It ain't over 'til it's over.
Yogi Berra coined the phrase, Lenny Kravitz pushed it onto the global music charts and a few teams surging up the table in MLS are living by it – none more so than CF Montréal and Seattle Sounders FC, who looked downright bad for long stretches earlier in the season but are now roaring, helped in no small part by young talent.
Those sound like good places to start this week’s rundown.
We warned you a couple of weeks ago: This one-time US soccer golden boy has found himself in the crisp Quebec air, showing everyone he’s far from washed at the still-tender age of 21. This weekend the woebegone San Jose Earthquakes were the victims as Clark posted a goal, an assist, two key passes, 2/2 on dribbles, 6/9 duels won and two fouls drawn, along with a 0.39 goals-added tally that ranks as the weekend’s best among U-22 players.
CFM are 3W-0L-1D in their last four matches with nine goals scored and three allowed, paced by Clark’s scintillating form during that stretch. It’s pushed them within a hair of the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs places (while all three clubs are tied on points, Toronto and Philadelphia are still a nose ahead on the first and second tiebreakers, respectively). With visits to Atlanta and Charlotte ahead of a Decision Day tangle with New York City FC, can they scrounge up the points they need to sneak in?
“He essentially gets to play as a second forward in Laurent Courtois’s 3-4-2-1 (or 3-4-1-2) with Josef [Martínez] as a pure No. 9 and [Bryce] Duke more of a 10,” wrote Armchair Analyst Matt Doyle of Montréal’s attacking trident in his weekend wrap. “Clark’s now got 3g/3a in his past four games. In his previous two years, he had 1g/3a over nearly 2,000 minutes for four teams across three leagues. It’s awesome to see a rebirth like this, especially when the player in question is just 21.”
We agree wholeheartedly.
Another week, another deserved win for Seattle, who painstakingly hauled themselves out of a nasty spring funk to rediscover the consistency MLS observers expect from them. Saturday’s 1-0 victory over Houston extends their current run to 10W-2L-2D since mid-June, and now questions like ‘Will they make the playoffs?’ have been replaced by ‘Will they finish top four and command home-field advantage in Round One?’
We’d contend Vargas embodies that quiet, steady progress like no one else in Rave Green. Game after game, he defies his 19 years of age with dependable displays in central midfield that have clearly earned coach Brian Schmetzer’s trust. His line against the Dynamo: 46 touches, 82% pass completion, one chance created, a team-high 4/4 tackles completed, 7/8 ground duels won, seven defensive actions, and three fouls drawn.
Now the Alaska native has earned a call-up to Mexico’s national team. That means he’s in contention to make his senior El Tri debut against the country of his birth (and whose colors he wore at youth international level), with the USMNT set to visit Guadalajara on Oct. 15, their first friendly on Mexican soil in 12 years.
The young Venezuelan played his part in an impressive week for LAFC, who won their first-ever US Open Cup title at midweek, then snapped a winless skid in league play by snatching all three points from their long trip to Cincinnati.
That clinical finish is his third goal of the year in MLS play and his second in his last three appearances; he also completed 18/20 passes and contributed seven defensive actions in his 45 minutes on the pitch. And there’s certainly no shame in making way for Denis Bouanga – who scored the eventual game-winner – at halftime.
In fact, the teenage winger’s ability to make the most of such cameos may prove vital to LAFC’s MLS Cup ambitions. We can do no better than to hand the mic back to the erudite Matt Doyle yet again:
“After spending half a year learning the role, Martínez has become a regular and is now up to 4g/2a in 433 minutes across all competitions, with the vast majority of those minutes coming over the past two-and-a-half months. That is key in keeping Bouanga and [Mateusz] Bogusz – the unquestioned starters – fresh,” wrote Doyle. “And if those guys are fresh, then LAFC are scary again.”
Watch some tape of the Revs’ homegrown fullback, who just went the full 90 in his sixth league start of the season and his fifth straight, and sooner or later you’ll likely find yourself wondering: Is this kid really just 16 years old?
By and large, Miller just looks like he belongs, and that alone is a huge compliment at this point in his fledgling career. He handled his business in New England’s 1-0 home win over Nashville, with 75 touches, 43/55 passes completed, 2/2 on dribbles, seven defensive actions, 5/7 ground duels won, two fouls drawn and just one committed.
For something a bit more intangible, check out this revealing moment:
“He’s got scouts all over him in Europe,” coach Caleb Porter told reporters after the Revs’ 2-2 draw with Montréal earlier this month. “There was a scout watching him last night.”
We believe it.
Perhaps no one in the league-wide U-22 player pool gets a look from the YPPOTW selection committee, but doesn’t quite make the cut, more often than Álvarez this season. Part of that lies in the Quebecois’ pronounced struggles as a team earlier in the year. But there’s also an understated element to his game that makes his value easier to miss than the skill sets of others.
The tri-national (he’s eligible to represent the United States, Mexico and Colombia) center back is a cerebral sort of defender who rarely plays a Hollywood pass or is forced into desperate, eye-catching tackles – and notably, his aerial game remains one of his weaker areas. He’s careful and precise with his distribution even at high volume, predominantly with his classy left foot, and possesses tactical intelligence and astute game-reading.
Montréal’s win over the Quakes was a trademark Álvarez outing: 90 minutes, 62 touches, 47/50 passes completed (94%), 1/1 dribbles, 2/3 ground duels won, seven defensive actions and two recoveries. There’s still plenty of upside for him to fill out, but his ceiling looks a good deal higher now than it did at the start of the season.
Jacob Murrell: D.C. United’s 20-year-old rookie striker made an impact as the Black-and-Red held reigning champs Columbus to a 2-2 draw at Audi Field, coming off the bench to notch his second assist of the year with a smart one-time pass to Gabriel Pirani in the buildup to Christian Benteke’s equalizer.
Brian Gutiérrez: Chicago's homegrown jewel provided necessary urgency off the bench as the Fire dealt Toronto FC’s playoff hopes a damaging blow with a 1-1 comeback draw on Saturday. Guti played a game-high two key passes in his 30 minutes on the pitch as well as completing 11/13 passes, winning 3/3 ground duels and earning a free kick. His run also opened space and time for Ariel Lassiter to deliver the telling cross on Jonathan Dean’s late equalizer.
