If he does end up playing, he will be playing hurt, which does not help his cause.

*Update: Plata has been ruled OUT.

Off The Crossbar:

(Most people would still expect this player to play well. However, this week, we’re going against the grain and saying he can’t quite pull it off.)

Chris Wondolowski, San Jose Earthquakes vs. Sporting KC

To be clear, Wondo may still have a hat trick this weekend. The guy has been a goal-scoring machine through his time with the Quakes, totaling 111 goals since 2009.

However going against Sporting KC is no small task. Reigning MLS Comeback Player of the Year, Goalkeeper Tim Melia anchors the defense. He is supported by 2012 MLS Defender of the Year, and U.S. National Teamer, Matt Besler. Besler is no longer listed on the injury report after missing time with a concussion. This will be a tough matchup.