MLS Progress Report 3: June international break
By Ivan Ornelas
B Tier
Atlanta United (10th West)
Previous Grades: B+, B-
Latest Grade: C-
Average: B-
Aside from beating Chicago Fire, it’s been only draws and losses as their injury report reads 6 players out and 3 questionable at the time of writing. The mission remains the same: stay within a game of the playoff line until transfers or returns from injury occur and hope for the best.
Houston Dynamo (7th West)
Previous Grades: C, B+
Latest and Average Grade: B-
Impressive wins over Nashville and LA Galaxy are juxtaposed with a questionable loss to DC United makes Houston Dynamo a tough team to grade. They remain quality wins though and it’s enough to tentatively keep the Dynamo in the 7th and final playoff spot, a position few people expected this club to be in going into the summer.
Columbus Crew (9th East)
Previous Grades: B+, B
Latest Grade: C-
Average: B-
Columbus Crew needed an 89th minute Erik Hurtado goal to salvage a 2-2 draw against New England Revolution. Coupled with a win over Atlanta United, that represented their only points in May. Even if those losses came up against formidable opponents NYC and LAFC, the Crew have more talent on paper than to be tied with Charlotte on points at this stage of the season.
FC Cincinnati (6th East)
Previous Grades: B, C
Latest Grade: B-
Average: B-
If you love goals, you should put every FC Cincinnati game on your calendar. There’s a bit of regression to 2021 Cincinnati where they lose a fair few multi goal thrillers, but ultimately their quality of play has undoubtedly improved. They are still capable of winning a low scoring game, having done so against Minnesota in May.
Orlando City (5th East)
Previous Grades: B, A-
Latest Grade: D+
Average: B-
Orlando City slipped to 5th following a period where their only victory came against Toronto. Missing Antonio Carlos is a blow but Pedro Gallese, Robin Jansson, João Moutinho, and Ruan should be more than enough to concede far fewer goals than has been the case lately.
New York City (1st East)
Previous Grades: D, B
Latest Grade: A
Average: B-
This might be results oriented to some extent, but winning all but one game and drawing the other has launched New York City FC to top of the Eastern Conference. They feel they’re back to where they belong for the time being, and while finishing as the top seed of the regular season is only part of the job for an MLS title defense, its their expectation. Despite all this, Alexander Callens might still be one of the most underrated defenders in the league.
LA Galaxy (5th West)
Previous Grades: B-, A-
Latest Grade: B
Average: B
LA Galaxy are looking better, but multi goal losses to FC Dallas and Houston Dynamo prevent them receiving a higher grade for this month’s work. At least it wasn’t a hat trick of Texas losses, beating Austin 1-0. Chicharito isn’t the only goalscorer the Galaxy can call upon, with the emergence of Dejan Joveljic giving Greg Vanney plenty to think about.
New York Red Bulls (4th East)
Previous Grades: B+, A
Latest Grade: B-
Average: B+
Draws, a loss to Inter Miami, and a win over DC United tells a lot of different stories with the theme of mixed progress. While the Red Bulls are still a tough team to beat most of the time, this somewhat inexperienced group is finding it harder to win games as well. It’s hard to trust a team like that, but if they can still clinch a home game in the first round of the playoffs, that’s a good starting point.
Austin FC (4th West)
Previous Grades: A, A
Latest Grade: C-
Average: B+
A notable victory over LAFC is overshadowed by going winless in the other games. Austin FC still looks like a good team, and two of those losses came against LA Galaxy, but this poor run of form will only cause people to reconsider if the relative MLS newcomers are for real or not. It’s too soon to say that their progress has been undone, but this is a gut check.
A Tier
FC Dallas (2nd West)
Previous Grades: A-, A-
Latest Grade: B+
Average: A-
Slightly more good than bad has come from this batch of results for FC Dallas, garnering enough points to edge Real Salt Lake for 2nd in the Western Conference on goal difference. A little more consistency is what will be required to sustain this position.
Real Salt Lake (3rd West)
Previous Grades: A-, A-
Latest and Average Grade: A-
Bobby Wood’s renaissance and Justen Glad being an unlikely source of goals are just a few of the pleasant surprises Real Salt Lake have provided their fans. Their progress yields current 3rd place position in the Western Conference. Coupled with their playoff experience from last season, Real Salt Lake are looking like a force to be reckoned with.
Philadelphia Union (2nd East)
Previous Grades: A, A
Latest Grade: B
Average: A-
The good news: Union are on an undefeated run. The bad news: it’s been mostly draws lately. They’re only 1 point behind New York City FC at the top of the Eastern Conference but imagine if they could turn those draws into wins. If it’s a playoff matchups between these two teams it could go either way, but for the time being they need to start winning consistently again to be taken seriously as a title contender.
LAFC (1st West)
Previous Grades: A, A
Latest Grade: A-
Average: A
The favorite to win the MLS Cup if the season ended today (stop me if you heard that one before in the regular season), 3 wins 2 losses and a draw is enough for a 4-point lead in the Western Conference. This is a deep, well coached squad that displays an impressive style of gameplay. Now the test is to sustain this for the rest of the season into the playoffs, but for now they can be content with their progress.