Armchair Analyst: How Atlanta, 'Caps make life miserable & more for Week 28

It's the last weekend of summer, and there are 70 games left in the 2017 MLS regular season. Thus far it's the highest-scoring regular season in 15 years, clocking in at 2.92 goals per game (the 2002 season saw 3.01 goals per game which is, obviously, the most recent time the league has been at 3 goals per game or better).

You can draw a straight line from the introduction of TAM to this relative offensive explosion. Only one of the the league's top 10 scorers (veteran C.J. Sapong, 13g) is neither a TAM player nor a DP, and only three of the top 15 providers (Michael Barrios, 13a; Alex, 10a; Joevin Jones, 10a) are neither TAM nor DP players. Teams have spent a lot of money on their respective attacks in the past few years, and the pace of spending on defense hasn't quite kept up.

Raw spending isn't a perfect proxy for on-field quality, of course. Aaron Long has been one of the best defenders in MLS this year, and he's on close to a minimum contract, while Columbus and New England have proved that simply spending on the backline doesn't guarantee improved results.

Still, the trend toward more goals is tough to miss, and it's equally tough to miss why it's happened.

Onto the weekend ahead:

Little Child Running Wild

Atlanta United put the Revs to the knife on Wednesday, 7-0. It was brutal, and I wrote some about what it means for the Revs in the larger context of their existence as a franchise.

That game also put context to the Five Stripes, who are among the most wonderfully ruthless teams I've ever seen play in MLS. I scripted and recorded, and the great Paul Salazar edited the preview video for Saturday's visit from Orlando City (4 pm ET; Univision & Facebook.com) before Wednesday's game. And you'll notice how much of what Atlanta have done all season (highlighted in the video) they did to the poor Revs midweek:

The effect of this left-side overload is that it sucks defenders away from the middle, where Josef Martinez continues to poach goals at a record pace. Only two players have averaged more than 1 goal per 90 per season (minimum: 1000 minutes) – Stern John (1.08) and Wolde Harris (1.03), both back in 1998. Martinez is at 1.24 with 945 minutes played.

This is an obscene, record-shattering rate. He deserves all the dap in the world for it, but if you want to figure out where it's all coming from... look left.

I'll also be watching: Central midfield – specifically, defensive midfield. Cristian Higuita came off injured last week and will miss the next couple of weeks, and his replacement, Servando Carrasco, saw red. Richie Laryea's also injured, and Will Johnson is suspended. That means veteran Antonio Nocerino (who has struggled as a lone d-mid this season and last) is probably going to be asked to man the fort.

Move On Up

Vancouver dunked on Minnesota United on Wednesday night, beating them 3-0 with a "B" squad in a game that A) wasn't as close as the scoreline indicates, and B) was over inside half an hour. The 'Caps went over the top and did murder within five minutes, and then got out on the break and did it, and then punished MNUFC for pushing numbers forward late.

I wrote about the 'Caps last weekend, and I'll just reiterate the points I made then: They don't try to play pretty. They don't do much with possession. They are devastating on set pieces. And man, can they run:

That's it, really – that's who the 'Caps are. It's been good enough to propel them to the top of the Western Conference for the first time in two years, and it's something with which Columbus will have to contend on Saturday (7 pm ET; TSN in Canada | MLS LIVE in the US).

I'll also be watching: Crew SC's formation. They've been better at preventing teams from getting around the edge when they've played with five at the back, which is what I'd expect to see from them in this one. 

Keep On Keeping On

New York just finished up a stretch that saw them play seven games in 28 days (5 on the road), which proved to be a little bit too much for their injury-depleted roster. They didn't exactly crater, going 2-2-3 overall with one of the wins being the most important game of the set: A 120-minute, grind-it-out US Open Cup semifinal victory on the rug at FC Cincinnati.

The final is on Wednesday at Sporting KC. That means Jesse Marsch will likely have to juggle his tired team's lineup at least a little bit on Sunday when Philly come to town (1 pm ET; ESPN & ESPN Deportes in the US | MLS LIVE in Canada).

Marsch's biggest issue has to be keeping Sacha Kljestan fresh, because the RBNY attack goes nowhere without him:

He's created three times as many chances as the next best provider on RBNY, he leads the league in secondary assists, is second in passes in the final third, and is fourth in total passes. If Bradley Wright-Phillips has a bad day, at least there is Gonzalo Veron waiting to get on the field. If Kljestan can't go, thus far there is no Plan B for RBNY.

It wouldn't shock me to see him get a rest, as he did a month back at Portland. The Red Bulls couldn't really the trouble the Timbers without him, creating just two looks in the 68 minutes he was on the bench. In the 22 he played, the created seven.

I'll also be watching:Fafa Picault in the final third. He's had some bright moments, but the Union needed better than 5g/2a from him this year. He's got to use the final six games of the season to make the argument that he's a starter heading into January.

One more thing to ponder:

I can't recommend Pablo's before/after work enough, and neither can Pee-wee Herman.

Happy weekending, everybody.